Choosing your Bulgarian ski resort

An article by Polina Stoykova, Managing Director of BULGARIAN PROPERTIES, in the new issue of A Place in the Sun Magazine:

Bulgaria has three main ski resorts, namely Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo, each offering something different but all offering opportunities to buy a holiday home.

Bansko is the largest of the three with the biggest ski area (85 km). Thanks to extensive investment over the past 10 years, it also has the most modern amenities, which enables it to host not just international ski championships but also a Jazz festival and other year-round events.

Despite this, property prices in Bansko remain very competitive due to a large supply - prices start from 10,000 pounds for furnished studios.

Borovest is Bulgaria’s second largest ski resort, with 58 km of pistes, and older than Bansko, being historically popular with weekends from Sofia. Being just 70 km from Sofia also makes it the closest of the three resorts to the Bulgaria’s main international airport (Bansko having a 170-km transfer). While Bansko is a town itself,

Borovets is a typical winter resort, with not as much going on in summer. Property there is also more expensive as supply is limited, with prices from 600 Euro/sq.m. making it almost double compared Bansko. Around Borovets, which is in the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria’s highest and popular for hiking in the summer, are a number of pretty villages with more authentic, rustic homes available.

Thirdly, there is Pamporovo, which has 55 km of pistes and is the furthest from Sofia (210 km). However, it is just 90 km from Plovdiv, served by Ryanair. Pamporovo is a purpose-built resort, but property prices there are similar to Bansko, thanks to a high supply of new-build properties. It is the closest ski resort to the coast, so it may be attractive to people looking to have a mountain home that also offers access to the beach in the summer.

Of the three resorts, the most international resort is Bansko, attracting tourists from Greece, Serbia, Russia, UK among others. Meanwhile, Pamporovo is especially popular with Bulgarians.

All three resorts offer a range of activities in the summer, including swimming, hiking, tennis and spa. Bansko also has a modern golf course nearby (Pirin Golf) and offers rafting in early spring, in places such as Blagoevgrad.

View our properties for sale and rent in Bansko

View our properties for sale and rent in Borovets

View our properties for sale and rent in Pamporovo

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