Suitable for experienced and beginners, Bansko is a perfect ski place to enjoy winter sports and taste the feeling of complete freedom from the top of the mountain. I tried to gather as many tips & tricks as possible and I hope you find this article useful.
details Pre-trip:
Skiing during pandemic times is not easy at all. We have been twice this winter and the travel conditions were different. If in January, you could go without problems, in February we had to show a negative covid test, done with max of 72 hours before, to cross the border into Bulgaria. Therefore, the recommendation would be to stay always informed, up to date with all the news, because we live in crazy times. If you read this article in 2022, I hope that covid trouble has been solved or at least be lighter.
Invest in a pair of boots! If you think it’s too complicated to transport and store a pair of skis, yes, I think the same, but the ski boots are a must. Here we are talking about hygiene, comfort and believe me it is much better.
Book a hotel close to the slope! We tried both options and clearly with an hotel close to the slope it is much more advantageous. The prices are not high at all and the conditions are very good. For a 3-rooms apartment at Winslow Infinity Aparthotel, located 10 minutes from the Gondola, we paid 200 lei / couple per night, delicious breakfast & spa included. I thought it was a good deal and the conditions were more than decent. If you still like an accommodation a little further, it’s ok, there is a very large parking near gondola, where you can leave your car. It’s up to you!
See all the slopes on the Bansko Ski App and Vimeo! Before leaving, it would be good to know a little how the map of the slopes looks like, to get an idea of their number and how long they are. To see if they fit your wishes, right? The Bansko SKI application helps you to see their status in real time and it is recommended to install it. Recently I discovered some videos on Vimeo and I find them extremely useful for those who want to see the condition of the slopes 360 degrees and obviously you can use the search bar on their website to search for almost any slope.
Buy vignette online! Rather than pay 50 lei, stop the car and wait in line, you better go online here, with a few clicks and 15 BGN / 35 RON you have finished this aspect as well. Simpler and faster.
Don’t leave without travel insurance! We had an insurance for winter sports from Groupama, for around 100 lei, 2 people / 5 days. Be careful, however, the insurance does not cover the costs of any interventions / analyzes / controls made after the insurance period, even if they would be related to your departure to ski. Yes… obviously I know, from my own experience, after a terrible fall.
trip and costs:
From Bucharest to Bansko, it is about 7 hours by car. Being the 3rd time, since we go here, we tried several hours of departure and the last one I think was the best.
We left on Saturday morning at 5 am and with a few breaks on the way, at 12 we arrived at the hotel for accommodation. With super skiing spirit, we got dressed and left to catch a half day of skiing. As in any ski place, it is well known that the weekend is crowded. If time and days off allow you, ideally it is a Monday-Friday trip, so in this way, you can avoid the crowded mornings. As we always have the pressure of the vacation days, we were satisfied with 5 days in the mountains; from Saturday to Wednesday, turning, in fact, into 3 and a half days of skiing.
From where to rent skis? Both in terms of cost and the way these guys know how to do business, I warmly recommend MegaSkiCenter. Some super friendly people, who know how to treat their customers with a good vibe, a coffee or a wine. I also leave their Instagram page here, because it is well worth it. The price depends on the type of ski:
- For beginners: 45 BGN – for 4 days
- For advanced: 60 BGN – for 4 days
Ski pass costs: All prices can be found here. Thus, we paid 257 BGN for 3 and a half days of skiing. For the 3-day card, being plastic, you will have to pay an extra deposit of 5 BGN. At the end of your vacation, you can return the card and you will receive the deposit back.
Prices for adults:
- Gondola lift – BGN 32
- 1/2 day (after 12:30) – BGN 54
- 1 day – BGN 70
- 2 days – BGN 134
- 3 days – BGN 203
- 4 days – BGN 268
With ski boots on and ski pass in your hand, now you just have to enjoy the snow. If on Sunday I waited in line for about 20 minutes, the next days were extremely free and you don’t have to wait more than 5 minutes. Once you reach Bunderishka Polyana, you have several chairlift routes: Banderitza 1, Banderita 2 or Kolarski, Shiligarnik, Todorka.
Is it worth spending a few hours with a ski monitor? Well, yes! Especially if you learned on your own, be sure that an instructor can teach you how not to put pressure on certain parts of the body, to have a correct position and to enjoy as much as possible the time spent on the slopes. From my own experience, I can say that, after 2 hours with a monitor, you will greatly improve your technique and approach to the slope. Instructors are everywhere, many of them also know romanian words, so you will feel like home. An estimated price depends on the hours and the number of people + try a little to negotiate:
- 1 pers / 2h – 50 BGN
- 2 pers / 2h – 80 BGN
- 4 pers / 2h – 150 BGN
Terraces and restaurants: Obviously being in pandemic times, all restaurants are closed inside, operating only in take away mode. On the slope the prices were relatively ok, 7 BGN for a coffee or a beer and 20 BGN for a pizza. Also in terms of pricing, a dinner was 16 BGN at the restaurant of the hotel where we stayed.
Another alternative is to order by phone from nearby restaurants and in an hour, you will receive the food at the reception and most of the time, you have to pay cash. The apartment rented by us within the Winslow Infinity hotel, also had a kitchen with living room, for dining, so perfect for the restrictions of the current times.
And the latest recommendation: just go, have fun and enjoy this place even if you know or not to ski. It will be such a good opportunity to learn something new, right? Cuz this is that we did, we recharged our batteries and it was so … like a breath of fresh air that we needed so much.
See you next time Bansko!! 
