Top 5 Reasons for Digital Nomads to Choose Bansko, Bulgaria as Their Winter Escape ⛄

Coworking Bansko
5 min readNov 1, 2020

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by Maria Nedelcheva, Adventures of Bulgarian Mermaid

Are you a digital nomad searching for your winter coworking location where you can stay longer, feel safe, meet inspiring people, practice winter sports, and afford the cost of living without worrying about expenses?

Meet Coworking Bansko, Bulgaria the digital nomad winter wonderland.

Have you done a nomad winter season in the snow? No better time than this year!

While there are a few other winter coworking / coliving destinations in the Alps and in the US, they are way more expensive than Bansko and have way smaller digital nomad communities.
Often the cost of accommodation is already well over €1000, not to mention ski passes, food, or entertainment. In Bansko apartment rentals start at about €250 per month including utilities and the coworking membership is only about €150. So overall you will probably spend less than a third in Bansko compared to your costs for a ski season in France or Switzerland.

1. Bansko — Small Town, Big Mountain 🏔

Bansko is a small town at the bottom of Pirin National Park located at 1000m altitude at the foothills of Bulgaria’s highest mountain . Bansko is the largest ski resort on the Balkans, featuring 75 km of ski slopes and 14 lifts with a season lasting from December to April. Being the highest ski resort in Eastern Europe, Bansko enjoys the deepest and most reliable snowpack in the region. In addition, the resort has hundreds of snow cannons for early season snow cover and all the slopes have snow making capabilities. The ski slopes are of average difficulty and perfect for someone who is learning to ski / snowboard or wanting to improve their winter game. For advanced skiers and riders, the off-piste opportunities in the region are endless, just make sure you own the right gear and have the backcountry knowledge. There are plenty of ski / board rentals places in town that teach private and group lessons in various languages. In addition to skiing, in winter you can try ice skating, snowmobiling, horseback riding, or take a sleigh ride!

Vlad — a Londoner who moved to Bansko to indulge in snowboarding and mountain biking

“Snowboarding first brought me to Bansko as a tourist and the Coworking Bansko community convinced me to make this little ski town my home. Now I am absolutely addicted to snow and I can’t wait for winter to come. Nothing beats being able to have an early morning session on the mountain of riding epic off pistes, tree runs or learning new tricks with my buddies and then be in the coworking space by lunch ready to be productive for the rest of the day!

2. Ready for a Dip?

Bulgaria is famous for its healing mineral waters coming 2nd in Europe in number of hot springs ONLY after Iceland. Nothing better to warm up your bones after a busy work week or a fun day on the slopes than relaxing in hot mineral water! There are over 30 hot springs in 5 km radius around Bansko in the villages of Banya, Dobriniste, and Razlog. Some of our locals’ favorite hot springs are “Izgreva” and “Villa Victoria” in Banya, “Alpha Spa” in Dobriniste as well as the “secret” public hot springs. And then sometimes we go into the river Wim Hof style :-)

Maria @BulgarianMermaid — how to convince a mermaid to come to the mountains

“I absolutely love finishing a fun day shredding the mountain with a dip in the hot springs in Banya — honestly nothing better for your body and soul on a snowy day!”

3. Can I Afford the Cost of Living in Bansko, Bulgaria?

Bansko was voted as the most affordable winter resort in Europe by The Telegraph. Small apartment rents start at EUR250 in winter with ALL utilities included and BanskoNomadApartments.com is a tried and tested portal to find your home away from home even before you arrive. All the properties have reliable hosts that are curated by Coworking Bansko aka there are no surprises when it comes to charges or location.

4. I’m a Digital Nomad who has never done winter, I don’t have clothes / gear — now what?!

We know, we know, you ONLY do summer, you live out of your carry on, you don’t have a warm sweater (too much space) let alone a proper winter jacket. We’ve got you covered, literally! The monthly cost of living in Bansko is SO low compared to popular winter digital nomad destinations such as the Canary Islands and South East Asia that your hard earned money will go much further here allowing you to buy what you need without maxing out your budget. Your Bansko TOTAL monthly expenses can be equal to JUST your rent in Spain or Portugal. You can buy all the winter clothes you need at local shops, second hand outlets, online stores or at Decathlon in Sofia, rent the ski gear locally and still save on your typical expenses in Bali or Thailand.

Vicky — wherever digital nomad life takes her, she always comes back to Bansko for winter

“I love traveling around the world but the snowboarding and board game addict in me always drags me back to Bansko in winter — there truly isn’t a better place for digital nomads to spend the snowy season

5. Ready to join one of the largest digital nomad communities in Europe?

Last but not least, what makes Bansko so special and everyone notices during the very first week of their visit is the vibrant community that Matthias has created at Coworking Bansko.
Even during these uncertain corona times, travel restrictions, and cooler temperatures during October and November, Bansko has attracted 100+ digital nomads on average. Many have made this little mountain town their base or stayed around for as long as their passports allowed them.

Bansko has become a well-known digital nomad hub and its members enjoy an amazing environment of productivity during the day and inspiration and social activities in the evenings.
There are daily community events ranging from board games and poker nights to business skill-shares & marketing masterminds, hot springs outings and weekly group dinners and barbeques. And of course various mountain activities.

→ Covid-19 Update ←

Bulgaria went into a full lockdown early on in March and stayed that way until the end of April. Being a small mountain town with a population of 10.000, Bansko has been spared the craziness of most major cities. While masks are mandatory, the rest of life goes on as normal with hotels, restaurants, bars, spas and gyms being open, members entertaining nightly and locals walking around town.
Coworking Bansko has plenty of space for its members in its multiple locations, so you can keep your distance in the office or mingle as much as you desire.
EU Nationals are allowed free non-quarantine entry and some other nationalities have also been allowed to enter Bulgaria without restrictions. The latest border regulations for entry can be found here: iatatravelcentre.com

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Coworking Bansko

We building an amazing coworking space in Bansko, a mountain resort in Bulgaria. This is our story.