Off Season: Bulgaria's Adventure Town

Bansko is known for its winter sports, but the Bulgarian resort's lively taverns, local crafts and outdoor adventures make for a memorable escape year-round 

- Jessica Vincent

There’s something a little Brothers Grimm about Bansko in winter. Wooden houses rise haphazardly from a blanket of snow, stone chimneys send puffs of meat scented smoke into the air and bears, wolves and jackals prowl the ancient pine forests. With the town’s identity drawn from the great outdoors, it’s little wonder it feels so atmospheric.

Clinging to the slopes of southwest Bulgaria’s majestic Pirin Mountains, Bansko is perhaps best known as the country’s largest winter resort, where the savvy ski set comes for some of the best powder east of the Alps—at a fraction of the cost. And while the neon-lit ‘new town’, built at breakneck speed to accommodate the growing number of winter tourists, can teeter towards feeling a little overdeveloped, the old town centre retains its charm. Tourists who tear themselves from the pistes are rewarded with a maze of cobbled streets, handsome mansions and traditional taverns (known as mehanas), where veal stews and slow-roasted boar dominate the menus.

But when the ski season dies down, Bansko sheds its winter coat to become an adventure playground. Its sweeping green landscapes are an ideal terrain for a host of outdoor activities in the summer months, from hiking in the hills and zip-lining above the treetops to rafting through winding gorges.

DAY ONE CULTURE & CRAFTS

MORNING