City: Blagoevgrad Province
Top Things to do in Blagoevgrad Province
Top Restaurants in Blagoevgrad Province
10 Things to do in Blagoevgrad Province That You Shouldn't Miss
Coordinates: 41°45′N 23°15′E / 41.750°N 23.250°E / 41.750; 23.250
Restaurants in Blagoevgrad Province
1. Method Snow School
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 117 reviews
The only British run ski and snowboard school in Bansko, Ski and snowboard hire opposite the gondola. Highest qualified international instructors. Ski and snowboard lesson for all levels. Instructor courses, freestyle coaching. Owner former GB olympic team coach and instructor trainer.
Reviewed By liam169 - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Been going to bansko for 9 years and used method for the 1st time this year. The booking went smoothly and when we got there everything was ready for us. Excellent service every day and very helpful My girlfriend had a private lesson and this was the best she every had. She developed massively both in skill and confidence. Only minor downside was the opening time was 8am. Luckily the gondola queue was never too big but open 15min early would mean getting to the gondola for opening Highly recommended snow school will be booking with method again next season Thanks method see you next year
2. Club Hanuman
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 15 reviews
Qualified physiotherapist and yoga instructor. SPA therapist. With more than 10 years experience in hospitals, SPA centers and sport clubs.
Reviewed By Jean00sc
This summer I was very fortunate to have a number of physiotherapy sessions with Elena to address joint stiffness and posture. The sessions were thorough and helped me get to the root causes as well as learn what daily ongoing routine will support me. I really appreciate Elena’s expertise, her soothing vibes, as well as the great teaching in her aerial yoga classes, which showed me how powerful this approach is for stretching and toning. It’s a fun workout. By my second class I was able to hang upside down, which provides amazing relief to the neck muscles. I highly recommend Elena!
3. Vihren
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Reviewed By ceebeebee2017 - Derbyshire, United Kingdom
It is really difficult as a Brit to find out how to safely climb the mountain, the 2nd highest peak in Bulgaria, but where there's a will, you must find a way! You can drive up Pirin Rd out of Bansko, past the National Park centre where I saw a wild tortoise- yes, wild! Drive up and up and up the windy road, following the Vihren hut signs. When you drive through an enormous bus parking, go through it, sweeping round to the far left and continue up again, eventually past Banderista hut on your left. It is worth stopping here for 15mins- walk up the steps on the uphill side of the hut and visit the second oldest tree in Bulgaria- amazing! Then continue, after 10 mins reaching uneven track and Vihren hut, your starting point. There is not much parking there, maybe 20-25 vehicles, but you can turn round to park wherever you can find just below it. The hut here is lovely, with opportunity for refreshments throughout the day. The journey took 35 mins from Bansko. Then, follow the yellow signs to Vihren, following the blue and yellow symbols painted on rocks every few minutes. The way they are painted gives the direction of travel, and little cairns often mark changes in direction- clues I figured en route. Vihren means 'windy mountain' and even though it was 30 degrees in June, we needed an extra layer at the top. Also, at this time of year, the weather can be unpredictable so go prepared for rain and never attempt if thunderstorms are predicted incase you are hit by lightening. Check Accuweather Virhen website the day before. The route up took us just over 4 hrs from the hut; we are 60 yrs of age and I walk VERY slowly uphill, and yes, I drank my litre bladder dry on the way. The terrain is stepped most of the way over natural stones alongside a stream, crossing Boulder falls at times, and through scrub on narrow paths. If in doubt of the correct route, walk no further than 15 mins without seeing the coloured symbols ( some of them are a bit faded). We found there are a few well walked pathways leading up but if they are in the general direction, they are all painted with this symbol to help guide you. The main pathway is slightly wider. There are some larger, steeper slabs of rocks to haul yourself up, but nothing requiring wire ropes and nothing technical or higher than a very large Boulder. I read online accounts beforehand which say this peak is easy and suitable for children. I have lots of mountain walking experience, and I think children need to be 8 or above and confident on rocky, steeper terrain. The views are wonderful as you walk uphill. About 30 mins from the top, the convex slope becomes exposed and extremely rocky, so pick your path wisely and preferably follow a painted symbol path. This is a hard final slog. At the top, there is a tall cairn encased in metal. An amazing view of the Pirin and Rila mountains. By the way, a 1:50,000 Pirin mountains map can be bought from the tiny fronted bookshop about 5 doors up from the central Tourist Information. We followed the red route on the map clockwise from the hut, by far the easiest route. So retrace your steps back down to the hut unless you are a very experienced walker/ scrambler/ mountaineer, mad following it clockwise off the summit towards the Premkata col, requires climbing downhill using wired ropes and down large rocks with vertical drops if you slip! We were warned at the top against doing this by a very experienced Bulgarian, who said he viewed it as more dangerous than Koncheto ridge, which is at least horizontal. He advised only doing this stretch in an upwards direction, so you are pulling yourself up the wires. In the past I have found wearing half fingered mountain biking gloves gives good grip for this and protects hands against any protruding wires. Hope this helps you to confidently give this beautiful mountain a go! It's well worth the effort.
