Bansko
Tucked away at the foot of the Pirin Mountain the town of Bansko is a preferred tourist destination for Bulgarian and foreign tourists all year round. Equally attractive during the four seasons of the year the town offers various conditions for relaxation and entertainment. The popularity of Bansko in and outside the country is due to the great conditions for ski tourism combined with a distinctive folklore and architecture from the Bulgarian national revival.
Bansko was announced as a unique settlement of international significance to the economic tourism (1979).
Cultural-historical sights
Besides the beautiful Pirin Mountain and the various natural landmarks the town is abundant in historical settlements. There are preserved relics from ancient fortresses in the settlement of Staroto Gradishte (Sitankale) about 4 km south-west from the town and in the settlement of Yulen (along the Demyanitsa River). Close to Staroto Gradishte there are Thracian funeral mounds. South-east of Bansko are the relics from the late medieval single nave churches “Sveti Georgi” and “Sveti Iliya".
The museum complex in Bansko is represented by: house-museum “Nikola Vaptsarov”; House of arts; Ethnographic exhibition-bazaar; Permanent icon exhibition “Art School of Bansko“; Velyanova house – monument from the age of the Bulgarian national revival; House-museum “Neofit Rilski”; Town historical museum; Historical museum – village of Eleshnitsa with rich findings from the neolith age (VI - IV thousand years BC). The monuments, with which Bansko is present in the “One hundred tourist sites” of the Bulgarian Tourist Union are: the museum “Nikola Vaptsarov”, the museum “Neofit Rilski”, Velyanova house, the icon exhibition “Art School of Bansko” and the church “Sveta Troitsa“.
Unique in its architecture is the fortified house of Bansko, which is a specific subtype of a house from the period of the Bulgarian national revival, and its construction in the village of Bansko (nowadays a town) started during the XVIII century and finished during the sixties of the XIX century. It is built mainly of stone, the windows are reinforced with iron bars and wooden covers, the doors are made of thick planks plated with iron from the outside and it is surrounded by high stone walls, which make it the most secure section of the whole defense system of Bansko during the XVIII - XIX century.
Natural landmarks
South of Bansko is the National Park “Pirin”, which is included in the list of national parks and reserves of the UN, as well as in the list of cultural and natural landmarks of UNESCO. The park is abundant in lakes, waterfalls, caves, venerable trees and historical places. In the countryside of Chalin Valog, Todorova Ornitsa, Demyanishka Polyana, Shiligarnika, as well as in the mountain hostels Vihren, Demyanitsa, Bandernitsa, Gotse Delchev, Bezbog, there are great conditions for summer and winter tourism and relaxation with ski lifts and tugs.
The Banski and Dobrinishki mineral waters, as well as the reserve “Bayuvi Dupki – Dzhindzhiritsa”, are also popular.
The waterfalls Banderishki Skok, Demyanishki Skok, Yulenski Skok, the rock formation Svatbata, the cave Banderitsa, seven venerable trees, one of which is the Baykushevata white fir, are protected natural sites.
Further information about Bansko and its landmarks can be found here.
Tourism
Ski and snowboarding: Bansko disposes of 70 km of professionally processed and reliably protected tracks and the ski season is guaranteed from December to May thanks to 30 machines for artificial snow. The guests of Bansko can use 25 km of fast and comfortable lifts: one cabin lift, six 4-seats lifts, one 3-seats lift, six ski tugs and ten children’s tugs.
Bansko is not only the most contemporary ski resort in Bulgaria, but also a summer tourist center offering a great variety of entertainment and sports.
Horse riding: riding lessons and horse walks in the horse base “Peri Vollas” in the Rila Mountain, 12 km from Bansko
Cycling: various cycling routes with qualified guides are organized in Bansko in the summer.
Golf: 3 golf courts are being constructed on the territory of Bansko, one of which will be finished in 2008.
Tourist routes: a lot of routes in the Pirin Mountain are marked and standardized to a certain extent and give the opportunity to a large number of people to enjoy the beauties of the mountain.
Other entertaining activities offered in Bansko are: rafting, paintball, tennis, hunting and fishing, picnic in the Pirin Mountain, trips to popular tourist places and landmarks.