6 Reasons to Visit Bansko as A Nomad
by Isabel Soto
A year ago, when I arrived in Europe, it never would have crossed my mind that I was going to be in Bansko, Bulgaria one day.
I would have probably asked, “Where is that?”
Now that I’m here, one year later, I can not only tell how to get here but also what my experience has been like volunteering in the most vibrant coworking space in town!
Nature
Bansko is surrounded by nature, located at the foot of Pirin mountains, which are part of Pirin Park in south west Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is known for its well conserved and unique nature. It has many territories, which have remained in their natural state, unique natural nooks with a remarkable bio-diversity.
From Bansko, it’s easy to access many lakes and rivers where you can enjoy the pure beauty of Bulgaria’s nature.
Bansko is the gateway to Pirins highest mount Vihren (2914m), which is one of the most visited ones.
Rila is also accessible, the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m.
The Seven Rila Lakes, are a group of glacial lakes, situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains, are the most visited group of lakes in Bulgaria. The lakes are situated between 2,100 and 2,500 metres elevation above sea level.
These lakes are a tourist attraction in Bulgaria because of its natural environment.
Another popular hike is to Koncheto Ridge, one of the most scenic mountain view a hiker soul can dream of.
Koncheto sits at an altitude of 2800 m in the Pirin Mountains and connects the peaks of Kutelo and Suhodol.
There is a steel cable stretched along the top of the ridge to help hikers across. At its narrowest points, the ridge is only 40 cm wide, with steep rocks of both side.
Many other hikes can be reached from Bansko, depending on your interests.
Surrounded by a large range of mountains, Bansko is a great location to get inspired by nature. Nature inspire me, and I’m sure it does the same to many people.
A morning walk with the mountains view and smell is just the perfect way to start the day.
Coworking Bansko
If you are looking for a coworking space in Bulgaria, Coworking Bansko is the place to be. It is a very pleasant destination for digital nomads.
The location is perfect, close to all amenities including restaurants, supermarket, pharmacy, bars, cafes, and more.
The workspace is organized, clean and comfortable, providing high speed internet, 24/7 access to members, ergonomic chairs and tables, free coffee and tea, innumerable events, social and quiet spaces, a call/meeting room, organized activities and others.
Low Living Cost
The cost of living in Bansko is low. Bulgaria, the country itself, is known for being a really cheap place to travel, and to live.
Even though I knew Bansko was going to be a really affordable place to spend some time in, I was still a bit impressed about how cheap it actually is.
Food
Either buying your groceries or eating outside, is really cheap.
There’s a Sunday market every week where you can buy super fresh products for not so much. I would spend 25 Lev / 12 Euros, and have enough fruits, vegetables and some other products for an entire week or even longer.
Supermarkets are also really affordable, but not more than the Sunday market of course.
In my case I would try to buy everything at the Sunday market and for what I wasn’t able to get there, I would go to the supermarket.
Accommodation
Whether you want to rent or buy, both are incredible affordable.
The price per m2 to buy an apartment in the city centre is about 675 Lev / 345 Euros.
In terms of renting, you can find a nice one-bedroom apartment for 350 Lev a month which is a bit over 175 Euros.
For both renting and buying, the farther you get from the city centre, the cheaper it gets.
Transportation
Since Bansko is a small town, there are not many buses but they few that are, are ridiculous cheap, you can get a bus to bring you up to the mountains for 1 Lev / 50c Euros.
A taxi ride of 8 Km can cost you 7 Lev which is a bit less than 4 Euros.
Activities
You can get involved in different activities in Bansko without spending much or even for free. For example, going on hikes, or going to free guided tour walks.
There are also many festivals in Bansko which are usually free, on of the biggest one is The Jazz Festival, which I had the opportunity to attend and it was a great experience!
You can also find other free (or very cheap) things to do in town, like visiting an art gallery, a museum, the hot springs.
For outdoor sports like skiing, golf, horse riding, river drafting and others, Bansko is known to be crazy affordable and a top place to do these things, speacilly skiing.
Nomad Community
The nomad community is just great! The team of Coworking Bansko have worked hard to create such a nice engaged community.
Coworking Bansjo It’s the perfect place to get lots of work done and get inspired by others, as well as having fun and making new friends. There are always activities going on all the time inside and outside the work space.
The members of the community organize weekly events both work and fun related.
Expect to have workshops, accountability and master mind meetings, BBQ’s, movie nights, jam sessions, hot springs nights, and so on.
Nature
Surrounded by a large range of mountains, Bansko is a great location to get inspired, focused, and to clear your mind.
Nature inspire me, and I’m sure it does the same to many people.
A morning walk with the mountains view and smell is just the perfect way to start the day.
Since it is a small town, there’s no much nightlife going on, which makes it a tranquil city.
If you are looking to relax your mind and get inspired, then Bansko is a good fit! It’s a peaceful town full of good vibes.
Food
As everything in Bansko, food is cheap! Restaurants and groceries are very affordable, as mentioned before.
As a vegetarian who travels a lot might get difficult to eat outside or to find some products in supermarkets, even more in small countries like Bulgaria, but I was really happy when I realized that it was not going to be that hard in Bansko.
Many traditional Bulgarian dishes are vegetarian! And if not, most restaurants offer vegetarian options in their menu, so for me it wasn’t hard at all to get along eating outside, which is something that I don’t do often, but in Bansko it was really tempting because of their crazy low prices and the good food.
There are lots of great different kind of restaurants around the town.
In terms of groceries, many supermarkets have an organic session where you can find products like soy and coconut milk, tahini, coconut oil, gluten free crackers/chips/cookies, and others. You won’t find a large range of these kind of products, but you will find much more than what you expect.
Whether you are buying these kind of products or not, prices are super affordable!
Road trips
Bansko is located in a great spot, close to Sofia and other places in Bulgaria as well as Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia. Being that said, once in Bansko, you will have the opportunity to visit many places close by. Either by plain (from Sofia), by bus or train, and by car, all options are reasonably affordable, specially buses and trains which are super cheap.
I consider Bansko a nice place to visit for a longer stay than for a shorter, since it’s such an affordable place, plus all the fun activities, and places to visit around!
