Ski Holiday Bankso
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Surrounding Areas
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Useful Facts About Bansko
 
General info Health Transport Food & Drink Local Cuisine
Communications Language Useful Words  
 

Bulgaria
Land Area 42,855 sq.miles (110,994sq.km).
Population (approx 8,000,000)
Capital - Sofia - population (approx 1,200,000)
Terrain - Varied, from the Black Sea coast through agricultural plains to several mountain ranges.

Time Zone
GMT + 2 hours end of October to March. GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October

British Embassy
9,Moskovska Street, SOFIA 1000, Bulgaria.
Tel (+359 2)933-9222   Fax (+359 2) 933-9250
Email: britembinf@mail.orbitel.bg  Web: www.british-embassy.bg

Currency
The unit of currency is the Lev (100 stotinski = 1 Lev). The exchange rate is fixed to the Euro at 1.95 and there are approximately 2.90 levs to £1.00.

Exchange
The safest and best place to change money is in a bank & Bansko has several scattered about the town. Private exchange bureaux do exist and may be legitimate but beware that ALL PRE 1999 Currency is no longer legal tender (It is no longer a major problem and most does seem to have been taken off the market but there is still some around)
Banking hours generally 9am - 4pm Mon. - Fri. Closed Sat/Sun.

Electricity
Mains electric 220v, Standard European 2 pin plug fitting (if you forget your adapter they are readily available in tourist areas).

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Health

Chemists/Pharmacy (Apteka) usually have a good stock of treatments for minor ailments, cuts & bruises similar standards to small UK outlets.

Health Centre (Poliklinika) are usually staffed by qualified doctor(s) and trained nursing care.

Dr. Ruskovi Medical Centre (English Speaking) 10 Tsar Simon, Bansko.

Medical Centre Sveto Blagoveshtenie, 1 Louis Pasteur, Bansko (24hour emergency number).

Hospital
The nearest hospital to Bansko is in Razlog approx 5km away.

Dentists
Dr.Daneva, 15A Todor Alexandrov, Bansko.
Dr.Yanchovichina, 76, Tsar Simon Bansko. 		Top of page
 
Transport:

Air Travel
Most international schedule  flights arrive in Sofia but there are a large number of package flights arriving in the black sea resort areas of Varna and Burgas. Commercial airports are also located at Plovdiv and Gorna Oryahovitsa. and all airports operate internal flights. A new airport has been muted in the Bansko area but as yet no firm plans have been announced. Internal flights are not really worth the effort. Transfers are usually best by car.

Rail Travel
Bulgarian State Railways operate over 2,500 miles of track linking all the major cities & towns, however,  anyone who thinks that the British rail system is poor should not try Bulgarian railways.  The trains are generally scruffy, uncomfortable and slow.  In recent years there have been attempts to upgrade the system but as yet rail travel can prove a little primitive. It is however reasonably cheap and certain scenic routes are well worth the experience.  Don’t expect too much in the way of comfort and you will not be disappointed.

Road Travel
Driving in Bulgaria can be a varied experience.  The main roads are generally of a good standard but overall the system is underdeveloped. Since entry to the EU the infrastructure is constantly being upgraded and improvements are being made all the time.  Rural areas are not always up to standard and frequent potholes can be encountered particularly in hilly/mountainous areas. (Water seeping under the roads freezes in adverse conditions and repairs are not always undertaken). Main tourist areas are generally well maintained and well lit, but don’t expect British standards for a year or two yet. On the spot fines can be issued for most offences. Drink driving is considered serious and even a first offence can result in a prison term (the limit is low and the best advice is if you are driving, don’t drink at all). Petrol stations are at fairly regular intervals (approx every 20 miles) but check if you intend travelling in rural areas. Drive on the right and overtake on the left. Speed limits: highways 120km (approx. 74mph), built up areas 50km (approx. 31mph). In most areas limits are strictly enforced. Car Rental is readily available in most areas including Bansko.		 Top of page

Buses
 The bus services on offer are generally good, and inexpensive, with most towns and villages being linked by regular services.  Buses can be operated by the local municipality or by private companies and some towns will have more than one bus station.  The fleets operated privately tend to have more modern vehicles with a higher degree of comfort. Tickets are purchased at the bus terminal prior to departure and it is advisable to buy your ticket well in advance of travelling, particularly on busy routes.

Taxis
Taxis are available in most tourist areas and major towns and are reasonably priced. Charges for licensed taxis are always metered and as a rough guide approx 0.50 lev per kilometre (approx 30p mile). If you are travelling any distance, always try to agree a price. 		Top of page
   
Food & Drink:

Self Catering
As with any town, shops supplying all the necessities are readily available but you may have to search for specific brand names and may not always be successful. (There is nearly always a local alternative). Fresh fruit and vegetables are readily available throughout the town and on a Sunday morning, there is a market selling (amongst the usual market wares) all types of local produce.

