In this guest post, Warren R. Johnson shares his experience spending the summer in Bansko, Bulgaria as an American slow-traveling expat. Here is his story…

Bansko Bulgaria is one of Europe’s popular hotspots for expats. The town finds itself on a circuit of must-see towns for expats to explore. The optimal time is during the summer season, particularly July and August when it’s sunny and the mountain temperatures are moderate.

Journey to Bansko, Bulgaria from Albania

I have an apartment arrangement in Sarana, Albania which frees me up to travel four months of the year. I spent the winter of 2024 in Saranda wondering where I should spend those four months.

Many of the Saranda expats know Bansko and have traveled here previously. Their talk of this town intrigued me enough tht I had to discover it for myself.

I put some things in storage in order to travel lighter and took a bus to Tirana, the capitol of Albania. From there, I flew to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, cruising in over the gold domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the largest cathedral in the Balkans. I’m not sure a drone could have captured this view any better. What an introduction to Bulgaria!

I had booked the Art Hotel 158 in the center of the city for one night. This hotel turned out to be more than just a hotel: it was a restaurant, bar/entertainment center, and an art gallery.

Contemporary art hung from all the walls giving a visual delight to the spaces. This hotel was located in a funky neighborhood of cafes, thrift stores, and pedestrian walkways. I lucked out with this reservation.

The next day, I took a taxi to the Central Bus Station and traveled two-and-one-half hours to Bansko.

The terrain was fairly flat, with the approaching mountains rising up ahead. Arriving in Bansko, I shared a taxi ride up to the Ski Zone where I had booked an apartment for 5 weeks.

I couldn’t wait to get down to the Old Town.

Magical Bansko

Bansko is located in the Pirin Mountains of southwest Bulgaria.

The town clings to the surface of the mountain ascending and descending on a south/north axis; there are flat east/west streets.

The Glazne River runs through the town, cascading over a rock-strewn channel, while three other rivers run nearby.

These rivers all originate in the mountains, spewing forth their very cold waters. There are also numerous waterways channeled through the town.

Three Banskos

Bansko is laid out in three sections: the lower Old Town, the New Town, and the upper Ski Zone. I will be living in the Ski Zone for five weeks and then moving to the Old Town for six weeks.

Skiing is the major thrust in Bansko’s winter. The Pirin Mountains in Pirin National Park range up to 2,914 meters (9,560 feet). This in itself is enough to attract skiers from Western Europe. This makes for a growing rivalry with the more famous Alps to the west.

Modest housing in high-rise buildings offers the summer tourists the same amenities as the winter snowbirds receive.

Summer in the mountains generally means cooler temperatures, though the effects of climate change have brought high temperatures to the area. Bansko is building a year-round viability for tourism.

The New Town is similar in looks to the Ski Zone, with three to five story apartment buildings. This area runs along the west side of the Glazne River. It looks out onto bucolic pastures of cows, horses, and sheep.

The Old Town centers around a central plaza exhibiting the three historical phases of the city. The first of these was from the 18thCentury until the beginning of the 19th Century. This is followed by Ottoman control from the 1820s to the end of the Crimean War in 1856 when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

Lastly, Bulgarian’s independence was won and today is an independent country. Its architecture is reflective of this historical timeline. The Old Town is where I spend most of my time, when I’m not at home.

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The Two Best Streets

I am enthralled with two of the streets running up and down the mountain.

The first is Pirin Street, the main street in the town. It is a cobblestone pedestrian walkway its whole length. There are occasional trucks on the walkway, as that is the only way they can service the stores. These stores are all small buildings built of old stone and plaster construction. They are restaurants, taverns, and commercial venues.

Running parallel one block west is, for me, the most fascinating street in the town. One of the many streams in the town runs down its center, with wide walkways on either side. Below are narrow walkways with little bridges crossing the water and large rock walls rising up the sides. This street has two of the old wash tubs that early generations used for laundry. I walk this street most every day for the sheer beauty I find there.

