Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museum of Otets Paisii Hilendarski
( 88 304; ul Otets Paisii 21; 9am-noon & 2-5pm)
Commemorating the eponymous
local monk, author and instigator of Bulgarian nationalism, this museum contains a chapel
with a replica of the room at the Serbian Hilandarski Monastery on Greece's Mt Athos,
where Paisii wrote his seminal and fulsome narrative of the history of the Slavs.
MUSEUM
Activities
Skiing
Nestled at 1000m, at the base of rugged Mt Vihren (2915m), Bansko enjoys long, snowy
winters. With trailhead peaks ranging from 900m to 2560m, Bansko boasts Bulgaria's
most consistent skiing conditions. The snow, often 2m thick between mid-December and
mid-April, sometimes lasts until mid-May. Lifts and slopes are modern and well main-
tained, while snowmaking equipment works during above-freezing temperatures.
Bansko also boasts a state-of-the-art gondola (carrying eight persons). The trip lasts 20
minutes and takes skiers directly from town and onto the slopes at
Baderishka Polyana
,
with pubs, restaurants and ski schools. At the time of research, a second gondola was ex-
pected to open here in 2013. From Baderishka Polyana, another chairlift accesses more
trails at Shiligarnika, which has four chairlifts and five draglifts. Bansko has 10 chairlifts
and 16 draglifts.
Chalin Vrag I and II are the most famous of Bansko's 15 (and counting) ski runs, which
total 67km, along with 8km of cross-country trails. The total trail coverage comprises
35% for beginners, 40% for intermediates and 25% for advanced skiiers. There's no free-
style helicopter skiing at Bansko, though veering off some trails accesses wide open, un-
touched mountainside where you're essentially taking your life into your hands. There's
also a half-pipe for snowboarders.
An all-day Bansko lift pass costs 70 lv, though prices rise yearly.
equipment (from about 55 lv per day) and snowboarding gear, and provides instructors for
and some hotels near the gondola. Intersport rents out mountain bikes in summer.
