Snow-covered Pirin Mountains above Bansko, Bulgaria
Europe · Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Among the cheapest full ski packages in Europe, and a Black Sea coast that undercuts the Mediterranean by half. The value is real, and so are the trade-offs.

Flight3h · SOF / BOJ / VAR
Stay7 nights
Best monthsJan–Mar ski, Jun–Sep coast
Guide pricefrom £429pp

What the low price actually buys, and what it doesn't

The lift pass, the hire and the lessons cost roughly half what they do in France. The queues are the trade.

Bansko has genuinely good terrain and a modern gondola, and a week there with passes, hire and ski school can come in under what lift passes alone cost in the Three Valleys. What you give up is lift capacity at peak times — the main gondola queue in February half term is a real thing, sometimes an hour — and a smaller ski area than the big Alpine resorts. For beginners, families watching the total, and anyone learning, it's outstanding value. For strong skiers wanting mileage, France or Austria is the better week.

What to do

Two ski resorts, a coast, and a capital nobody visits.

Bansko

The main ski resort, with a gondola from an old stone town at the base. Best terrain in the country, and queues at peak.

Borovets

Closer to Sofia, cheaper again, and better for absolute beginners. Tree-lined and lower, so snow is less reliable late season.

Sunny Beach & the Black Sea

Long sandy beaches and very low prices. Busy and lively — the quieter alternatives are Sozopol and Nessebar.

Nessebar

A UNESCO peninsula of wooden houses and Byzantine churches, on the coast near Sunny Beach. Genuinely lovely.

Rila Monastery

A tenth-century monastery in the mountains, UNESCO-listed and covered in frescoes. Two hours from Sofia.

Sofia & Plovdiv

Sofia has Roman ruins under the streets. Plovdiv is older than Rome and has a Roman theatre still in use.

Where to stay

Two ski resorts and a coast, and they suit different trips.

Bansko

Best skiing

A gondola from a stone town. The strongest terrain, most après, and the longest queues at peak.

Borovets

Beginners & value

About ninety minutes from Sofia. Cheaper still, tree-lined, and easier for first-timers.

Sunny Beach

Coast, lively

Long sandy beach, very cheap, and busy with a young crowd in summer.

Sozopol & Nessebar

Coast, quieter

Old towns on peninsulas either side of Burgas. Far more character than the resort strips.

Five things worth knowing

When to go

January to March for ski, June to September for the coast.

Ski season runs mid-December to early April, with January and March the best combination of snow and low prices — February half term brings the queues and the peak rates. The Black Sea season is June to September, warmest in August at 26°C. Spring and autumn are quiet and cheap for the cities, and both resorts largely close.

Practical

Flights

3 hours to Sofia (SOF) for ski, or Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR) for the coast.

Transfers

Two hours Sofia to Bansko, ninety minutes to Borovets, thirty to the coast resorts.

Currency

Euro — adopted in January 2026. Carry cash outside the main hotels.

What's included

Ski packages here often bundle passes, hire and lessons. We quote the full figure either way.

Tell us your dates

We'll quote the whole ski week including passes and lessons, or the coast, and write the payment plan out in full.

Questions people ask

Is the skiing any good?

Bansko's terrain is genuinely good and the gondola is modern. The area is smaller than an Alpine resort and it queues at peak. For learning and value it's excellent.

Why is it so cheap?

Lower wages and costs, not lower standards. Hotels, food and lessons are all a fraction of Alpine prices.

When should we avoid?

February half term for ski, when the queues are worst. August on the coast if you want quiet.

Is the Black Sea coast worth it?

Sozopol and Nessebar are lovely and very good value. Sunny Beach is a young party resort — book it deliberately.

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Bulgaria packages

Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.

7 nights in Bulgaria

Half board · Dec–Mar
  • Return flights and private transfers
  • Half board throughout
  • What protection applies, confirmed in writing before you pay
from £319per person

10 nights in Bulgaria

Half board · Dec–Mar
  • Return flights and private transfers
  • Half board throughout
  • The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change
from £409per person

14 nights in Bulgaria

Half board · Dec–Mar
  • Return flights and private transfers
  • Half board throughout
  • Best value per night
from £479per person

Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.

Multi-centre itineraries we arrange

We don't currently run a ready-built itinerary that includes Bulgaria, but these are the multi-centre trips people ask about most — and we can build one around Bulgaria on request. Flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, with what protection applies, confirmed in writing before you pay.

See all 33 multi-centre itineraries →