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Borovets resort snow
Lat Long: 42.22° N 23.58° E
Ski Bulgaria

Borovets Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Borovets at 1930 m altitude

Issued: 2 am 21 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Borovets: 1.5 cm on Tue 21st  (after 6 PM)

Visitor reviews for Borovets Ski Resort

Borovets Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 123 votes and 190 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.7

  • 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
  • Borovets 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
  • Borovets has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.1

  • 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: 4.0

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

Access: 4.1

  • 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 Borovets

Public Transport: 3.5

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

Accommodation: 4.4

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

Cheap Rooms: 3.9

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

Luxury Hotels: 3.8

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

Ski in/Ski out: 4.3

  • 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: 3.6

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

Snowmaking: 3.6

  • Borovets 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 Borovets
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Borovets are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.6

  • 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
  • Borovets 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 Borovets, 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: 3.9

  • Borovets 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: 3.6

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

Crowds/Queues: 3.4

  • 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: 4.2

  • 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: 4.1

  • 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: 4.0

  • 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: 4.2

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

Advanced: 3.7

  • 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: 3.1

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

Cross-country: 3.2

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

Luge/Toboggan: 2.1

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

Mountain Dining: 3.6

  • 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: 3.3

  • 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: 3.5

  • 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: 3.7

  • 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): 3.9

  • Overall, Borovets 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): 4.0

  • Overall, Borovets 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

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January 04, 2006
sian hopkins from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have just skiid the upper slopes of the Borovets for the first time today and I just had to come and put some words on the pc to say how much fun it was. I have skiid France and Canada and I can honestly say that this compares very favourably with lots of runs to choose from and plenty of snow. The mountain offers excellent skiing for beginners but most of all intermediaries and advanced. There are bars and restaurants at the top of the Gondola and plenty of space on the slopes with lift ques being resonable despite this being a bulgarian holiday. I hear that they are planning new slopes with the Super Borovets programme and I will definatley return to ski here again. Oh and also so cheap 1\2 day pass 8 pounds sterling and a whole day 18 pounds sterling with discounts available to tour operators.
January 02, 2006
GUY from Ski USA - California USA - California
We are going back to Hotel Rila, Borovets, for the 3rd year running.Hotel clean, rooms ok,locals are very welcoming. Ski instruction 1st class, had the same one 2yrs running.If you do not find Borovets right for you, you need to get out more and see the world, having lived in lots of places this is not the worst. Value for money is very good.
December 22, 2005
Chris T. from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have purchased a house in Samokov near to the Borovets and have skied the resort for the first time today. It is the 20th December, 2005 and all the lifts and gondola are running and we have had a lot of snow allowing for all runs to be in operation. The Gondola takes you upto the highest point on the mountain resulting in quiet slopes and magnificent views. The Rila Hotel Quads are the busiest and are lower in altitude but great for intermediaries and learners. The resort is fun and friendly though Samokov's restuarants and bars are considerably cheaper meaning they are rediculously cheap. I have skied Canada, USA and Europe and though still developing, I have to say that I have been impressed with the length of the runs and the snow conditions in Bulgaria. If you want value for money, fun night life and lots of snow time come to Borovets, Bansko or Pamporovo.
December 20, 2005
Suzanne Hayes from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I'm very glad to see so many positive reviews on this site for a resort that is filled with character and very friendly people. I am also not surprised to see the negative few, which I feel have been unfairly written. Bulgaria is an ex-communist country struggling to get back on it's feet - when visiting there you need to have some realistic idea of what you are visiting. Hotels can be very basic and old, and the food in the hotels may not be what you're used to in european resorts, but the hospitality is warm and friendly, and is the reason I'm going back for the third year in 2006 - and yes, I do ski in other areas of Europe too, but Borovets keeps drawing me back. Many skiers have such a blinkered view of ski-runs and how extensive they should be - at the end of the day, you can make a run as hard as you want by ski-ing it harder. Borovets offers more than enough ski-ing for a week, with amazing views from the top of the mountain, good and varied food available in the 114 bars (what more do you want?) clean accommodation, with everything close to hand and no crowded ski-buses to fight your way onto. Not to mention the horse-drawn carts to ferry you around. All in all a fabulous ski-ing holiday.
