comScore pixel
Bansko resort snow
Lat Long: 41.78° N 23.44° E
Ski Bulgaria

Bansko Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Bansko at 1795 m altitude

Issued: 8 pm 05 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Visitor reviews for Bansko Ski Resort

Bansko Ratings

Overall: 3.6. Based on 220 votes and 362 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.9

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Bansko is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 3.9

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Bansko has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.5

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.1

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.5

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Bansko

Public Transport: 3.5

  • There are no buses or taxis to Bansko
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.5

  • No places to stay in/near Bansko
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 4.2

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.2

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Bansko

Ski in/Ski out: 3.5

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.4

  • There are no child care facilities at Bansko
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.2

  • Bansko relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.9

  • There are no snow groomers at Bansko
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Bansko are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.8

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Bansko is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.6

  • If snow conditions are poor at Bansko, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.2

  • Bansko usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.3

  • The staff at Bansko are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Bansko are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 2.7

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.1

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.3

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.9

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.1

  • No intermediate terrain at Bansko
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.6

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 2.7

  • Not even a kicker at Bansko
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.1

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Bansko
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.0

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Bansko has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.4

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.2

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 4.1

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.5

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.6

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 3.4

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.4

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.7

  • Overall, Bansko is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.9

  • Overall, Bansko is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

Latest
Oldest
Most useful
Top rated
Lowest rated
February 02, 2011
philip from Ski France France
Hi, I'm heading to Bansko tomorrow and would like to know what the snow situation is on the runs? I have checked the forecast and there doesn't seem be much sign of snow fall atm! Could someone advise if slopes are good, average or poor? Cheers. [note from editor: this post will be left in place for a short time]
February 02, 2011
Anton from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
I wanted to warn you that the queues are really huge at Bansko! On Monday, January 31, 2011, I waited from 10:15am to 1pm at the main gondola lift station. This means almost 3 hours of waiting. Shame on Bansko and the company operating the lifts. The so well advertised 10 buses with which Bansko will solve the problem with the queues are in fact 6 small coaches (some 12-15 places per coach) and are absolutely useless. Plus they operate only from 8:45 to 12 and the queues continue well after 12. This is absolutely not acceptable for the "winter capital of Balkans".
February 01, 2011
Susan from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Hi, I'm heading to Bansko in 2 weeks' time with my husband and 2 kids. 3 of us are pretty much novices but my 13 year old daughter has just come back from a school ski trip in France so she'll put us to shame! Would I be better booking tuition before I go or should I wait until I get to Bansko? Ta. [note from the editor: responses are encouraged for a short time]
January 31, 2011
roy from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I shall be in Bansko from Feb. 13th. I would like to know if it is possible to buy skiing insurance along with one's lift pass as in Alpine resorts. [note from the editor: responses are encouraged for a short time]
January 30, 2011
Spenghead from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just finished a week snowboarding in Bansko. Fortunate enough to have snow for most of trip. quite a few closed runs but, due to weather, this meant much better conditions if you decide to stick to closed runs/off-piste, as much less traffic. Most of the blue/red runs were very busy and clogged with beginners throughout most of the week (not a problem with blacks). Lift queues were nothing too extreme. Quite a small resort but enough to keep you occupied provided you're not looking for anything too out there. Lift pass is very expensive for the amount of piste to be honest. Snowpark has not even been built, presumably due to lack of snowfall but considering the fact they seem to run the snow cannons non stop, more down to laziness as they could have easily produced enough snow to do something here. As far as the town itself goes, I have the impression, which was shared with fellow travellers, that unless the service standards are improved this resort will not be sustainable. Very cold service from many service staff throughout the resort, aggressive PRs are everywhere and there is a very touristic feel to the whole affair. Be warned that although relatively cheap in comparison to alpine ski resorts, there is a feeling of lack of value for money. And again, I must stress, the lift pass is extremely overpriced. Had a good time overall but I will certainly not be considering a return trip.
January 30, 2011
Lisa from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just returned from a week (22 Jan 2011) in Bansko. It snowed on the second day of our arrival and for two days, so the conditions were great. The kids loved the variety of runs, though they do need to sort out some of those flat sections; great for the leg muscles! By the end of the week most of the lifts were open, bar one or two. Our accommodation (Chalet Mila) was top class with great food. The local food was fantastic and good value for money. The people are friendly and helpful. Our ski hire (Ski Mania) was good value for money with helpful, smiley staff and the kids loved their ski school (Method Ski School). The only downside was by Wednesday afternoon the slopes were so full it wasn't safe to ski. Way too many people without skill or etiquette which made it dangerous. We compensated by getting up very early, so for the first hour or two the slopes were relatively empty and a joy to ski, then we would finish around 1.30, a first on our ski holiday. We can normally ski 'till the end of the day. A great place for lunch: take the blue run/road down to Bansko, take the left road at the fork, to the left of the bridge is a little wooden house, selling great food at great prices with friendly staff. In the evening head into the old town and eat in one of the Mexhanas, great food with great prices. We also ate at the Victoria Rest opposite the Kempinski Hotel, which, whilst very European, was also very good and reasonable.
January 30, 2011
mark from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Arrived in Bansko on the 22nd January 2011. Snow conditions are excellent as it has snowed most of the week. The resort has plenty of snow cannons and constantly uses them to maintain good skiing. Ski instruction is good, ask for Asem of Balkan holiday ski school. If you fancy eating at a traditional Bulgarian ask Maharna as his parents own a restaurant 20 min drive from Bansko and the transport is no problem as they own a minibus. The food is excellent with home-made wine. Stayed in the Hotel Perun. Spa and pool is excellent (take your swimwear). Food is ok (recommend the omelettes in the morning). Beware of the bar staff who are not very honest and will cheat you. Beer is 3lv a pint and always ask for a single when ordering a spirit because they will automatically give you a double at 14lv, with a mixer. Exchange is better in the hotel currently at 216-220lv to the £1. The best bars are the Lion, Crown, Amigos and the Irish Bar. The Happy End bar is expensive in comparison.
January 29, 2011
Simon from Ski Israel Israel
We visited Bansko last week (21-28.01.2011). The snow conditions were wonderful. The slopes are well prepared but in some places there was some ice due to the snow machines being needed for the World Cup. We had some great times there and we plan to come back.
January 27, 2011
Jon from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Hi We are booked to go to Bansko in March and I have read that the queues are quite bad at the main lift from the town is this true? Also, where would be the best place to hire ski/snowboard kit from and can this be pre-booked? Thanks Jon [note from the editor: this post shall remain in place for a short time]
January 26, 2011
maria from greece thessaloniki from Ski Greece Greece
We have visited Bansko the last 5 years! We are very happy to come every weekend to the slopes. Everything I read from you it's true. I met all the conditions of snow, all the types of the hotels, all the types of food: good, bad, very good, people who know how to treat to the tourists and people who don't know, but I think that everyone comes here to have fun and the more exciting thing is that you discover new things every time. If you are lucky to be here with good conditions of snow and not so many people, it will be perfect.