Kristo HotelHOTEL$$
(%073-880 444; www.hotelkristo.com; ul Komitrov; s/d/apt 50/70/75 lv; paW)
Chandeliers, four-poster beds and grand wooden furnishings combine to create Blagoevgrad's most atmospheric hotel, situated at the heart of charming Varosha district. Many rooms have invigorating views and a few have fireplaces. The hotel’s excellent mehana (tavern) is popular for weekend weddings – book ahead.
5Eating
Pizza NapoliPIZZA$
(%073-882 388; http://pizza-napoli.bg; pl Hristo Botev 4; mains 8-12 lv; h8.30am-11pm; W)
This swish Italian joint has a people-watching location by the main square. Its pizzas are the best choice on the menu, but Napoli also serves a range of ravioli, cannelloni and roasted meat dishes.
oKristo RestaurantBULGARIAN$$
(%073-880 444; www.hotelkristo.com; ul Komitrov; mains 6-15 lv; W)
The Kristo Hotel’s superb restaurant presents a dilemma: the terrace overlooks lovely Vavedenie Presvetiya Bogoroditsi church, but its interior is a cosy yet classy blend of brass lamps, crimson rugs and other traditional touches. It serves Bulgarian shashlik (skewers), hotplates loaded with veggies and meat, and mountainous salads.
Starata KashtaBULGARIAN
(%073-882 909; http://theold-house.com; ul Ivan Vazov 7; h9am-4pm Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat & Sun)
In fine weather, sit in the shady courtyard; if it's chilly, dine beneath medieval chandeliers inside. Either way, come with a hunger for plates heaving with tomatoes and sirene cheese, generous grilled meats, and listen out for occasional folk and other live-music acts.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Blagoevgrad has plenty of options when the sun goes down, from main-square cocktail bars to nightclubs secreted away along pedestrianised streets. Bars and club nights rise and fall as they compete to entice Blagoevgrad's young population. The action dies down in summer when students leave town.
oPolCaCAFE
(%0877553655; www.facebook.com/PolCa-596655820454566; ul Krali Marko 10; h7.30am-4pm Mon-Sat winter, to 3pm Mon-Fri summer)
Blagoevgrad's friendliest cafe has a band of cheerful staff that stirs up soups, fresh salads and tasty sandwiches alongside an Italian-leaning menu of iced and classic coffees (from 1.50 lv). The family-run spot, popular with students, is managed by a small, multilingual team who happily offer local advice. It closes during high summer; check seasonal opening times on the Facebook page.
MoonCLUB
(www.facebook.com/clubxtreme; ul Vasil Koritarov 4; h11pm-6am Tue-Sat)
Whether it's deep house, chalga (Bulgarian folk-pop) or live bands, things get raucous at this student-heavy nightclub (formerly known as Xtreme). Iron your shirt to get in, but prepare to get it hopelessly wrinkled on the dance floor, and probably drenched in cocktails. Check the Facebook page for upcoming events.
UndergroundBAR
(%0897820513; www.facebook.com/underground.blagoevgrad; ul Dimitar Talev 5; h10.30pm-4am; W)
Cheeky themed events – from retro '90s to shameless booze promotions – lure students and 20-somethings to this popular brick-walled bar, just off the main square. Expect a mix of house, R&B, high-energy pop, and shots that pack a punch. Check the Facebook page for forthcoming events.
Piano BarBAR
(%0898828828; ul Todor Alexandrov 23; h11pm-4am Thu-Sat; W)
This stylish after-hours club features karaoke, occasional live rock or jazz bands, and a bubbly crowd of 20-somethings.
3Entertainment
For Hollywood blockbusters, visit the widescreen Cinemax (%0876592700; www.cinemaxbg.com; pl Georgi Izmirliev Makedoncheto 9; tickets 6 lv). The respected Vaptsarov Theatre (%073-885 250; www.blagoevgradtheater.eu; pl Georgi Izmirliev Makedoncheto) and Vaptsarov Chamber Opera (%073-885 052; pl Makedonia) offer more edifying entertainment.
8Information
Foreign-exchange offices can be found on ul Tsar Ivan Shishman, on the western riverbank. ATMs are near the main square and central pedestrian streets.