Bansko’s Centerpiece

The major focal point in the Old Town is the Holy Trinity Church (Eastern Orthodox). This monumental church was built from 1833-1835.

The Ottoman Empire at that time disallowed any large churches to be built. The clever Bulgarians got around this, however. In addition to carving a cross into the granite at the entrance, they also carved a crescent. Seeing this, the Ottoman guards feared to even touch the church.

The church remains today as it was built, with the addition of a four-bell tower and clock.

Ski Zone

Rising above the Old Town is the Ski Zone, a one-industry part of town. The mountainside is awash in many lodging facilities, ski and sport stores, and ski schools. There are also numerous small grocery stores and several restaurants.

During the summer, I found the Ski Zone to be fairly dead, but come winter, the town will be jam packed with skiers.

The Pirin Mountains offer numerous ski and snowboard tracks. There are 21 ski slopes, the longest of these being about 10 miles in length. Six World Cup events have been held here since 2009.

Numerous gondolas take skiers up the mountain for their descent. Bansko skiing is becoming a popular alternative to the French and Swiss Alps because it’s cheaper and the conditions are favorable.

Since about 2015, over 130 million euros have been spent creating the Ski Zone. Skiing tracks are laid out for skiers of all abilities. Even night skiing takes place in the heart of winter. There is usually fresh snow on the mountain every morning allowing for the growth of the skiing industry.

Digital Nomads

A more recent industry is also putting Bansko on the map. The city has become a hot spot for digital nomads.

Beginning in 2016, German Matthias Zeitler came to town looking for space to open a shared workspace. Today, there are three major co-working spaces with supplemental locations. These three have come together to create the Bansko Digital Nomad Fest held yearly at the end of June.

During the week, the sidewalks, coffee houses, restaurants, and bars were jammed full with these travelers. It was fun for me to be a vicarious looker-on for this festival.

This year’s festival drew 455 participants from nearly 40 countries with the United States sending the most of these digital nomads. It capitalizes on the lifestyle of remote computer workers, offering seminars, plenary sessions, and a lot of comradery.

Even as I walked the streets of the town before and after the Fest, it was obvious from the backpacks and computer bags that there is a steady influx of these nomads. Given that the town has only about 10.000 people, it begs the question, is Bansko the per-capita coworking capital of the world?

Hiking in the Mountains

Pirin National Park is located on the southern border of Bansko. Bulgaria has three national parks and this park is at least the second most popular. It is cherished by Bulgarians for its many hiking trails in the summer and ski trails in the winter.

The park is just under 100,000 acres. It is great fun to ride the gondolas up to a central location from which numerous hiking trails radiate. There is also a small snack bar available.

I love walking into the park at its base, seeing and smelling the Norway pines standing packed together, towering up to reach the sun. The Norway pines on the Pirin Mountains have a distinctive reddish bark. Could this be from iron in the soil, as they are unlike the more brownish bark of the Norway pines I grew up with in Minnesota?

The Park is not just for hiking and skiing. The Park contains Europe’s longest water slide at 1,148 feet, rivaled only by those in the US, Australia, and New Zealand.

The park contains incredible biodiversity, making it one of the country’s most valuable natural parks. There are over 200 healing plants, over 1000 other plants, over 200 types of vertebrates, as well as 160 species of birds. New plants and birds continue to be counted. Visiting the park gives me a profound respect for nature.

Monthly Festivals

Bansko can take pride in the fact that they have one or more free festivals every month of the year. In the summer these are generally held on the large plaza in Old Town. I have participated in the Bulgarian Folk Festival and the International Jazz Festival.

Coming up are an Opera Festival and cinema showings under the stars. Throughout the year, there is an art festival, film festival, Balkan music festival, and a rock extravaganza. The aim is to offer something for everyone.

Final Thoughts

Bansko has been an active town since its founding. Today is no exception.

Bulgarians consider Bansko their premier vacation spot. This enthusiasm has spread across the eastern side of Europe and also drawing people from even further afield.

There is a lot to love about this place, and I will long remember my summer in Bansko, Bulgaria’s favorite town.