Pamporovo is one of the lesser-known ski resorts in Bulgaria. Most people I know in the UK have heard of Bankso but very few have heard of Pamporovo. And, it’s for this reason that I recommend you try out Pamporovo for your next ski trip!
Bansko is cheaper than most (if not all) of the more famous ski resorts in Europe and Pamporovo is even cheaper than Bansko. This doesn’t mean you won’t have a nice experience there though, far from it. Pamporovo is less busy than Bansko and it has a very nice charm. It’s like Bansko’s baby brother!
Getting to Pamporovo isn’t difficult either. It’s located around 120kms from Plovdiv airport and takes roughly 2 hours by car or bus. From Sofia you can drive to Pamporovo in just over 3 hours. Once you arrive you’ll see there’s a small town centre and lots and lots of big hotels. Most of the hotels in Pamporovo have bars and restaurants so you’ll notice that the centre is often quiet however there are some nice bars and restaurants there too so even if you’re ‘all inclusive‘ it’s worth popping out and trying something different for a few nights at least. Most of the hotels offer free transport to and from the centre and even if it’s not free it’s not usually more than 5 leva each way.
On the slopes there are plenty of great places to stop for breakfast or lunch. For example, you’ll find an English breakfast at The White Dog for about 15 leva and plenty of places serving beer for when you need a break. I definitely recommend you have lunch in the tower, the views from up there are amazing! You should expect to pay around 4 leva (2 EUR) for a coffee or a beer in most places in Pamporovo.
If you’re a learner, you can book private lessons for around 60-80 leva (30-40 EUR) for 2 hours including equipment. Group lessons can also be arranged and will work out cheaper. If you don’t need an instructor but don’t have the equipment you can hire everything for around 25 leva per day. A lift pass in Pamporovo is around 50 leva (25 EUR) per day.
Pamporovo offers 25km of ski runs and 38kms of cross country tracks. There are 18 lifts in total and waiting time in the busiest periods is up to 1 hour.
Pamporovo ski resort is also very family friendly. Many of the hotels offer lots of facilities for children and the learning slopes are ideal for all ages. There’s also plenty of sledges available to hire if your little ones get tired of skiing!
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