Internet CafeINTERNET
(ul Petko Petkov 2; per hr 2 lv; h10.30am-11pm Mon-Sat)
Look for the simple 'internet' sign, just off the main pedestrian street, to find this little place.
8Getting There & Away
Blagoevgrad’s adjoining train station (%073-885 695; bul Sveti Dimitâr Solunski) and bus stations (%073-884 009; bul Sveti Dimitâr Solunski) are about 2km from the centre; taxis from the centre cost around 4 lv.
Bus
Buses from the main bus station serve the following Bulgarian destinations.
Destination Cost (lv) Duration Frequency
Bansko 6 1½-2hr 8 daily
Dupnitsa 4 1½hr hourly
Melnik 7 2hr 2 daily
Plovdiv 13 4-4½hr 2 daily
Rila village 2 45min 10 daily
Sofia 11 2-2¾hr hourly
There is also one daily service to Thessaloniki, Greece (50 lv, nine hours).
Train
Blagoevgrad is on the line between Sofia and Kulata (for Greece). To/from Sofia there are six daily trains (7.50 lv, 2½ to three hours), via Dupnitsa (3.60 lv, 45 minutes). Five daily services reach Sandanski (3.90 lv, one to 1½ hours) and continue to Kulata (4.60 lv, two hours) by the Greek border.
Bansko БАНСКО
Elev 925m / Pop 9000
Buzzing Bansko is Bulgaria’s premier ski resort and the most snow-sure in the country. Sunshine, thumping après-ski culture, and pistes at altitudes from 900m to 2600m draw locals, Brits and Russians each winter. As more and more hotels sprout up, overdevelopment in Bansko is a looming concern. This Pirin Mountains town gets mighty hectic during ski season; expect queuing bottlenecks on the main gondola lift from town.
Bansko isn’t a faceless resort, though. The cobblestoned old town is speckled with 19th-century National Revival mansions and worthy museums. These stone-and-timber houses were buttressed by fortress-style walls, once holding hidden escape routes, protecting their inhabitants from the Turks.
Unlike many other ski towns, Bansko doesn’t hibernate in summer and it makes a convenient base to explore pristine Pirin National Park, south of town. Visitors charmed by Bansko can only hope that development eases off, to preserve the character of this snow-and-sunshine town.
History
Built in the 10th century over an ancient Thracian settlement, Bansko grew to encompass several mountain villages by the 15th century. This town of craftspeople and livestock breeders bloomed as a centre of trade by the mid-18th century, thanks to its position on the caravan route between the Aegean coast and Danubian Europe. It spawned eminent traders, artisans, icon painters and woodcarvers, and Otets Paisii Hilendarski, the 18th-century monk who fuelled Bulgarian ethnic nationalism with his literary work and travels.
Bansko
1Sights
1Bansko Permanent Icon ExhibitionC2
2Historical & Ethnographical MuseumB3
3House Museum of Neofit RilskiB3
4House Museum of Nikola VaptsarovC2
5Museum of Otets Paisii HilendarskiB3
6Sveta Troitsa ChurchB3
7Velyan's HouseC3
2Activities, Courses & Tours
8BTourB3
4Sleeping
9Dvata SmarchaC3
10Hotel AvalonB4
11Park Hotel GardeniaD2
5Eating
12Mehana Dedo PeneB3
13Mehana Kasapinova KâshtaC2
14Mehana VodenitsataC1
1Sights
Sveta Troitsa ChurchCHURCH
(Trinity Church; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Vâzhrazhdane; h7.30am-6pm)
Surrounded by 1m thick stone walls, this 19th-century church has the air of a fortress. By contrast, the interior is a multicolour marvel with flower-spangled ceilings and columns painted rich shades of green and crimson. In the churchyard, the 30m-high clock tower (1850) is one of Bansko's most recognisable landmarks.
Velyan’s HouseMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Velyan Ognev 5; 3 lv; h9am-
1pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Sat)
This richly painted 18th-century mansion stands out among Bulgaria's countless heritage properties. Admire elaborate frescoes within the house-museum and around the courtyard, and peer at intricate wood carvings of the Debyrska School. Prettiest of all is the 'Blue Room', dedicated to the artist's wife.
