The Bell Tower Apartment
Summer Season
Although many visitors see Bansko primarily as a winter destination, the summers here are magnificent too. The town is steeped in history both from its successful merchant days and its latter Turkish rule and fight for freedom. Bansko offers an array of activities and is a great base for visiting a number of locations where saints, legends and mythological characters were born including:
Trigad Gorge
An amazing climb through the rocks to see the river dropping into the underworld. Tons of wood vanish into this cave every year never to reappear. Legend has it that this is where Orpheus returned to the underworld.
Sandanski
A small town on the Greek border where Spartacus, the Thracian Slave who launched an uprising against Rome, was born.
Dobarsko
The location of a small chapel where the recently cleaned walls showed an unknown old fresco depicting the last supper. The fresco clearly shows Mary Magdalene at the side of Christ painted long before the famed Michael Angelo version. It is believed that the Templars visited this site and it is linked to stories of the Holy Grail.
Rila Monastery
This monastery is the holiest site in Bulgaria and a frequent place of pilgrimage. It is located high in the forest of the Rila Mountains. It is also possible to walk to the cave where St. Ivan Rilski spent his days in isolation as a hermit.
Melnik
This is a major wine growing area famed for the sandstone pyramid rock formations unique to this area, in addition to its famous wine cellars and vineyard.
Plovdiv
Originally a Thracian settlement, latterly falling under the rule of the Greeks, Romans and Turks, Plovdiv is a beautiful city with some of the most visible Roman ruins in Bulgaria, including the amphitheatre and a chariot race track.
Roman Excavation
In a small clearing between Bansko and Dobrinishte a small Roman settlement has been found and archaeologists are in the process of excavating the site.
Pirin Mountains
The mountains provide some of the most accessible walking in Europe with a large number of trails and 176 crystal clear mountain lakes. Close to Bansko is the Baikushev Pine, the oldest tree in Bulgaria, which is more than 1,300 years old.
Bear Park
A beautiful forested sanctuary on the slopes of the Rila Mountains created for the ex-dancing bears of Bulgaria and Romania.
Dobrinishte to Septemvri Narrow gauge railroad
This 106 kilometer railroad, now over 100 years old, passes across the Rila Mountains taking in some breathtaking scenery, numerous bridges, loops tracks and 35 tunnels.
White Water Rafting
The season for white water rafting now runs from the end of March to the end of June. Grade 2 - 5 trips are available in Bulgaria. The rivers Struma and Mesta offer varied rapids in the Bansko Area.
Horse riding and quad biking tours
Available from various sources in and around Bansko, an interesting way to explore the outstanding mountain scenery.
Mineral Springs
There is an excellent open air thermal mineral pool in Dobrinishte, opened in 2007.
Banya
A very popular hot spring is found in Banya, bring your swim suit and also a warm coverup if you are going in the winter!
Bansko Jazz Festival
The Annual Jazz Festival is a popular event that now attracts large numbers of enthusiasts and well known players. It has become a major summer attraction and is held the first week of August each year.