BANSKO-BEST FOR LIVING, HOLIDAYS AND INVESTMENT

We have lived in Slovakia, New York, Texas, Arizona, Brussels, Switzerland and have travelled all over the world in different capacities of our careers. In the end we decided to settle in Bansko.

Here are some of the reasons why we would advise you to visit, live and/or invest in Bansko:

LOCATION

Click here to see the map.

THE CITY ITSELF – ANCIENT AND MODERN

• The small town of Bansko has been part of great empires and kingdoms –of Alexander the Great, of the Roman empire, of Byzantium and the Bulgarian kingdom, the Ottoman empire and finally again of Bulgaria. In the museums of Bansko one may find historic testimonies of this past.
• Bansko itself is a curious mixture of old Renaissance houses and newly built hotels and appartment houses offering all the luxury and comfort you need. The old center of Bansko is a listed World Heritage Site. Bansko offers high quality services in the area of accommodation, entertainment and relaxation. There are many 5-star hotels with super equipped spas, relaxing facilities and fitness centers.
• The colourful restaurants, bars and pubs of Bansko offer not only possibility to try traditional Bulgarian cuisine but also entertainment and a taste of the local folklor.
• The people of Bansko pridely preserve centuries old dialect and traditions, some of which date from ancient times. At the same time they are known for their friendliness and openness toward innovations and adoption of best practices.

SPORTS AND FACILITIES AROUND THE YEAR

• Bansko is offering all possibilities for snow and all other outdoor sports – more than 70 km of perfectly prepared first-class ski and snowboard slopes with 25 kilometers of fast and comfortable lifts, well-kept trails for cross-country skiing and biathlon, fun park and extreme skiing, para ski, ice-skating ring, biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, fitness, spa, tennis, bowling.
• The skiing season in Bansko lasts from December to April. All the ski slopes are equiped with snow cannons, alltogether 160. The highest skiing point is 2560 m, the lowest 1000 m above sea level. The longest possible uninterrupted ski run is 16 km long. In Bansko you can find ski runs of all levels of difficulty – from the ones for beginners till the ones for experts. Bansko skiing centre has 1 gondola lift, 6 four-seat chair lifts, 1 tree-seat chair lift, 3 anchor type tow lifts, 3 single tow lifts and 10 children dragger, which provide skiing in all comfort and with minimum waiting times. Even if someone is a beginner there are vast possibilites to learn to ski or improve your abilities in ski schools.
• Many prominent sports events took place in Bansko, to mention just the most recent European cup in downhill skiing men (7.-8.3.2008) and the European Championship in Biathlon (December 2007). Many eminent sports personalities on the world level such as Alberto Tomba, Reinhold Messner, Janica Kostelic, Kjetil Aamot, Marc Girardelli have visited Bansko and participated in various events.
• Now Bansko is preparing for the World Cup in Ski for Women, two rounds of which will be taking place this winter in Bansko.

THE MOUNTAIN

• Bansko is located in the heart of the beautiful Pirin mountains under more than 80 fairy-tale peaks higher than 2 500 meters and with more than 160 mountain lakes. The beds of the glaciers from Ice Age often stay full of snow until late summer, surrounded by colorful and exotic highland flowers. The Pirin National Park, which borders the outskirts of Bansko, is famous with its unspoiled fauna and flora and breathtaking natural beauty. Many of the plant and animal species can be found only in Pirin from the whole world. The glacier circus „Bajovi Dupki-Djindjiritsa“ is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

HEALING MINERAL WATERS, CLEAN AIR

• The region of Bansko and Pirin as a whole is extremely rich in mineral springs, famous from the Antiquity. Their healing capacities can be appreciated in the spa centers in Dobrinishte (6 km), Banya (6km), Eleshnica (10 km), Ognyanovo (50 km) and Sandanski (60km).
• Surrounded by three high mountains – Pirin, Rila and the Rodopes, with no polluting industries around, Bansko has clean air and crystal clean tab water.

• Bansko has a rich culture and its annual calendar is full of interesting and well-known cultural events. The annual August jazz festival is the biggest in Balkans and brings people from all over Europe to Bansko. The New Year‘s “Babugeri“carneval is a demonstration of the local customs and folklore and a memorable experience for everyone.
• Because of its open spirit and hospitality Bansko steadily turns to a cosmopolitan city with a lively international community including not only tourists but above all people who came from all over the world to settle in Bansko. Walking around you shouldn’t be surprised to hear English, Russian, Spanish, French, Greek or German.

LANDMARKS CLOSE TO BANSKO

• Sofia - the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria (150km), Plovdiv (the ancient Philipopolis) - the cosmopolitan center of Ancient Thrace (150 km), the Rila Monastery from the 10-th century (85 km), Melnik (80 km) - famous with its old wineries, Kavala (145 km) - the picturesque port city on the Greek Aegean, and Thessaloniki (225km).

REAL ESTATE AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

• Bansko is one of the quickest-developing regions in Europe and offers you unlimited business and investment possibilities with guaranteed safe return on your investment.
• In spite of everything that Bansko has to offer, the real estate prices are still about ten times (1000%) lower than in the mountain resorts in Western Europe. This presents you a clear perspective of the price trend in the future, as well as a strong reasoning why to invest in Bansko. Furthermore thanks to the modern high-capacity lift infrastructure and newly built hotels and appartment houses, Bansko often offers better comfort and higher quality than the old-dated even if well-known European skiing resorts.
• Some of the Europen well-known building companies, developpers and service providers actively participate in various projects in Bansko.
• Bulgaria has registered a stable growth of over 6% in the past years. Its currency, the Bulgarian lev is pegged to the Euro. The adoption of Euro is forecasted for 2010-2011. The economy is stable and the benefits of European Union membership are starting to be seen with a rise in Foreign Direct Investment and better opportunities for doing business and living in Bulgaria.