BANSKO

Lucky Bansko Complex is situated in the town of Bansko, at the foot of Mount Pirin.

Bansko is 160 km south of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, about a two hour drive from Sofia Airport, with 120 km of motorway for part of the distance, as well as, at 150 km from the Greek sea resort Kavala.

Pirin is a markedly Alpine type of mountain. Its ski runs provide excellent conditions for both professional and amateur skiers. A highly functional network of ski lifts and draglifts has been built here on cutting-edge technology. The ski runs are equipped with safety facilities and excellently maintained.

Snow cover lasts from November until May, and there is the additional advantage of snow cannon that can be used during the winter season.

Winter snow is abundant, forming lasting snow cover up to 3 metres thick. In January, the coldest month of the year, the average air temperature is minus 1.9 C.

In recent years, Bansko has emerged as a leading ski resort in Bulgaria, attracting a growing number of foreign holiday-makers.

Not surprisingly, the Financial Times recently described Bansko as the best ski resort in Eastern Europe, surpassing two other first-class winter holiday spots in the country, Pamporovo and Borovets, in terms of number, design and equipment of ski runs.

This assessment was made after Bansko absorbed the largest amount of investment, over EUR 40 million, in preparation for the ski season for the third year running.

A major hotel operator, Kempinski, is now building a five-star hotel named Grand Arena.