House Museum of Nikola VaptsarovMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-88 303; pl Nikola Vaptsarov; 3 lv; h8.30am-1pm & 2-6pm)
This house-museum was the birthplace of Nikola Vaptsarov (1909–42), a respected antifascist poet and activist. Influenced by communist ideology while a student, his populist writings caused his arrest and torture by the wartime fascist government; he wrote his most famous poem while awaiting execution. Period decor, photographs, documents and Vaptsarov’s personal belongings are exhibited, alongside audiovisual displays about his life.
House Museum of Neofit RilskiMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Pirin 17; 3 lv; h9am-noon & 1-5.30pm Wed-Mon)
Occupying a Revival-era stone and wood building, this house-museum exhibits manuscripts by, and photos of, Rilski (1793–1881), the father of Bulgarian secular education, who created an early Bulgarian grammar textbook (1835) and a Bulgarian–Greek dictionary.
Bansko Permanent Icon ExhibitionMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-88 273; ul Yane Sandanski 3; 3 lv; h9am-noon & 1-5pm Tue-Sat)
Housed within a former nunnery dating to 1749, this small museum exhibits 18th- and 19th-century icons painted by the Bansko School of art.
Museum of Otets Paisii HilendarskiMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Otets Paisii 21; 3 lv; h9am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Tue-Sat)
Commemorating the eponymous local monk, author and instigator of Bulgarian nationalism, this museum contains a chapel with a replica of the room at the Serbian Hilandarski Monastery on Greece’s Mt Athos, where Paisii wrote his seminal and fulsome narrative of the history of the Slavs.
Historical & Ethnographical MuseumMUSEUM
(Radonova Kâshta; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Aton 3; 3 lv; h9am-noon & 1-5.30pm Tue-Sat)
This museum in a 19th-century mansion contains finds dating back to 6000 BC, plus antique, medieval and 19th-century National Revival–period items.
2Activities
Skiing is the main activity, but there's a range of things to do, including hiking, visiting a nearby spa and riding a narrow gauge train. BTour can arrange guided day hikes to the top of Mt Vihren.
Dobrinishte, 6km south of Bansko, has mineral baths and spa retreats galore; see the Bansko Tourist Information Center for more information.
Skiing
Nestled at the base of Mt Vihren (2915m), Bansko enjoys long winters where snow cover sometimes last into May; snow cannons also keep pistes downy and white. The 75km of marked ski trails, at altitudes between 900m and 2600m, are best suited to intermediate skiers, though there are numerous blue (easy) pistes, a couple of kids runs too, and a fun park for skilled skiers and boarders to slalom and soar. You can zoom down 16km of uninterrupted piste from Todorka Peak to the base station.
Queuing is hard to avoid, due to reliance on Chalin Valog gondola to access the ski area. At the top of the gondola, Baderishka Polyana, another chairlift, accesses more trails at Shiligarnika. Bansko has 10 chairlifts and 16 drag lifts.
Lift passes in 2016 cost 46/32 lv per adult/child for one day or 272/132 lv for six; tariffs increase annually. There are often good deals bundling together lift passes, gear hire and winter-sports instruction.
Several outfits offer snowmobile safaris (from 90 lv for 30 minutes) and snowshoe walks (small groups from 240 lv); enquire at the Tourist Information Center.
InterBanskoOUTDOORS
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0899933343; www.interbansko.com; ul Pirin 92; h8am-8pm)
This all-season outdoors store offers bike, ski and snowboard rental, winter-sports instruction, as well as guided summer excursions into the Bansko wilds. Gear hire starts at 30 lv per day for skis and boots (40 lv for snowboards). Guided day hikes start at 60 lv, while cultural excursions to Melnik, Plovdiv and beyond cost 80 lv to 100 lv. Opening hours can vary during summer.
DON'T MISS
NARROW-GAUGE RAILWAY
If you're in no hurry to press on from Bansko, consider trundling along Bulgaria's last narrow-gauge railway. This photogenic 114km route connects Bansko to Septemvri Station in five hours (6.10 lv, four daily), from where you can continue west to Sofia or east to Plovdiv and beyond.
At the two-hour mark after leaving Bansko is Avramovo Station, the highest Balkan train station at 1267m. The leisurely, visually stunning ride passes through narrow tunnels and dense forests and past bubbling rivers.
