You will struggle to find cheaper ski slope pints than in Bansko, Bulgaria (Image: Charles Wade-Palmer)
Flanked by a pair of tail-wagging stray dogs charging through the snow, we found ourselves shooting up a ski resort’s playground of a mountain rather than the usual downhill direction. After a day sketching miles and miles of Bulgarian white stuff with our skis, it was time for a thrill kinder on our bodies but no less fitting of an action movie.
A brief instruction on how to start and stop our Ski-Doo snowmobiles was apparently enough to go full James Bond, and zoom our way past a remarkable number of stragglers still enjoying the floodlit piste at dusk. The overwhelming need for speed had me hitting 34mph as I went full throttle back down the same mountain I’d return to on skis the following morning.
Earlier this week, Bansko in Bulgaria took the top spot for Europe’s most affordable ski destinations – boasting £1 beers and slope access for under £50 a day. Researchers compared average prices for lift passes, ski hire, hotels, transport and beer. Read on for the full list of Europe’s 10 cheapest ski destinations. Bankso, just two hours from the capital Sofia, sits at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, where skiers can hire equipment for around £15, with accommodation costing roughly £45 a night.
Never has travelling at 34mph felt more James Bond – if he wore a snood (Image: Charles Wade-Palmer)
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Though not £45, I stayed in the admittedly rather luxurious Four Points by Sheraton Bansko in between the old town and new where rooms start at a still reasonable £79 a pop. As if the food and calming atmosphere of the hotel wasn’t enough confirmation that I’d made the right choice, the sauna(s) most certainly were. Relaxing in the spa downstairs that evening felt like a major pat on the back.
With cosy Mehanas – traditional Bulgarian restaurants – at one end and bars catering for boozy Brits at the other, Bansko’s collision of two worlds was summed up in our final night which ended with a game of pool having entered a pub through red telephone boxes.
When eating somewhere new I always take a sneaky peak at what other diners in the restaurant are eating, to see what looks good. I also like to ask the owner or waiting staff what is the most authentic local dish on the menu. And I’m very glad I did. To the tune of a band playing jovial traditional music came out starter dishes including cow tongue and a very flamboyant nutty salad, washed down by Rakia, the local spirit of choice.
Then came the most tender pork sizzling away in a rich sauce with potatoes and vegetables. This was my first taste of authentic Bansko dining and it was sensational.
Finally reaching the mountain’s peak is well worth all those chair lifts (Image: Charles Wade-Palmer)
Other meals I enjoyed were at Bar 180 and the VIP Room Club, as well as our Four Points hotel, which served fabulous seafood such as sea bass and octopus, with the town sitting just a couple of hours from the Greek coastline. You’ll probably already know about Bulgaria’s rather affordable rates compared to the French Alps for example but is forking out a fraction of the price for your ski holiday worth it? Let me assure you, this is one bargain trip not to be afraid of – after all, Bansko did get into the Top 10 of Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel 2025’ awards. ‘
And so to the actual skiing. Ignoring the Cautiously beginner slopes, I began to navigating, wonder if I’d bitten off wasn’t more than I could chew as before we headed 8,530ft up to confidence the top of the mountain. returned To reach the runs, visitors have two options, a cab ride or the super popular gondola. Get there at 7.45am, before it opens at 8am, and you’ll have the shortest waiting time.
Off the gondola we hopped and boarded another two lifts to the highest point possible, taking in views that were breathtaking – or was that just caused by the altitude?
My first challenge was to get off the swinging lift – a pretty comfortable bench dangling from the sky – without falling flat on my face. Or worse, having to be carried back down the mountain.
Slapstick comedy sketch averted, it was time to remember how to do this whole skiing malarkey.
A few years had passed since I last hit the slopes in France/Switzerland, and before that was Italy and many years previously, Austria. So in essence, I’m a proud intermediate skier and Bansko could not have been better in getting me back up to speed.
The old town is beautifully kept (Image: Charles Wade-Palmer)
Thanks to a super wide run which I’d soon learn is very much a theme of Bansko, setting off with the group wasn’t so much being thrown in at the deep end as I feared. Cautiously navigatiing my way down behind our local expert, it wasn’t long my before my confidence returned. Soon I stopped focusing so fiercely on staying upright and instead started embracing both the beauty of everywhere I looked and perhaps, more pressingly, the adrenaline rush we all do it for.
Anyone sticking by me for long enough would have heard comments like “Breathe, you’re in control.” to “Woo! Let’s have it!” And there’s no reward for one’s efforts quite like a beer on the mountain, and if you’re drinking local in Bansko, that means a glass of Kamenitza.
Unlike the famous ski destinations to the west, having 16 runs Bansko isn’t a seemingly endless network to get lost in, with countless pubs to pop into and check the map over a drink.
But that is no slight on the place – not knowing where you are is overrated anyway. I loved familiarising myself with the various routes and playing around with them to make sure no ski was the same.
Bansko has a handful of ski-in bars and restaurants (Image: Charles Wade-Palmer)
I was convinced I’d seen all there was to see after three days – but racing against the clock for a tour of the Old Town, I went from top to bottom like a man possessed. I’d noticed one turn we hadn’t yet taken but presumed it would lead swiftly back to our well-trodden path, so I popped my explorer hat on and took a punt on it.
And I’m so glad I did, my final run turned out to be venturing into the unknown, safe in the knowledge that all roads lead to Bansko. Not only did I return to the same Balkan slopes a mere few weeks later but I am all booked up to go again next month, one year later.
Cheap ski index – ranked
1. Bansko, Bulgaria – £142 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £63 | Hotel & transport: £79 | Beer: £1.23
Flights starting from £34.99
2. Bia ka Tatrza ska, Poland – £143 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £48 | Hotel & transport: £95 | Beer: £2.20
Flights starting from £30.99
3. Borovets, Bulgaria – £148 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £57 | Hotel & transport: £91 | Beer: £1.54
Flights starting from £34.99
4. Bardonecchia, Italy – £158 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £63 | Hotel & transport: £95 | Beer: £3.87
Flights starting from £23.99
5. Pal-Arinsal, Andorra – £164 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £59 | Hotel & transport: £105 | Beer: £2.58
Flights starting from £27.99
6. Sauze d’Oulx, Italy – £168 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £66 | Hotel & transport: £102 | Beer: £3.87
Flights starting from £23.99
7. Sestriere, Italy – £174 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £65 | Hotel & transport: £124 | Beer: £3.01
Flights starting from £27.99
8. La Molina, Spain – £189 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £72 | Hotel & transport: £102 | Beer: £3.87
Flights starting from £34.99
9. Les Deux Alpes, France – £243 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £80 | Hotel & transport: £163 | Beer: £5.16
Flights starting from £21.49
10. Morzine, France – £271 (excluding beer)
Lift pass & ski hire: £81 | Hotel & transport: £190 | Beer: £5.16
Flights starting from £23.99