In the wintertime, Bansko acts as the biggest ski resort town in Bulgaria and many digital nomads choose to spend time here. But what about in the summertime? Is Bansko any good as a summer location for digital nomads and remote workers?
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Table of Contents
1. Bansko in the Summertime vs Wintertime
Summer Events
Spend time in Bansko in the summertime and there are some great events and activities that you can do.
a) Weekly Nomad Events and Other Events
If you are a member of the main coworking community regular weekly events that normally take place include:
- Mondays: Board game night
- Tuesdays: Poker night
- Wednesdays: Restaurant and food night
- Thursdays: Trip to the hot springs
- Fridays: BBQ in the garden
Depending on who is around at the time and who is willing to make an effort to organize something, you can also find events such as yoga, backgammon, and a movie night.
You can easily organize your own event and add it to the private coworking Bansko Facebook group.
Furthermore, other activities you can choose to do locally include:
- Hiking (on the local mountain trails)
- Playing golf (try the Pirin Golf and Country Club)
b) Events (Festivals)
- Bansko Nomad Fest – is an annual event that over 300 hundred digital nomads attend annually, in Bansko. Expect a wide range of talks and presentations and numerous social events.
- Bansko Jazz Festival – is a week-long and free-to-attend and takes place in the town square in the Old Town, within 3 minutes walk of the coworking spaces.
- Bansko Opera Festival – a 2-day festival that also takes place in the town center
Why Bansko as a Digital Nomad?
- Great community – there is a reason why many digital nomads are choosing to stay long-term in Bansko, with several choosing also to buy an apartment here (still very cheap). The community for remote workers is vibrant in all seasons.
- Inexpensive – in the summertime, you can quite easily find an apartment for below 400 Euros a month. Food is also great value (you can get a decent meal with a drink for 10 Euros eating out). Bulgaria in fact is one of the cheapest locations in Europe!
- It’s incredibly scenic here in Bansko, with mountain views wherever you look
- Weather – in the summertime it’s not too hot and very pleasant climate-wise.
- Getting around – you can walk or cycle pretty much everywhere you will need to in town.
One thing that Bansko is well-known for in digital nomad circles is the large and vibrant digital nomad community that has developed because of Matthias of Coworking Bansko.
The easiest way to meet other people is to become a member of the Coworking group so that you have access to all of their events, workspaces, and to the community.
Dr Valeria Lo Iacono
Getting Social and Meeting Other Nomads in Bansko
i) Do a Skills Share Presentation at the Lounge
There are weekly talks and presentations held by members of the coworking on a wide range of topics, interests, and areas and they are free to attend.
Recent talks have included:
- How To Healthify Your Meals
- The lies/ the truths about location independence and tax optimization
- “The Passion Entrepreneur” reading + self-publishing through Amazon KDP
- Should You Turn Your Passion into a Business?
- How to Become A Millionaire in 45 minutes
You can learn more about attending or presenting at the Skillshare events here on the Coworking Bansko Facebook Group.
I highly recommend also considering presenting given that it’s a:
- fantastic way to quickly let people know what you do and are about so great for networking
- great way to find solutions and ideas to catapult your business given that many experienced and skilled nomads attend and give input
- wonderful way also to contribute to the community events and to help provide other nomads with something of interest to learn about
ii) Organize an Event to Give to Others
In addition to doing a Skillshare presentation, an alternative is to organize your own event (as mentioned earlier).
Just add an event to the private Facebook group and you are good to go!
Events others organized whilst we were there included
- garden yoga
- a backgammon tournament
Valeria is a belly dance teacher and did a Ph.D. on belly dance and heritage so if you are there at the same time as us in the future expect a:
- free belly dance workshop
- backgammon lessons/presentation
iii) Join the Bansko Social Group
If you are visiting Bansko as a Digital Nomad, you will find Facebook extremely useful, including connecting to the Bansko Social FB Group.
For meeting others whilst relaxing at the same time, the hot springs visit takes place every Thursday for the Coworking Bansko group and is highly recommended!
Things to Do and See
1. Free Walking Tour
In both the winter and summer months on most weekends, there is a free walking tour that is organized by the local tourist office.
We did the two-hour tour and although there is a limited amount to see in the Old Town, we did find the tour worth doing and would recommend it if you are new to the town!
You can learn more here.
2. Weekend Away to Thessaloniki, Greece
Bansko is also not a bad base at all for popping down into Greece for a weekend or for a week.
