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Pamporovo Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Pamporovo Ski Resort

Pamporovo Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 65 votes and 108 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.0

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Pamporovo is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.0

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Pamporovo has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.3

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.3

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.6

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Pamporovo.

Public Transport: 3.6

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Pamporovo, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.6

(1) No places to stay in/near Pamporovo, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 4.3

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.3

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Pamporovo.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.1

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.8

(1) There are no child care facilities at Pamporovo, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.0

(1) Pamporovo relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.1

(1) There are no snow groomers at Pamporovo, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Pamporovo are groomed daily.

Shelter: 4.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Pamporovo is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.3

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Pamporovo, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.2

(1) Pamporovo usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.1

(1) The staff at Pamporovo are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Pamporovo are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.8

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.5

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.3

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.7

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.5

(1) No intermediate terrain at Pamporovo, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.8

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.3

(1) Not even a kicker at Pamporovo, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.6

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Pamporovo, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.6

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Pamporovo has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.4

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.3

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.0

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.8

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.5

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.5

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.0

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.3

(1) Overall, Pamporovo is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.4

(1) Overall, Pamporovo is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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February 01, 2020
Nigel from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
Nice layout and not too busy. A few pistes closed due to lack of snow. The open pistes are all on artificial snow. I travelled here with the family. We're effectively beginners and although Friday was good, Saturday 1st Feb was not great. Lifts are open but the lack of snow is showing and in the afternoon in this heat it's not pleasant skiing at all. The run from Studenetz to Malina is particularly icy and bumpy. Still, we're having a good time.
January 04, 2018
Louise from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Pamporovo, one of the best resorts for beginners and intermediates. Stunning place with perfect snow conditions today: 4/1/18. Most years there is good skiing at new year. Love it and would def recommend it. Especially as it is less than half the prices found in the Alps (who can’t ski at the mo because of too much snow in some places). Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
February 21, 2017
michael mcelroy from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Fantastic 4 days ski in brilliant sunshine. We based ourselves at the students ski area; this is central and has easy access to the main students 4 man chair. We used Ski school "Steve" which has many excellent instructors all trained by Bulgarian national Ski School. They taught our 8 year old daughter to ski top to bottom of mountain in 3 days, this was her 1st time on skis. If you are frightened of heights, it can be a little daunting to find yourself at the top of 2000 metre mountain on day two, but you are in safe hands with this ski school. Don't worry, be happy, which is easy to achieve in Pamporovo.
January 22, 2017
roger jones from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
The 10th year at this resort and things there just get better. Stayed 14th to 21 Jan '17; snow conditions fantastic. Now they have second resort to use at Chepelare you only need a lift pass to use it at no extra cost with buses running every 15 mins. The reps in the resort at the ski depot [Christine Dimitrova from Balkan Holidays and Galina Dafova, Bulgaria Hotels] were excellent and very helpful. Will be returning next year. Miss it already.
January 09, 2017
Derion from Ski Greece Greece
During the weekend 7-8 January 2017 Bulgaria was the place to be, in Europe, so as to enjoy the cold wave from Northern Europe and Pamporovo ski center; the excellent ski idea. I do not remember skiing so well for many years. There was plenty of snow everywhere about 120-150 cm. but this is something you can relatively easily find. What really made the difference was the snow quality, which was the best seen for a long time. The weather was perfect: sunny and light wind. They were warning about very low temperature but if you were skiing you did not feel the cold. All the groomed pistes were perfectly prepared. About ski center: it is a little gem. 4 hours from Sofia central bus station; it is a stop for all the buses going to Smolyan. Ticket price per person from Sofia: 22 leva - 11€. Lift price : 59 leva - 30€. Ski equipment: 20 leva - 10€. Actually all the pistes start from Tv tower Snejanka. And there are four main pistes with intersections. These pistes are Stenata (piste 2 leading to chair lift Studenets), Smolyan lakes, Stokyite (piste 12 leading to Stoykite chair) and Malina (pistes 3-4-5 only piste 5 was prepared leading to chair lift Malina). The only drawback: the après-ski, which is very limited. I stayed in Chepelare 10 km away (where there is another ski center, Mech Chal) and the village was empty. However, I have enjoyed this skiing day in Pamporovo so much. When there is enough snow and low temperature go there and you will not regret it, for sure!
January 01, 2015
Emma from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Main ski school of Pamporovo was excellent. Professional, caring, high level of experience and excellent English. Could not fault them. You can identify them as they operate from ski depot 2 and wear lime green jackets.
December 29, 2014
Batty from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
Found ski school far too rushed on first day; stated I was a beginner and just felt pressured way before comfortable doing various elements. Explained to rep who involved manager to see if I could be in basic group, until happy, just to be met by rudeness muttering under his breath as he walked away. Thankfully, new instructor not so hurried and more encouraging. No complaints there but feel they just want to rush you and I'm not convinced safety is the priority after hearing others experiences. Not impressed with management!
December 03, 2014
Caroline from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
A great value ski resort. We travelled with Snow White Skiing and Pippa organised every aspect of our holiday with great attention to detail. The apartments, at Snezhanka, had everything we needed and Galina was on hand to deal with any ski queries. The Bulgarians were all very friendly once you smiled at them first. Food was great; never served hot. It's a Bulgarian thing! I can't wait to come back next year!
January 13, 2014
john from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
The skiing at the moment is ok. The resort have done a good job keeping sufficient runs open for all levels. The terrain is a bit icy but just adds a bit of a challenge. Greens, blues, reds and blacks all open at time of writing. Generally speaking, this a great resort to learn to ski and to develop your skills. The staff at the ski school are as good as any and very friendly. Value for money is second to none. Less than £2 a pint, less than £1 for a coke! Why would you pay twice the price for skiing and après-ski. Very family friendly/couples resort. Limited for singles/groups looking to party. Hope this helps.
March 21, 2013
Janette from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We've been skiing (and walking!) in Pamporovo for nearly ten years and still think it's a great resort. The skiing is good, the pistes are regularly groomed and when we've used the ski school or individual instructors they've always been brilliant. Ski hire and lift passes are ridiculously cheap compared to other European resorts and nothing is too much trouble. We've always found the restaurants (apart from the self service one) to be really good value, especially if you go for local dishes and drinks and in my experience, trying out bit of basic Bulgarian when you're ordering gets you a lovely smile and sometimes even a discount! The spit roast chicken in The Lodge is well worth getting there early for. :-) It upsets me when I read of people finding the locals rude and ignorant, when I've stood in lift queues and sat in restaurants listening to English speakers being incredibly rude about Bulgarians, without even bothering to learn a basic please and thank you. I wonder what those people would think of anyone swanning into their local and demanding something in loud Bulgarian then getting annoyed because their accent isn't understood? Bulgaria isn't like a lot of homogenised Western Europe; it's itself and all the nicer for it. Come here if you want great skiing, great value and somewhere that's foreign and friendly at the same time!

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