Borovets v Bansko - review by Steve from Ski Shack Reviews

Thinking of skiing in Bulgaria? It's great for an affordable ski trip without the sky high prices of the Alps.
But which of the two main resorts is best... Borovets or Bansko?
Steve from Ski Shack Reviews has visited both in the last month and gives a comparison.

[joroananiew]

Greatly reviewed! There is one key difference between them - Borovets is actually resort but Bansko is village with permanent residents.

[markkendall]

Really great summary there. Been to Borovets 4 years in a row and your resort description is absolutely spot on.

[TravelTourTaste]

Hello my friend lovely to meet you. 1st time here. My very first skiing experience was in Bulgaria, Borovets in 1997.never been back unfortunately but have been to pamporovo twice. Great channel really like it see you again soon. Huge hugs.

[cheukinator]

Very good comparison. Based on your comparison, I'll be taking my son to Boro

[kevinjeffery]

Great video, I’m looking to go for just after Christmas but in time for new year. Which is more likely to have more snow. Me and 11 year old looking to snowboard.

[markaspaliokas]

This video really cleared it up for me. Very good made me decide better.

[paulwheeler]

Adding this comment January 2024 so some time after you posted your video. I have been to Bansko 6 time previously and am writing this while sitting in the Rila Hotel in Borovets looking out onto the slopes right outside my window. I've skied for 50 years in over 30 different resorts (big small, old and new) and agree with your summary of these two friendly Bulgarian resorts. They have hiked the prices for EVERYTHING in both resorts so it is far from the budget ski holiday it once was coming to Bansko or Borovets.
A few personal comments if I may. If you enjoy the company of lots of small kids stay at the Rila - they are everywhere..!! The hotel certainly encourages family skiing breaks. If you don't want to have to dodge kids running about the place then stay elsewhere. Nice rooms, good views if a tad noisy with partying people heading home in the early hours if you have a room overlooking the slopes and various pubs. If you leave your balcony door ajar for mountain fresh air when you sleep be prepared to have the smell of wood smoke permeating your room.
The 6 person Gondola in Borovets is ancient, cramped, slow and badly in need of updating or better still replacing whereas the gondola in Bansko is twice as fast, way more modern and comfortable so big queues in either resort are probably tackled equally. Just head up the mountain a little later in the morning if you want to avoid queues - it usually works and is way more relaxing - remember you are on holiday after all!!

Ski hire in Borovets is OK but I am biased because Bansko 360 ski hire offer outstanding service and when i say outstanding i really mean "outstanding service". I like to hire skis and change from one pair to another throughout my stay to experiment out on the slopes. This is not a problem for Bansko 360 ski hire. Modern ski hire companies should offer you bang up to date skis - this season's model or perhaps last seasons. Don't settle for beat up equipment.

Enjoy skiing Bulgaria - it has a lot to offer. You'll enjoy both Bansko or Borovets but for me for the skiing Bansko is the better resort on the higher Pirin mountain.

[emic]

Loved your video . However in Bansko there are free buses that take you to Bunderishks polyna .

[TheEmperialsSka]

Tidy review helped reinforce we made the right decision for a mixed ability family holiday.

[nataliamayorova]

Thank you Steve for the informative video. Come to Bansko in summer time and you will be surprised that Bansko is not only a sky resort. It full of adventures in the summer. Do you know about the International Jazz and Opera Fests in August? Bansko is a fantastic place. For me this is a second home. Greetings from Western Siberia. Today is minus 40 and i am dreaming if Bansko)0

[Tasosrousos]

i was stuck on the gondola queue in Bansko for about 1 hour and a half the other day.. so my advice for that is to wake up as quickly as possible and be at the queue at about 8:15.. otherwise you gonna be stuck there forever xD.. or you can always wait on a much smaller queue next to the gondola queue and take a taxi or a mini bus up the mountain which it will cost you 10lv (5 euros) for each person!

[jordanroy]

Unsure if you are aware but if you stay at kempinski bansko you can purchase a vip lift pass from them and this give the option to skip the que at the gondola.

[keir]

if your a new snowboarder then bansko is going to be tough. hard to learn on all those blues and the snowroad is not ideal for boarders. BUT once you go there you will be able to board anywhere so take on the challenge!!

[neilb]

Very fair summary but I think you are doing Borovets a slight injustice from the more advanced skier point of view. There are some good very good blue/red/black runs at the top of the gondola ( Markudjic) area that link up with the Yastrabets red runs which means you can ski top to bottom uninterrupted. There are also some lovely connecting runs between the Yastrabets reds through the pine trees which create different routes. Another plus for begginers/ improvers is the long green and blue runs right on the top ridge which allows begginers and less experienced skiers to enjoy the ‘ top of the mountain’ experience without feeling intimidated. And the gemin the crown is the lovely Mussala ski way, a 7 kilometre blue runs from the top of the mountain all the way down to the Rila through beautiful pine forests.

[SuperBoneidol]

I tried Bansko some years ago now and the queue for the gondola was horrendous made infinitely worse by the fact that so many people push in. Bansko town is very nice in and out of season. As for Borovets I first stayed at the Samokov hotel didn’t like it at all. Way too big for me. I now go to Samokov town about five or so miles outside of Borovets towards Sofia. I stay with koolski and it is way way cheaper than borovets and much nicer and more quiet in the evening
Totally agree with you about skiing differences however if you get a good dump of snow Borovets gondola side is pretty good
With the strangest drag lift I’ve ever been on

[bogdanstavrev]

Bansko has better tracks for advanced & expert skiers (plenty of red tracks to shred). Borovets is generally a bit cheaper and has better beginner to intermediate tracks (Martinovi Baraki, Sitnyakovo & Markudzhik 1). For families, I'd recommend Borovets. For the best ski experience, go to Bansko.

[thomassauka]

Been to borovets but will have to go to Bansko sometime just to know the difference 😉 nice review

[Elsynce]

Great review! I was in Bansko for the weekend, first time skiing in my life and i would say Bansko is not a great place for begginers 😂 The slopes were very hard for me and i was able skiing only the ski road which is not even a slope 😂 However if you come with a personal car it will be far more cheaper, way more faster and i even suggest if you don’t have a car, better rent a Spark car it will cost you around 120 leva for 72 hours but it’s worth it than giving this money for taxi :) Also if you’re not in a budget i suggest you to go to the Katarino Spa hotel in Razlog it is the best hotel i have ever been in Bulgaria :) And i am from Bulgaria so i have been in a lot😂 It is 12 km away from Bansko but it’s worth it believe me! Hot Springs in selo Banya is not bad also! :)

[skifamily]

Agree private transfer is great and easy. Love going to Borovets. Hunters ski school and Krasi!

[kenlennon]

Thanks for the review. I'm going to Rila next week. Do you know if they prefer Lev or Euro or take both? Thanks, Ken.