The Skiers' Guide to Bansko

great overall experience and value for money is exceptional. town was a bit empty when i was there. would definitely go back

Long runs and excellent views. Good accessibility to the mountain and apres bars as well as family-friendly atmosphere if desired. Easy transfers and ski hire using Traventuria

Have to time the gondola up to avoid long queues, great apres ski and vibes on the mountain. Some runs have flat parts so a bit slow going for snowboarding at times. Beautiful tree scenery :)

Went with a group of 25! Had the best time! Loved TSAKIRIS lessons and hire! We had the best time - came in January but our snow board instructor said March is the best!

Great for an affordable ski trip. As beginners we would have benefited from more green and easy blue runs but the 7km ski road made up for this! We ate amazing food each night all which was great value for money

Pretty good value for money at one of the cheapest resorts in Europe. Expect queues at the gondola and some lifts. Resort is well maintained but could benefit from better signage.

Revisited resort after a couple years , found prices have increased after adopting the euro

Good report skiing for beginners but initial gondola que sometimes long

Best to avoid local holiday dates if going

Definitely more expensive now they have moved to the euro but still cheaper than other resorts.
Slopes busier on the weekends, wait for the gondola is nowhere near as bad as folk make out. Longest we waited was 25mins.
Beginner friendly slopes but can get a bit boring after a while as runs aren't that long.

Really good place came as a beginner got a lesson and by day 5 I was easily doing blue and red runs. Definitely a good resort to checkout

A very good resort despite it being one of the cheapest options. Small resort but plenty to do for a week of fun

Myself and my partner stayed at hotel lion bansko during January 2025. It was my partners first time on the mountain snowboarding so we decided to go to banko ski resort as it was a good deal as we booked through crystal ski company. We booked the hotel lion half board and it was a really good location that offered a mini bus service to and from the slope. The hotel also includes spa facilities that we made the most of to relax ourself and prepare for the following day on the slopes. The ski resort wasn’t that busy compared to some , the runs were well groomed and we had a few days snow dump so was great powder. Overall I would recommend Bansko if your looking for a smaller resort on a budget

Great for beginners - really cheap to get to and whilst there and lots of easy slopes to practise. Good variety of bars and some lovely places to eat. Locals aren’t too friendly towards the English though - really rude!

Once up on the mountain it’s great. Good place for beginners as it’s not huge however the queue at the bottom is no joke! Can take hours and you have to be in it by 6:30/7!

Good resort for beginner and intermediate riders, limited black runs. Fantastic ski schools. Avoid school Holidays as queues are lengthy. Food, drink and entertainment are very good and reasonably priced. Accommodation by private renters is really worthwhile, many have been purpose built and provide all you need.

It was my first skiing holiday and was amazing and a very beginner friendly resort. The apres ski was amazing, so many bars and nightlife at the bottom of the mountain and one main bar on the slopes (with a couple of smaller ones down the ski road). The only negative is it may not be as good for experienced skiers as it is quite a small resort with only a couple black runs and few red runs. For me it was perfect though as I learnt a lot on the green and blue runs and was able to ski confidently down the red slopes by the end of the holiday.

It’s a good sized resort with around 75km of runs.
It can be very busy especially on the blue runs. The runs are most certainly miss labeled, many blues are actually reds and the reds can be blacks in sections.
Best skiing/boarding is on powder days from the top of Plato off piste through the young trees.

the resort is great for beginneres would say its more designed for skiers but still good fun. plenty of bars and resteraunts.

Not the largest resort, but good for mid level runs. Can burn through the mountain quick but there is enough variability for a week's trip

Excellent week there, plenty of good skiing. Food and drink is expensive on the slopes, and the Happy End bar prices are high, but everywhere else is quite reasonable

My family visited for the 3rd time and it doesn’t disappoint. The people are very friendly and you can carry your snowboard up without it being attached to your feet which is definitely the better option for myself and beginners who are nervous. I definitely recommend Bansko for all types of riders.