An expert’s honest review of skiing in Bulgaria

A ski holiday in Bulgaria can be less expensive than almost anywhere in Europe. So why bother with the Alps? The answer is that while a stay here is remarkably kind on the purse strings, the quality of the slopes bears virtually no comparison to lesser-known resorts in Austria, France, and Italy.

Lift systems, rental equipment and even the mountains simply don’t match up. Adequate snow cover is also by no means guaranteed. However, the welcome is warm, the standard of instruction is extremely high, and the overall costs with all the necessary extras like lift pass and lessons are low. Many British skiers see merit in these attributes and return to Eastern Europe year after year.

There’s no escaping the fact that winter sports are increasingly expensive pastimes. If you’ve never skied or snowboarded and want to give it a go and at the same time experience a new and different culture without huge financial outlay, it’s worth a visit – particularly if you’re a family with small children on a shoestring budget.

The country claims a total of 22 resorts, but only three of them – Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets are sophisticated enough to attract international interest. The remainder are all local hills, with the possible exception of Aleko, located in the Vitosha Mountains, only 24km from Sofia. It has seven lifts and 20km of terrain, but it’s more of a weekend workout venue for snow-hungry city residents than a holiday destination.

Here’s everything you need to know about skiing in Bulgaria this winter.

The best ski resorts in Bulgaria

Bansko

Best for intermediates

Bansko has the most challenging terrain and unquestionably the best lift system in Bulgaria. The ancient town is located in the beautiful Pirin Mountains, close to the frontiers with Greece and North Macedonia, and on a clear day, you can glimpse the Aegean Sea.

With its narrow cobbled streets, and picturesque inns called mehanas, Bansko has long been a tourist attraction. In 2003/4, the country’s most modern ski area was developed above it, and it is reached by a gondola from the top edge of town. It has 75km of varied terrain served by 14 lifts, enough to keep any intermediate happy for a week. There are all sorts of off-piste opportunities too.

Bansko now has smart hotels (by Bulgarian standards), plenty of restaurants and pizzerias and a lively nightlife. All in all, it’s a fun place, but prone to overcrowding and questionable snow cover.

Where to stay

SNO (020 7770 6888) offers the four-star Hotel Lion from £558pp, half board, including flights and transfers.

Pamporovo

Best for first timers on a tight budget

This village has considerable rural charm and 30km of skiing, set in magnificent countryside close to the frontier with Greece and within easy reach of the magnificent Roman town of Plovdiv – a Unesco World Heritage Site with an international airport.

Pamporovo is defined by the 156-metre television mask that appears in every publicity photo, but don’t be put off by this. The 30km of mainly easy runs are served by a mixture of lifts. These include two detachable six-person chairs, while a couple of others are nearly 50 years old.

At peak time, Pamporovo is a busy party place with a couple of fine restaurants and

plenty of bars serving alcoholic drinks at rock-bottom prices.

Where to stay

Crystal (020 3451 2821) offers Hotel Orlovetz from £561pp, half board, including flights and transfers.

Borovets

Best for beginners and low intermediates

The third main resort in Bulgaria is the country’s oldest. It began as a holiday centre – but only for the nobility – back in 1896 when Prince Ferdinand I built his summer residence and a couple of hunting lodges here.

Skiing started in earnest in the 1960s with the initial establishment of a couple of lifts, and it quickly became the biggest ski centre in Eastern Europe. Cynics suggest that the lift system hasn’t changed much since. Certainly, the gondola dates back to 1980, although a couple of detachable chairs out of the 14 lifts are much more recent.

Super Borovets, a multi-million-pound plan to nearly double the 58km of terrain and build 12 new lifts and 5,000 more hotel beds, has been stuck on the drawing board since 2004 and, despite planning approval in 2009, shows little sign of advancement.

Where to stay

Igluski (020 3993 4781) offers four-star Hotel Samokov from £428pp B&B, close to the slopes and ski school.

When to go

It’s wise to avoid Christmas and New Year when the resorts are packed with Bulgarians and visitors from neighbouring countries. Snow cover is an increasing uncertainty, but it’s most likely to be at its best from late January until early March. February, however, is a busy month. March 3 is a national holiday, and it falls on a Monday in 2025, so the weekend before that is best avoided.

How to get there

• Bansko from Sofia airport: 160km (2hrs 20min).

• Pamporovo from Plovdiv: 80km (1hr 30min).

• Borovets from Sofia airport: 66km (1hrs 10min).

From the UK, Ryanair flies to Plovdiv, from £63 return, and EasyJet and major airlines fly to Sofia, from £50 return.

The number of tour operators offering ski holidays to Bulgaria has declined in recent years post Brexit and Covid. Ski tour operators to Bulgaria include Balkan Holidays, Crystal, Heidi, Igluski and SNO.

How much does it cost?

Food and alcohol are inexpensive in Bulgaria. Expect to pay around £35 for a three-course meal for two in a medium-priced ski resort restaurant. A pint of local beer costs around £1.50.

It’s fair to say that in the past, Bulgaria has not had an international reputation for fine dining. The quality of half-board meals used to be a serious bone of contention. Some years ago, a local entrepreneur in Borovets hot-wired his electric frying pan into a street lamp outside the largest hotel and made a fortune selling chips to hungry British skiers. These days, however, standards have considerably improved, particularly in Bansko.

A six-day lift pass in Bansko costs £293, while six days of ski school (four hours a day) costs £183. Alternatively, you can get a beginner’s package of six days’ boots and ski rental, plus a lift pass and ski lessons from £420.