How to get there:
Fly from UK to Sofia, takes 2hrs 50 mins - Bansko is 2hrs 30mins from the airport (150kms).
Cheap flights available from Wizzair.com who fly from Luton to Sofia and NEW EasyJet service from Gatwick.
Also try Bulgaria Air (air.bg) from Gatwick, BA or Hemus Air from Heathrow/Manchester - slightly more expensive but better flight times.
Car Hire/Taxi available from Sofia airport - make sure you only use genuine taxis. Very cheap bus service available from Sofia to Bansko (3hrs).
Best option is to pre-book transfer by car/minibus which can be arranged at very reasonable rates, please ask.
You will be met at the airport and taken direct to the apartment.
Skiing in Bansko:
Bansko is the best ski and snowboard resort in Eastern Europe - according to the Financial Times who said It combines modern skiing facilities with the charm of a 10th century town. Bulgaria is becoming increasingly popular among Britons keen to go skiing but not wanting to pay Zermatt prices.” (Jul 06)
Over 130 million euros has been spent since 2003 on new mountain facilities including the new Austrian made gondola lift which takes skiers up to the mid mountain area of 1725m. A network of smaller lifts takes you to the highest point of 2560m giving a huge vertical drop of 1570m; the run back to the valley is 17km long. The final 7km is floodlit and covered by snow cannon.
Bansko has an electronic hands free lift pass system and Bulgarias first terrain park with half-pipe for snowboarders.
Bansko has a long winter season which usually runs from late December to late April. Skiers of all abilities are well catered for as Bansko has over 70 kms of marked ski runs.
The Summer in Bansko:
During the summer Bansko is a fantastic base for exploring the beautiful Pirin mountains on foot, bike and horseback, with white water rafting, canoeing, paragliding and mountain biking available. The town has more than 100 architectural and historical monuments of culture. Also in summer the town hosts a week long jazz festival, a Bulgarian folk festival and other cultural events.There are numerous warm mineral water springs with proven healing properties in nearby villages. The climate is Mediterranean (summer temps 25 degs+) with the Greek border only half an hour away.
A new Ian Woosnam designed golf course is currently under construction just outside Bansko (4kms) and will offer quality facilities at a fraction of prices elsewhere in Europe (due for completion Spring 2009).
