The cheapest full ski package in Europe by a distance, and a Black Sea coast that undercuts the Mediterranean by half. The value is real, and so are the trade-offs.
The lift pass, the hire and the lessons cost roughly half what they do in France. The queues are the trade.
Bansko has genuinely good terrain and a modern gondola, and a week there with passes, hire and ski school can come in under what lift passes alone cost in the Three Valleys. What you give up is lift capacity at peak times — the main gondola queue in February half term is a real thing, sometimes an hour — and a smaller ski area than the big Alpine resorts. For beginners, families watching the total, and anyone learning, it's outstanding value. For strong skiers wanting mileage, France or Austria is the better week.
Two ski resorts, a coast, and a capital nobody visits.
The main ski resort, with a gondola from an old stone town at the base. Best terrain in the country, and queues at peak.
Closer to Sofia, cheaper again, and better for absolute beginners. Tree-lined and lower, so snow is less reliable late season.
Long sandy beaches and very low prices. Busy and lively — the quieter alternatives are Sozopol and Nessebar.
A UNESCO peninsula of wooden houses and Byzantine churches, on the coast near Sunny Beach. Genuinely lovely.
A tenth-century monastery in the mountains, UNESCO-listed and covered in frescoes. Two hours from Sofia.
Sofia has Roman ruins under the streets. Plovdiv is older than Rome and has a Roman theatre still in use.
Two ski resorts and a coast, and they suit different trips.
A gondola from a stone town. The strongest terrain, most après, and the longest queues at peak.
An hour from Sofia. Cheaper still, tree-lined, and easier for first-timers.
Long sandy beach, very cheap, and busy with a young crowd in summer.
Old towns on peninsulas either side of Burgas. Far more character than the resort strips.
January to March for ski, June to September for the coast.
Ski season runs mid-December to early April, with January and March the best combination of snow and low prices — February half term brings the queues and the peak rates. The Black Sea season is June to September, warmest in August at 26°C. Spring and autumn are quiet and cheap for the cities, and both resorts largely close.
3 hours to Sofia (SOF) for ski, or Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR) for the coast.
Two hours Sofia to Bansko, ninety minutes to Borovets, thirty to the coast resorts.
Bulgarian lev, pegged to the euro. Carry cash outside the main hotels.
Ski packages here often bundle passes, hire and lessons. We quote the full figure either way.
We'll quote the whole ski week including passes and lessons, or the coast, and write the payment plan out in full.
Bansko's terrain is genuinely good and the gondola is modern. The area is smaller than an Alpine resort and it queues at peak. For learning and value it's excellent.
Lower wages and costs, not lower standards. Hotels, food and lessons are all a fraction of Alpine prices.
February half term for ski, when the queues are worst. August on the coast if you want quiet.
Sozopol and Nessebar are lovely and very good value. Sunny Beach is a young party resort — book it deliberately.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
15 nights · Dec–Apr · from £2,399pp
