Winter Sports in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a skiing and snowboarding paradise. It offers lots of snow, a blazing sun and everything you need for the perfect winter holiday!
You will find diverse ski runs and large-capacity lifts, the best in ski equipment and facilities, top-class hotels and a great variety of entertainment options. As well as a chance to enjoy Bulgaria’s fascinating authentic folklore and unrivalled gastronomic experiences. All that and more, is what makes Bulgaria’s ski resorts unique.
Skiing has been developed greatly in the last four or five years. The most popular resorts in Bulgaria today are Borovets, Pamporovo and Bansko, although there are many other places with good conditions for skiing. Thanks to huge investments, Borovets Pamporovo and Bansko have improved substantially in recent years. They are located on three different mountains – the Rila,Pirin and Rhodopes, each with its own distinctive terrain and spectacular mountain vistas.
The basic cost of a skiing holiday in Bulgaria is very favourable compared with other countries, considering also the high quality of hotels, meals, ski schools and ski facilities. Compared with other destinations, this is quite a saving and it is good to have it in mind when planning a holiday. Moreover, there are possibilities for all grades of skiers – from beginners and intermediates to real experts.
In short, the splendid ski runs for all grades of skiers, the excellent lift system as well as the modern hotels, holiday houses, catering establishments and places for entertainment – plus the friendly people – make Bulgaria the ideal destination for an unforgettable skiing holiday.
THERE IS A CHOICE OF THREE RESORTS IN THREE DIFFERENT MOUNTAINS, EACH WITH ITS OWN APPEAL
BOROVETS is located amidst the ancient pine forests of Mount Rila.
PAMPOROVO lies in the gentle folds of the sunny Rhodope Mountains.
BANSKO nestles below the hunkering rocky cirques of Mount Pirin.
BOROVETS is Bulgaria’s oldest mountain resort, established at the end of the 19th century as a hunting retreat for the Bulgarian kings
The resort is equally attractive both in summer and in winter. It is located 1350 m above sea level, on Rila’s northern slopes, at the foothills of Mount Mousala (2925 m), the highest peak on the Balkan Peninsula. Borovets is surrounded by centennial pine trees interspersed with sunny glades, and is easy to reach both from the Sofia (72 km) and Plovdiv (126 km) airports.
The resort features more than 58 km of marked ski runs (the longest run is 5.8 km) and cross-country tracks. There are two chair lifts, one gondola lift (six-seat), one fixed-grip quad-chair lift, ten drags and several baby drags. The natural snow cover exceeds 2 m in winter. Some of the ski runs are sound-tracked and lit up by modern lighting systems, which allows night-time skiing. The altitude of the ski runs is between 1350 and 2560 m.
PAMPOROVO is known as the sunniest ski resort in Europe. It sunny and breezy summers and mild winters with plenty of snow and sun are a unique phenomenon, the result of a combination of a mountain continental climate and a strong influence of the Aegean. Pamporovo is located in the Rhodope Mountains, famous for being the birthplace of the mythical singer Orpheus. The air in the resort has negative ionization and does not allow you to catch cold there, while its remoteness from big cities (Sofia is 260 km and Plovdiv 86 km away) is the main reason why it is so clean and fresh. The altitude of the ski runs is between 1450 and 1937 m, with the main slopes facing north, east and west. The resort has more than 29 km of ski runs (the longest run is 4.2 km) and 34 km of cross-country tracks, 6 chair lifts, 13 drags lifts, several baby drags and probably the best ski school in Europe.
BANSKO is situated at the foothills of one of the most beautiful mountains in Bulgaria – Pirin, a national reserve included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It is Bulgaria’s most recently developed mountain resort. Most of the hotels are in the town, which has preserved its original 19th-century architecture and atmosphere with its narrow cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses hidden behind high stone walls. The skiing area offers more than 70 km of marked ski runs and cross-country tracks (the longest run is 3.5 km) for all grades of skiers and snowboarders – from beginners and intermediates to advanced and off-piste. The altitude of the ski runs is between 1100 and 2560 m, and most of them face north. Bansko has six chair lifts, one gondola (eight-seat), seven drags and ten baby drags, plus the best snow record and the longest ski season of all Bulgarian resorts. The slopes are wide and skiing is convenient. The town is a museum in its own right, with more than 150 heritage sites, museum-houses, exhibitions, an ethnographic bazaar where you can buy hand-made souvenirs,.
