Travel

Getting There

Flights

Taxis

Car Hire

The easiest way to get to Bansko is to fly to Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. The direct flight time is about 3 hours. Then take a taxi or hire a car to drive the 160km to Bansko, which should take about 2¼ hours. The new Sophia ring road and recent improvements to the main roads to Bansko have made significant improvements to the journey time.

A new option is the "Bansko Bus" service, using pre-booked 6 seater Mercedes minibuses, at €24.50: www.thebanskobus.com.

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Flights

Direct flights to the capital, Sofia, can be booked through any of the following websites-

Airline	Flying from	Cost Return	Website	Comments
British Airways	London Heathrow	£150-£300	www.ba.com
Bulgaria Air	London Gatwick Manchester		www.air.bg	For the adventurous flier
EasyJet	London Gatwick		www.easyjet.com	A popular option
(Ski Charter)	London Gatwick Manchester	£200-£530	www.ski-flights.com	Saturdays only, through the ski season
Wizz Air	London Luton	£60-£300	www.wizzair.com	Also see www.skyscanner.net for a very handy price/availability guide

Prices are quoted with taxes etc. These are examples only, and prices & availability will vary. There are cheaper options available if you don't mind interesting stopovers, in say Instanbul, Budapest or Warsaw (very cheap, if you can get them). Lufthansa fly from Heathrow to Sofia via Munich/Frankfurt, which can make for a somewhat longer flight (from around 4 hours) but has more convenient flight times than Wizz Air or BA.

There are also indirect flights from Birmingham and other UK Cities. Try www.cheapflights.co.uk.

Another option is to fly to Thessaloniki, Greece, which is next to Bulgaria. BA already fly there throughout the year, and Easyjet have a new route from Gatwick. This is good for beating the Sofia peak season rates. It takes a little longer and is a bit more expensive to travel to Bansko (around €320-370 return), but the saving on the flight costs and availability make it well worth considering.

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Taxi Services

Service	Contact Details	Prices & Service
ResortLinkBG	David@ResortLinkBG.com Landline: 00 44 (0) 845 229 2349 Mobile: 00 44 (0) 7966770474 Skype: Resortlinkbg MSN: Resortlinkbgsupport@hotmail.co.uk GoogleMail: ResortLinkBG@Gmail.com Website: www.ResortLinkBG.com	€184 return Sofia-Bansko: Minibus seats 7 Please contact us for a special discount code for these prices
Svetlo	svelte@mail.bg Mobile +359 887 485 174	Sofia-Bansko: €140 return for taxi seating 1-3 €260 return for minibus, seats 7
"ROTTO" Rent a car Bulgaria Ltd	Tel/fax +3592 920 40 52; +359 896 68 68 51 ; office@rotto-bg.com www.rotto-bg.com	Sofia-Bansko: Approx €130 return for taxi seating 1-3 Approx €250 return for minibus, seats 7
OK Supertrans	+359 2 973 2121 Reception desk at airport	Around €160 return for taxi seating 1-3
Ivan Maksev	+359 887 700 843 ivanmaksev@yahoo.com	€140 return for taxi seating 1-3 €220 return for 7 seater minibus €280 return for 16 seater minibus

As with any international airport, there are taxi touts hanging around who will try to entice you into their overpriced and substandard vehicle, but they should be ignored. If you haven't booked anything beforehand, then go to the OK Supertrans taxi counter at the airport and ask for a taxi to Bansko. They do take credit cards.

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Car Hire

Rent a car: Car rental desks are located in the public area of the Arrivals Hall.

AVIS: +359 (2) 945 9224; 937 3319; www.avis.bg
Hertz: +359 (2) 945 9217; www.hertz.com
SIXT: +359 (2) 945 9276; www.e-sixt.com
Budget: +359 (2) 937 3388; www.budget.bg
Tany Rent: +359 (2) 937 3329; www.tany.sof.bg

Rates for western cars vary from around €20 to €60 per day for a 7 day hire. A 4-wheel drive is recommended for getting to and around Bansko during the ski season.

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Bus

Definitely the cheapest way to get to Bansko from Sofia - just £4 each way ! There is a regular bus service from the station near Sofia airport. The journey takes about 3 hours, including a 15 minute stop at Blagoevgrad.