Skiing in Bulgaria

Bulgaria ski holidays are great for anyone looking to take to the slopes on a budget. Cheaper than many of the more established countries such as Italy, France and Austria, much money has been injected into the winter resorts in the country.

A “bargain bucket” destination, Bulgaria’s ski areas have seen large scale investment over the past decade with the results becoming more apparent in the past five years in particular.

The established resorts of Borovets, Pamporovo and Vitosha are all seeing much needed upgrades to aged lifts and resort accommodation, a process which is currently on-going. However “Bulgaria’s Whistler” is the resort of Bansko which has seen a huge investment in Western European technology and new hotels to create a world class ski area in terms of its modern lifts and runs with high quality hotels and other facilities in the resort itself.

There are currently dozens of other ski resort proposals from property developers hoping for the same kind of success as Bansko, and there is a growing environmental campaign against many of these plans as environmentalists are concerned that much of the development that is planned and some of it that has already happened, is scheduled for land that should be legally protected natural reserves.

Cheap skiing

Prices have inevitably risen as the quality of the holiday experience in Bulgaria has gone up, but currently the country remains amongst the most affordable ski nations in Europe and we can negotiate the best rates for lift tickets, ski rentals and more.

It is often best to book and pay for everything in advance rather than relying on paying in resort, unless you are good at driving a hard bargain, as prices for many goods and services tend to be ‘fluid’ in a way that they are not in Western Europe and North America.

In resort

You can expect to meet friendly locals and receive high standards in ski school and most other facilities. Eating out is usually of a reasonable standard and again much cheaper than in the Alps.

Issues to be aware of include the fact that Bulgaria is in the far south-east of Europe so you can expect quite a lengthy flight followed by transfers of up to four hours to Bansko, as the national road network is not good. It is wise not to avoid using travellers cheques or credit cards if possible as the exchange rate given is often poor and with a high commission.

It is recommend that you use cash tills in resort to withdraw money when needed direct from your UK bank account or bring a hard currency such as sterling (rather than Bulgarian cash) with you from the UK. Be wary also of illegal black market traders and take care of your personal property – do not flash expensive consumer items like cameras and iPods around. Most resorts employ Ski Police to help skiers around the slopes and also watch over ski equipment and similar whilst they eat lunch on the mountain.

However if you avoid these basic pit falls, you’ll find that you can easily have a high quality, comparatively low cost, relaxed and fun ski holiday at any of Bulgaria’s ski areas.