'I visited Europe's best budget ski secret very unlike the Alps'

Flanked by a pair of tail-wagging stray dogs charging through the snow, we found ourselves shooting up ski resort Bankso’s playground of a mountain rather than heading downhill.

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.

After a brief instruction on how to start and stop our Ski-Doo snowmobiles we headed onwards and upwards through a remarkable number of stragglers still enjoying the piste who had to make way for our James Bond-esque machines.

The no-nonsense waving aside from our leader to clear our path probably left them regretting their laid back descent. Fortunately I had no such run-in with him, keeping my machine on the straight and narrow.

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That is until the overwhelming urge for a zoom saw me perhaps unwisely going full throttle to clock up 34mph on my way to our recently refurbished four star hotel. The Four Points by Sheraton Bankso lies in between the old town and new. And it looked so good I’d already booked it for another trip taking place one month later.

Relaxing in one of the spa’s several saunas that evening felt like a major pat on the back. As if the food and calming atmosphere of the hotel wasn’t enough confirmation that I’d made the right choice.

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.

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 beginner slopes, I began to wonder if I’d bitten off more than I could chew as we headed 8,530ft up to the top of the mountain.

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.

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 navigating my way down behind our local expert, it wasn’t long 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!”

Just one run we headed down turned out to be too much for me that first morning – due to its double barrel-like nature, the icy surface didn’t exactly help either. But 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.

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.

Book it

Rooms at the Four Points By Sheraton Bansko from £79 per night. marriott.com

Get there: Flights to Sofia are available from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool John Lennon, Newcastle, Edinburgh. Some are seasonal and others year-round. Flying time is around three hours. Transfer time to Bansko is two hours.

More info: banskoski.com, visitbulgaria.com