The train station ticket office only sells tickets 10 minutes before departure times, so plan ahead.
zFestivals & Events
International Jazz FestivalMUSIC
(www.banskojazzfest.com; hearly Aug)
This enormously popular music festival, held from around 6 to 13 August, brings smouldering saxophonists and riotous jazz ensembles, both Bulgarian and international, to the heart of Bansko. Major events are held on an open-air stage at pl Nikola Vaptsarov, but check the website for the full program and venues.
Horizon FestivalMUSIC
(http://horizonfestival.net; hmid-May)
A week-long festival of live music, DJ sets and hard partying (think hot tubs, flash mobs and daredevil skiing), in between late-season snowboarding or skiing in the mountains around Bansko.
Summer Theatre FestivalPERFORMING ARTS
(hearly Jul)
During the first week of July, Bulgaria's biggest names in theatre come to Bansko for a celebration of the stage. Book accommodation early and check with the tourist office for a full calendar of events.
4Sleeping
Bansko's abundant accommodation ranges from simple private rooms to five-star luxury hotels. Family-run guesthouses often close for periods outside the ski season, while most higher-end hotels remain open year-round. Book six months ahead for ski season, when rates can be up to 25% higher. Rates go up even higher over the Christmas–New Year holiday period.
Dvata SmarchaPENSION$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-82 632; ul Velyan Ognev 2; r from 35 lv)
The lovely garden of this popular and reasonably priced pension encloses a well-run, friendly place with well-tended rooms and traditional home cooking. It's just south of the main square.
Saint George PalaceHOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-82424; www.saintgeorgepalace.com; ul Kosherinata 5; ste/apt from 66/82 lv; pW)
Roosting above Pirin National Park's northern fringe, 2.5km south of Bansko's old town, this slick hotel suits lovers of luxury and the outdoors. The buffed reception sets the tone for high-class service. There's a quality spa, ski hire on-site, and a free winter shuttle bus to the lifts. Suites and apartments are minimalist, but large and fashionably furnished. Prices rocket during winter. Breakfast not included.
Park Hotel GardeniaHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-86902; www.parkhotelgardenia.com; ul Tsar Simeon 72; s/d/apt 65/80/132 lv; aWs)
Just 300m from Bansko's old town, the Gardenia has a superb location for travellers on a culture and hiking trip. The black, cream and beige decor of its ample-sized rooms is more business than traditional, but the expansive stone-and-wood mehana (tavern) has a positively medieval feel. Sweetening the deal is an elliptical pool with subdued lighting, a menu of massage treatments (from 30 lv), and a swanky lobby bar.
Hotel AvalonHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-88 399, 0894488226; http://avalonhotelbansko.com; ul Eltepe 4; s/d/ste from 70/92/138 lv; piW)
This friendly, British-run place, on a residential street just east of the old town, has airy rooms, some with jacuzzi, and ski storage. The restaurant serves a palate-pleasing variety of British pub classics, Indian dishes and mixed European fare. The owners can help organise airport transfers and local excursions. Check ahead as the hotel has an annual closure durin
g June or July.
Lucky BanskoHOTEL$$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %879111222; http://luckybansko.com; ul Kir Blago Todev 4; ste/apt from 146/258 lv; paiWs)
Rain or shine, it's hard to go wrong with this amenity-rich aparthotel, just off Rte 19 at the northern end of Bansko. Use of the spa and swimming pool is included in the price, while the neutrally decorated suites and apartments are equipped with fine kitchenettes and glossy modern bathrooms.
Kempinski Hotel Grand ArenaHOTEL$$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-88 888; www.kempinski.com; ul Pirin 96; d/ste from 200/300 lv; paiW)
Conveniently close to the ski lifts, this polished hotel has all the ingredients for luxury. Renovated rooms have alpine touches such as shaggy rugs; the large wellness centre has an indoor pool, steam baths and a menu of massage treatments; and there is plenty to entertain your party's younger skiers, including a kids pool and playground. Book far, far in advance: the Kempinski is deservedly popular.
Parking costs an extra 5 lv to 10 lv per day.
5Eating & Drinking
Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria Page 59