December 07, 2005
Clive Berry from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Went to Borovets for first ever skiing holiday. Thoroughly enjoyed the skiing so much so that we booked to go again this year within 2 weeks of returning home. The down side was that we were there for Christmas and our main Gala meal consisted of a plate of fried onion with 3 or 4 chicken cubes. The country is poor and this is clearly evident. This year we have booked self catering because it is cheaper and the range of quality food in the bars and restaurants is superb value. By going self catering in a chalet with a sauna we reckon we will save at least £400.00 for our family of mum dad and two teenage boys. Whilst this is not the perfect family resort we felt it was safe enough for our 12yr old to go out by himself and there are lots of other families younger than ous there. Generally a brilliant time was had by all including my wife who was not at all keen on the idea initially.
December 01, 2005
elsie & bob from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We went to Borovets for our first sking holiday in Jan 2005 and had a fantastic time. We stayed at the Rila which was not 4 star by English standards but was quite acceptable and in a great location. Snow conditions were great and all lifts were open. Queues were minimal and the lessons were fun. In all we thoroughly enjoyed Borovets and are counting the weeks until we return in Jan 2006. People should remember that this is an affordable sking holiday. If they want the best then they must be prepared to pay more and go the the more popular (and expensive European resorts)!!
March 19, 2004
M.McDonald. from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just returned from borovets, and although very different from other resorts, had a fantastic holiday. I too have heard the horror stories about the food and hotels. yes, the hotels are basic, however after hearing the history of the country you can understand (basic but spotlessly clean). Many Brits have complained about the food being luke warm when you get it,however that's how the bulgarians eat it and I found it made the meal more enjoyable. P.S. dont complain about what they serve, if you want pie and chips, stay at home ! The town itself is highly centered round the tourist industry and lacks the charm of other European resorts, however if you want a lively holiday its perfect. Not the ideal resort for families, but for groups its ideal. As far as the skiing goes, its not the most extensive area, but then how much can you do in one week ?
March 03, 2004
Phil Taylor from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Have just returned from my 3rd holiday to Borovets and had a great time again. The Iglika hotel is good with a friendly atmosphere, if a littl enoisy at times (but arent most hotels?). Despite Half-board ate out all nights as its such good value and very good food - greater choice and quality than hotel. Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Steaks all very good. The skiing was good despite the winds taking the Gondola out. Picking your route on the remaining slopes was not such a problem. The one-man lift being out was a shame but did not mean 1 third of the slopes were missing - those slopes do not take up a third of the pistes despite previous comments! Still decent skiing available. I for one will be booking again for next year. Note - the majority of people you speak to there have been there before at tleast once, so it cant be too bad!!
March 01, 2004
John Pemberton from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
1/03/04.Just got back from I wek in Borovets.Stayed at Hotel Rila.We arrived at 0400hrs.Prostitute's in Rila Lobby Bar.Checkin was good and quick.Room basic but clean and good Bath/Shower Room.Breakfast was passable,they could do with a new Toaster.Ski Station needs to be organised better,everyone tends to turn up at the same time,in and out through the same doors,quite chaotic!Ski School was ok,but too many people trying to use drag lifts resulting in you having a small run due to having to get back into the queue.Lunche's with instuctor at various Bars were good.Alpin and Frankies to name a couple.Evening food in The Rila was again about passable.No water available so you had to buy drinks.We ended up eating in The Happy Duck,which was very good.The Gondola was only open for about 3 days due to wind.This had a knock on effect on the other runs making it crouded.We paid the Snow Tractor driver 30 lev each x 9 to take us to the top of the single man chair lift that wasn't working.The run down for us was excellent.The journey up took about 1 hr 30.and quite precarious in places but it did add to the occasion.Watch the Night Ski ing from the Panoramic Bar above the Rila,you can see the wild dogs chasing the Skiers,quite entertaining!!Our overall impression of Borovets,as a intoduction to ski ing for us it was very good and enjoyable.The people were pleasant and tried very hard.Will we go back ,maybe?? Check your bill in the Duty Free Shop @ Sofia Airport in case they make a mistake a swipe some of your goods twice.
March 01, 2004
Frazer Hoyle from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just had a week skiing at Hotel Rila. If you are anything other than an learner and are looking for good skiing DO NOT GO.. It is full of people snow ploughing every where, the ski lifts do not work and they close them and do not tell you or seem to care, yes its not your average ski resort but politness is universal. People ugly and rude.... Full of British Tourists being vulgar and rude and generaly making you ashamed to open your mouth. It is cheap.. (not always a good thing, you pay for what you get!)and if you want to eats loads and get drunk every night then Borovets is for you. Saying all that I did have fun and when you can get to the top of the mountain there are 3 good runs (very short) Go with good friends you will need them...