THE LOVELY VILLAGE RESORT of PAMPOROVO

Pamporovo is a pretty modern ski resort in the heart of the stunning Rhodopi Mountains, the home of the mythical singer Orpheus. It is the sunniest Bulgarian mountain resort with wonderful snow throughout the whole season. Pamporovo is situated on 1650 m above the sea level at the foot of peak Snejanka (1926 m) (Snow White) mountain. It is 240 km from the Bulgarian Capital Sofia and 85 km from the main local town of Plovdiv. Plovdiv has an airport and charter flights operate from various UK airports to it, throughout the winter ski season and Easyjet operate a regular scheduled flight to Sofia.

 

Map of Bulgaria showing the position of Pamporovo in the south of the country relative to Sofia the capital and the main local town of Plovdiv.

The Weather
 

Pamporovo has an exclusively mild climate featuring a soft winter with around 120 sunny days during the skiing season. The influence of the Aegean Sea modifies the climate here making it a lot warmer than the other well known ski resorts of Bulgaria. The first snow falls from around mid - December and the season continues to mid - April. The average air temperature is - 3 ° C.

Activities

The Snezhanka Tower, a local landmark, can be visited when you are on the slopes which has an observation platform and cafe/restaurant at the top commanding an excellent view over the mountains and slopes. There is a charge for the lift to ascend and prices on the top tend to be higher than those on the mountain generally. But a visit on a clear blue day is definitely worth a few extra Leva. The best times are early morning and later in the afternoon as it can get very busy at lunch times.

Activities in the resort, aside from bars and restaurants, include skidoos, dog-sleighing, bowling, folklore evenings, night-time ski-shows by the Bulgarian Ski Instructors (which is great!) ice-skating, cross-country skiing, excursions to local sites of interest and visits to the local town of Chepelare.

Places to go

You could try a day trip to Plovdiv or the nearby town of Smolyan.  Sofia and the Bachkovo Monastery are of great interest too. The local people have developed a good selection of places to go.
The staff, in genera,l are professional, very helpful and friendly. English (plus some other popular languages) is widely spoken.
 

Shops

An increasing number of various shops are available at the resort which range from shops selling good quality ski and snowboard clothing, ski equipment and accessories to gift and souvenir shops.

A shopping centre is available in the area of Perelik and Murgavets hotels.

Wider shopping variety is found in Plovdiv and Sofia.
 

Medical & Dental Services

The Emergency SKI PATROL service is available 24 hours a day. Ambulance and clinic (with doctor and nurse) are available, as well as first aid, on all ski slopes. Fully equipped and functioning hospitals are available in Smolyan and Chepelare. Highly qualified dentists are available at Pamporovo or Chepelare. Pharmacies are available at the resort.

Some medical and all dental services must be cash to the doctors (clinics). They should provide the necessary bills, receipts and invoices describing the service and the cost, so that you can claim back the expense to your insurance company. It's recommended you call your insurance company and inform them in case of injury. Please follow their instructions.

Restaurants & Night Life

Most of the popular drinks are available as well as local or imported alcohols, beers and wines at very reasonable prices. Many bars have regular "Happy hours" and sell drinks on half price in the earlier part of the evening.
Almost all hotels have restaurants and day bars. Different types of restaurants and places to eat are available in the resort and near the ski pistes. Some restaurants provide English style meals although the local food is simple but very good.