4. Bansko Ski Mania
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 172 reviews
We have over 450 pairs of ski and snowboard equipment that are serviced to the best standard. Our ski shop is located near the parking area of Bansko Gondola lift. This saves time in the morning - you can walk from our wardrobe to the Gondola lift. And after you finish your ski or snowboard day, you can leave your equipment with us every night for free.
Reviewed By 827jayneb - Bristol, United Kingdom
As a first time skier I was unsure what to expect. But our hosts at #snomads suggested we book lessons with Ski Mania. We had three, two hour group lessons over our week. Our instructor Dimitri was like a “Jedi” master. He was able to plant the skills and knowledge in my brain! But on a serious note he was quietly spoken and very attentive. He was extremely observant and had a great way of explaining the correct way to ski and correcting any errors. At the end of the three lessons, I am now able to parallel ski and was given the skills and confidence to throughly enjoy my week. Would highly recommend Ski Mania. Thank you Dimitri ⛷????
5. Velyanova House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By EuropeanAnnie - Greater London, United Kingdom
We decided to visit Velyanova House following some excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, and yes, I can safely say it is worth the entrance fee of 3 leva per person! Built in the second half of 18th century, this is a typical Bansko house with its beautiful murals and wooden carvings. Hidden underground passages and little nooks and crannies seem to have been its characteristic features, although you cannot actually see any of these. Only the first floor is open to visitors, where you can see traditional rooms - sitting rooms, bedroom, etc. We were told that the ground floor is converted into some storage rooms, a workshop with a weaving loom and a conference room and none of these were open to the public at the time we visited. Advice: there is a talk in English which you can ask for, whilst you are wondering around, it will provide some more insight into the history of the house and background information on life in Bansko during those times. We loved "the blue room", specifically designed for Velyan's wife, imagining how it perhaps provided cosy and calm sanctuary, respite from her busy day. The front garden is beautiful, with flowers and herbs, and a well prominently featured in the garden. The house is not well sign posted, we found it following our GPS navigator.
6. Holy Trinity Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
Reviewed By bilyanar11 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria
If you go in Bansko don't miss to visit it . It's a place that keeps the spirit of the past centuries and brings inner peace. There you can enjoy the unique art of masters painted icons and immerse yourself in an amazing atmosphere
7. Neofit Rilski Museum
8. Ski Bansko
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,030 reviews
Reviewed By shaziaraf - Agadir, Morocco
First time in Bansko and first time skiing. We were a family of five with kids aged 16,13 and 11. We were pleasantly surprised with everything from the gondola queues to slopes and lessons. Booked everything through traventuria, car transfers, ski rentals and lessons. Everything went smoothly from the moment we arrived. We went from complete novices to going on the blue runs comfortably by day 4. We had a 8 min walk from our hotel, Guinness to the rental shop traventuria, then got our stuff from lockers on first floor, we had 2 as could only comfortably fit 2,3 person ski stuff in there( ski helmets,goggles, skies, poles and boots). We then walked with our gear on to gondola took another 15 min ( only actually 5 min walk). Please note not easy carrying 2 sets of skiers esp your kids ones. We normally got to gondola around 8.30 and would get on cable cars within 10-15 min but If you get there for 9 you can look at 30-40 min wait as gets busy fast!! The cable cars takes another 30 mins to get to the slopes. Also leave early before 3 pm to avoid huge queues, we made this mistake on last day!took us 45 min to get on the cable cars We booked 4 hr lessons but mostly were given on average 2 hrs per day by the instructor. Will be returning next year but hopefully will book ski rentals next to gondola to save the hard long walking distance with skies on.
9. Pirin Street
10. BanskoSki
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By japartment
Ulen: We read negative reports about Ulen before we traveled that in our opinion are simply not true. At least not currently. Everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and smiling. The entire ski area is run by amazing Ulen staff. The Gondola, the ski lifts, the restaurants on the slopes - everything. From the little old Babushka ladies who cleaned the tables and bathrooms (spotless, with lots of toilet paper, hand towels and HOT water) that serve thousands every day, and who grinned back at us with toothless smiles when we said thank you, to the uniformed man who immediately reached out to rescue me as I slipped getting off the Gondola once, every Ulen staff member was there to make sure we had a safe and wonderful ski experience. Ski equipment: In addition Ulen has a ski school and rents equipment like many others. Our travel package included renting our ski equipment from them. Yes, as noted in previous posts the equipment was not new, but we were beginners and it did not matter. Petr, in the equipment room, was, in particular, very helpful. He willingly changed my boots after the first day at my request. He then remembered me from among thousands and greeted me with a big smile every morning and each evening, helping me on and off with my boots. Georgi was also very nice when I returned my equipment the last day. Thank you to all the hard-working Ulen staff for great service with a smile!
