Bansko Reviews & Ratings

Cheap and Cheerfull no more. After the change to the euro prices have doubled, with no other benefits. The gondola still has an hour and a half + queue in the morning, which puts a downer on the day from the start

Bansko is great for families, with a good ski school and lots of blue and red runs. Great price and a lot of snow Dec-Feb.

Bansko is a cheaper option for skiing and would be limited for advanced skiers. The gondola from the town up to the slopes can be busy in the morning, with long queues.
Overall the slopes are good with lots of snow making equipment around, to keep the pistes open.

Great for beginners, especially the ski school for the kids. 2 hours in the morning & 2 in the afternoon. Excellent value for money, great ski instructors, and plenty of snow.
So good we’ve been 4 times, the runs are not too crowded and you can ski a blue/red run right from the top!

Basko is a lovely picture post card location. We has 6 full days of full sun. The only problem with Bansko is the Gondola. They have the normal que and the private upgraded que. Well unfortunately they don't appear to care about their customers as we were left for 3 hours standing with the children in the morning suing in the Gondola que. They let all the other people on and hold the tourist. Very poor and unfair. Once your up the top the normal lift already all fine. They have also put their prices up this year so now quite expensive for a very poor Gondola service. Heard several people complaining. I was one of them. Staff did not care. Will not be returning.

I've visited Bankso to ski twice now, both in 2025 and 2026. I experienced lessons with the ski school in 2025, which unfortunately weren't very helpful. I had three 2hr lessons and didn't learn as much as I'd have liked, the group sizes were far too big i.e. 20 people to onw group. So I sourced lessons at an indoor ski centre back home. I can speak more to the 2026 skiing experience as I knew how to ski on the second trip and I had a great time. I like the runs in Bankso, they're fairly beginner friendly. The gondola's can stop fairly often, unsure what the operational process is there, but that can be unnerving. The snow itself does get pretty icy in March, there are a lot of falls but even more friendkly skiers and boarders to help you. Red, blue, black runs etc., could have better signage. It's quite easy to start on an easy blue and end up on a red before you're ready to take that step,

Quite small and busy resort. Went at a time when the snow was not great but the slopes were still mobed, unless you get there very early in the morning. The town is nice with plenty of bars and restaurants, drinks are cheap and vibes are good.

Great resort. We were a large crowd so a smaller resort worked for us as we bumped into each other and didn't get lost.
Lots of bars/ cafes all over too.
Would highly recommend

This resort used to be fun, cheap and easy. As at Jan 26, it has become expensive, with lift passes more expensive than some European resorts. Ski/snowboard schools staff don’t get lift discounts so have to pass it on, making lessons for young riders experience.
The slopes are rammed and with every style of rider, beginner to advanced all on the same slope, with little slope coverage it’s a hazard.
The lifts are an issue, you WILL spend 1 hour wait for a Gondola to the base station. It’s such an issue taxis are driving up.
In short, it wants to be a big European resort, but there is poor lift infrastructure, it lacks slope diversity and runs. With the increased prices it’s not a quick and fun holiday, it’s expensive, frustrating and a let down. Elsewhere is now comparable.

Brilliant first snowboarders trip. Good range of instructors and slopes. Lift queues were minimal and the slopes were fairly quiet.

I absolutely loved bansko! I really did not realise before booking that Bulgaria was a place to go skiing. It was my first time and what a place to go to experience it as a beginner! The whole mountain was magnificent to see for the first time! The people of bansko and even the tourists made the trip for me! Everyone I encountered spoke very good English. They were all friendly and comforting and went above and beyond to make you feel welcome and safe. Our hotel was a bit out of the way of the centre of the resort and wasn’t well lit but we felt very safe the whole time walking to and from the centre of the resort, even in the dark. The staff in the clubs and restaurants remembered our names and the club touts walked us to places we couldn’t find even if they didn’t work for that particular place. The nightlife was fun and safe and the staff made it such a memorable experience by interacting with us and looking out for us. I could put my phone down and walk away in the club and it was fine! They really made us feel so at home! The ski instructors were all friendly and helpful. Yes, they offer you lessons but they’re happy to talk with you and give pointers. We met some friends for life on the transfer too! The prices were very reasonable. They do prefer cash but a lot of places take card, even when they say they don’t. The hotel and the staff were amazing and they ensured we had breakfast by opening the buffet early before we left to go home. The ski experience as a whole was so much fun! I really did not want to go skiing. I did it as part of a bucket list for my friend but I ate my words and I can’t wait to book to go to Bansko again! We went end of season and felt this was a perfect time to experience Bansko as beginners as it wasn’t too crowded on the slopes and the atmosphere was chilled but you could find or make a party if you want to!

Loved Bankso. Really pretty town. Favourite part was the snow road down at the end of the day. Fab spa nearby.

Nice town with lots of character with great food and reasonably cheap beer! Queue for the gondola is still an issue and so either make sure you are there first thing or aim to miss the peak queue and so get up the mountain a little later (mid morning) instead!

Pistes are well maintained but skiing area is still limited due to Pirin National Park blocking the champion of the resort.

Well worth a trip for a few days break but not enough to keep a competent skier happy for a full week!

Bansko is small but varied. 70km slopes mainly reds and blues but 2 blacks. A good size snowpark with rails, ramps and boxes. Great bars on piste and in town, with some good restaurants catering to all styles of cuisine. Well worth a weeks stay.

Gondola queue was the major downfall for this resort, everything else was great, variation of slopes great for beginner and intermediate skiing. Ski road is a fantastic easy blue run that meanders down through the trees off the mountain and takes about 30 mins and takes you straight to the centre of town. Great range of hotels, lots of options for eating out, my daughter is coeliac and there was plenty dietery options.

Lovely place to learn to snowboard, friendly instructors. Good conditions in March. Very good value for money.

Good resort for beginners gondola wait is bad and prices dont feel very bulgarian any more. Very busy (but its going to be in feb half term) hotel dated but i didnt care was there for the slopes not hotel. Overall me and my son had a great time and might return at a quiter time

Absolutely loved Bansko. Ski school was so amazing, Lea was a fabulous teacher. Chairlifts were easy and efficient. Food and drink was good and well priced around the resort - special mention to the chicken! Snow was lovely and powdery however gets bumpy super quick after a busy day!

We came to bansko for the cheaper side of europes snowboarding.

It was quite cheap in comparison but nothing like we were told it would be.

Snowboard hire was the best value thing we found and food and drinks in town were good.

Everything else was roughly the same price as other places we had been in europe

Great skiing, great nightlife, will be going again!