I recommend visiting the city of Thessaloniki on the coast and it’s less than 3 hour’s drive from Bansko.
Thessaloniki is a city that grew to become an important center of trade and culture under the Roman Empire, and continued to play a significant role in the Byzantine Empire after the division of the Roman Empire in 395 AD.
Today, Thessaloniki is a vibrant city with a rich history and culture. It is home to a number of important archaeological sites, as well as many museums, art galleries, and theaters.
For digital nomad accommodation, one location Valeria and I particularly love is the Zeus is Loose Hostel in Thessaloniki!
3. Outdoor Sports in Bansko in Summer
Take your pick from:
- Hiking
- Golf
- Biking/cycling
- Rafting (near Bansko)
- Horse riding
FAQs
Some of the questions we had before arriving and that many others ask when first arriving in Bansko are below.
1. What is the food like in Bansko?
We did not have any expectations but we were very pleasantly surprised by the food in Bansko.
The prices are very affordable (often half the price you would find in other countries to eat out) and the produce is often very fresh, i.e. locally grown.
I am not normally a salad person but the soups and salads I found especially good including the Bulgarian Shopska salads and Greek salads.
Expect quite a bit of Greek influence in the food, given its closeness geographically to Greece!
You can get a taste of the locally grown and produced foods by attending the Sunday market, which takes place in the Old Town, a 1-minute walk from ‘The Lounge’ coworking space.
Matthias of Coworking Bansko often organizes a restaurant visit every Wednesday evening and this is a great way to socialize, whilst trying a different restaurant each week.
Where should I stay whilst in Bansko?
There are a few options including the following:
- Valentina Heights is where a lot of nomads stay so that they are in the same building
- Booking.com Bansko page
- You can also book for just a few nights and then head into the coworking space and then ask about long-term stays
How much does it cost to stay for one month?
If you are on a budget, you can very easily stay in Bansko for less than 1000 Euros including your accommodation, food, coworking fees, and for gym etc.
In fact, you could probably manage on 800 Euros a month if you need to.
Where can I go jogging in Bansko?
You are never too far from nature in Bansko but it is not easy necessarily to find a decent place to go jogging because of the uneven pavement (sidewalk) in many areas.
The place I would recommend if you like to run 3 or 5 km is to jog around the lake in Bansko City Park.
The City Park is roughly 5 minutes walk from the Coworking Bansko Old Town Lounge space.
What is tap water like? Is it safe to drink?
Not only is the tap water drinkable but you can also walk around the town and find mountain fresh water to fill your water bottle.
As you’ll see on the video at the start of this post, the water flows through the town (in summertime) and you can capture it from one of the numerous small water fountains.
Where is Bansko?
Bansko is a mountain resort town in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains. It is one of the country’s most popular ski resorts.
Bansko is situated 160 km (100 miles) from the capital city of Sofia. The town lies in the Razlog Valley, roughly 3000 above sea level.
During the summer months, Bansko is a popular destination for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and camping. The Pirin National Park, located nearby, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bansko is also known for its traditional Bulgarian architecture. Many of the houses in the old town have been preserved and are now used as hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
All in all, this is a quaint and picturesque town with clean air and decent summer weather with mountain air.
Quick Tips
- Tip 1: Use a reusable water bottle and fill your bottles in the natural springs around town
- Tip 2: Base yourself in the Old Town for a summer stay or by the Gondola for a winter stay
- Tip 3: Join Coworking Bansko and make use of their social events
- Tip 4: In the summertime, if you have time, also visit Thessaloniki, Greece
- Tip 5: Be aware that on Google maps, the map is upside down
- Tip 6: Visit the Sunday food market in the Old Town to buy fresh produce
Bansko Travel Resources
I have been traveling for many years and have come to use a lot of travel sites and resources for booking my trips. They represent the companies that I often use and have served me well and they are the first ones I use when booking new trips.
- Booking.com – they tend to provide very competitive prices and the reviews are easy to view, and they normally have something available wherever in the world I am going to. They also now provide airport transfers, local attractions, and flights.
- Safety Wing Travel Insurance – Safety Wing has become one of the leaders in travel insurance, especially for remote workers and digital nomads as they provide cover that includes for long-term stays.
- Get Your Guide – is the site on which I normally book tours (I love to visit the local sports stadia, aquarium, royal palace, and some cultural attractions). With get Your Guide they have excellent customer support and have a wide range of tours.
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