The Town

Bansko offers a fascinating combination of the modern ski resort atmosphere and the spirit of a small museum-town. It  is situated at the foot of The Pirin, The Rila and The Rodopa mountains and  is equally attractive to Bulgarian and foreign tourists during all 4 seasons.

Bansko, in its present location, is believed to date back to around the 9th and 10th centuries. The town was well-known for its handicrafts and its cultural and spiritual influence.

Today Bansko is one of the top ski resorts on the Balkan peninsula. It hosts the “Wild ride” International championship for extreme ski and snowboard, and the international “Balkan Open Cup” – an alpine ski tournament. This year the resort has the honor to be the host of the FIS European Biathlon Championship 2007.

The town and area around Bansko offer great ski and winter sports facilities – 65 kilometers of ski tracks, as well as a biathlon and cross-skiing course.

There is an 8 person Doppelmayer gondola lift, five 4-seat lifts, one 3-seat Poma lift, six  drags and 10 baby drags. Easy access to all lifts is secured by chip-cards from SkiData.

The existence of excellent quality crisp white snow on the 65 kilometers of marked ski runs and ski roads is made possible by their regular maintenance by 12 Kassbohrer snow grooming machines. Snow is guaranteed from December until May by the snow cannons.

All the ski facilities will be greatly increased by the 120 million Euro Kulinoto project for additional ski tracks and lifts and the expansion of the neighbouring Dobrinishte ski area.

For those who like golf, the signature Ian Woosnam course will open shortly with a further 6 courses in development.

The facilities will also include a horse riding club and stables.

A private airport for charters is being developed – which will reduce the two hour travel from Sofia International Airport to 35-40 minutes.

The town itself is equipped with a WiMax network offering high speed Internet and telephone.