Eating Out
Bansko boasts a large number (close to 100) of MEHANAS or taverns.  Drinks of all kinds are available and a good percentage of establishments provide hot meals. There are a few restaurants and cafes serving western style meals and it is possible to find establishments serving the likes of burgher & chips. The Mehanas (thankfully) tend to serve traditional Bulgarian fare and fantastic stews are available for less than £5 (one particular dish we were served last year cost just over £4 and would have fed at least four hearty appetites) Soup and salads are also readily available along with grilled meat dishes all at a reasonable price.

A reasonable quality Bulgarian wine will cost between £3 & £4 and plonk is available for under £2 a bottle.  Local (lager style) & imported beers are easily obtained with local beer costing less than £1 per pint. Around both of the Bansko squares ‘cafes’ have tables & chairs on the pavement serving snacks, coffees and alcohol. Throughout the area there are numerous stalls and small shops where refreshments can be obtained.		 Top of page
   
Local Cuisine:

Soups
‘Bob’ a spicy bean soup. ‘ Tarator’ cold soup made from yoghurt & cucumber, ‘shkembe’ a tripe soup and very popular with the locals (not to my taste)  zucchini soup, made with rice/potato, zucchini, eggs etc. and many  others.

Salads
Meshana salata, cucumber, pepper & tomato.   Shopska salata is the same but with added grated cheese. Mlechna salata with yoghurt & nuts. Pycka, potato, peas, carrot, pickles, eggs  & chopped sausage all mixed together in a mayonnaise.  Plus a great variety of salad combinations with dips & sauces unique to each establishment.

Main Course
Various styles of sausage meats: Soujouk, Babek, Lukanka, Sudzhuk etc.  These are usually served grilled and have flavours similar to the salami style sausages of Turkey. Grilled meats (commonly pork or veal although lamb & beef are readily available) with a variety of sauces.

Stews
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Traditional fayre in the Mehanas. Served in earthenware pots & usually containing potato peppers, aubergines, beans etc., with spices for the particular dish.
Kavarma - chopped pork (or lamb) stewed with onions mushroom & tomato.
Drop sar’ma chopped liver rice & onions baked in a yoghurt sauce.
Vegetarian Dishes follow a similar pattern simply without the meat.

Desserts
Baklava like its Greek equivalent flaky pastry with nuts, cinnamon & honey.
Halva, melted butter, sugar, flour crushed nuts baked in the oven. Krem Karamel (the same as its French equivalent (Crème Caramel)

Drinks
Wine, beer & mineral water are readily available as are spirits of all kinds. One local spirit that must be experienced is Rakia which comes in various forms from ‘paint stripper’ to really smooth and is definitely an acquired taste. Made from either grapes, apricot, or commonly plums. Other local specialities include Mastica (similar to Ouzo) &  Menta a sweet mint liqueur (strong taste of spearmint). All local spirits tend to be very alcoholic - so beware.		 Top of page
   
Communications

Post
The postal system is relatively efficient and post offices are available in most towns.

Telephones
Dialling the UK 0044  and drop the 0 from the area code.
Most public telephones require phonecards (readily available at local shops). Two systems operate in Bulgaria and the cards are NOT interchangeable.  ‘Bulfon’ has orange phone kiosks and Belkom are blue. Hotel rates vary but most tend to be very expensive.
Mobile phones can be used throughout Bulgaria & from experience we know that Bansko has good reception for the Orange network and most likely, other networks also.

Internet Cafes
Internet Cafes are becoming popular in Bulgaria.  Bansko has at least two. One in the town, ‘Plan B, Internet Café’ 79, Stefan Karadja Street and one at the Royal Golf Club (approx 5km outside town.)
 
 
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Language

Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic Alphabet which can make it very difficult to decipher the written word and to complicate matters further, there are different ways of transferring Cyrillic into Latin script. Fortunately in the tourist areas, signs are being duplicated to assist the visitor. Young Bulgarians are increasingly learning to speak English and every establishment that deals with tourists on a regular basis will have someone who can get by in English. 		Top of page
   
Useful Words / Phrases  
   
  Yes   Da    
  No   Ne    
  Please   Ako o'bichate    
  Goodbye   Do'vizhdane    
  Thank you   Blagoda'rya    
  My name is   Kazvan se    
  Have you got   Imate li    
  Monday   Pone'elnik    
  Tuesday   'Ftornik    
  Wednesday   'Sryada    
  Thursday   Chet'vartak    
  Friday   Petak    
  Saturday   'Sabota    
  Sunday   Ne'delya    
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  0   'nula    
  1   e'din (OR ed'na OR ed'no)    
  2   dva (OR dve)    
  3   tri    
  4   'chetiri    
  5   pet    
  6   shest    
  7   'sedem    
  8   'osem    
  9   'devet    
  10   'dest    
For teens use the number and add nayset - i.e. 11 is e'din'nayset and so on.  
  20   'dvayset    
  30   triyset    
  40   che'tiriyset    
  50   pedeset    
  60   shey'se    
  70   sedemde'set    
  80   osemde'set    
  90   pedeset    
  100   sto   Top of page