Most people come to Bansko for the slopes. But nearly everyone spends at least one day off them — because of tiredness, the weather, or simply good sense. That day is worth planning rather than enduring.
The old town
Bansko has an old quarter that many visitors never see, because they don’t leave the newer area around the lift. That is a shame — it is a ten-minute walk away.
The cobbled streets with their high stone walls and heavy wooden gates date from the Bulgarian Revival period, when houses in Bansko were built partly as fortresses. Velyanova House is the best known and can be visited — the murals inside are the work of Velyan Ognev. Nearby stands the Holy Trinity church with its bell tower, and the Nikola Vaptsarov house museum is on the square.
The walk takes about two hours at an unhurried pace. In winter it is at its best in the early evening, when the lamps light up the stone walls.
The food
Bansko is known for its taverns and the reputation is deserved, but it helps to know what to look for.
The local specialities that genuinely differ from the rest of the country are bansko starets (a cured pork leg, similar to prosciutto), kapama (several kinds of meat baked slowly, traditionally in a clay pot) and chomlek. Kapama is traditionally a Christmas dish, but taverns serve it throughout the winter.
A tip: call ahead for kapama. Many places make it to order and it takes hours.
If you would rather have a quieter evening, the hotel restaurant is open to outside guests too, and the lobby bar with the fireplace is the obvious place afterwards when it is minus ten outside.
The spa day
If you have skied three days in a row, a fourth in the spa isn’t indulgence — your body needs it, and the days that follow on the slope are better for it.
Riverside’s spa centre covers 1,580 sq m: a heated indoor pool 11 by 7 metres, a steam room, a Turkish hammam, Russian and Finnish saunas, a salt aroma sauna, plus massages and beauty treatments. Book massages ahead — afternoon slots fill up during the season.
Pirin around you
In summer Bansko is a starting point for the Pirin mountains, and this is its other face — considerably quieter than the winter one.
The classic routes start from Vihren hut, reached by car on the road through Banderitsa. From there you can walk to the Banderishki lakes, up Vihren peak (the highest in Pirin), or take the easier route to Banderishka Polyana. On the way up, near Banderitsa hut, stands Baikusheva Mura — a tree over 1,300 years old.
The gondola also runs in summer and takes you up without the climb — useful if you are with family or don’t want a full day’s walking.
Events
The best known is the Bansko Jazz Festival in August — concerts are held outdoors on the main square and entry is free. The town fills up, so book early if you are coming then.
How to arrange it
If you have a week, an arrangement that works is roughly: three days skiing, one day for the spa and the old town, one day for a longer outing or a rest, and a shorter ski on the last day before you leave. You go home rested, rather than feeling you need another holiday.
See the rooms and booking terms if you are still planning your stay.
If you are planning your stay around the holidays, see also how to lay out the New Year week in Bansko.