For our 1st wedding anniversary, we decided to travel to Bulgaria. And what better town to spend a romantic week than Bansko? During the winter, the town is a premier ski destination, but during the summer it’s a beautiful mountainous town with plenty of sunshine and romance.
Many people asked us, “Why Bulgaria?” – Because why not?
“What brought you to this small country?” – It’s beautiful.
“Do you have family in Bulgaria?” – NOPE!
We can’t tell you how many times we were asked those questions leading up to and during our trip. We chose Bulgaria for one big reason, it started with the letter B! Let me explain…
Last year when we got married and chose a honeymoon destination, we decided to start a tradition where each wedding anniversary would be in a different country and we would go in alphabetical order. Our honeymoon was in Aruba, our 1st anniversary was in Bulgaria, and now our 2nd year anniversary may be somewhere like Chile or Cuba (we haven’t decided, yet so feel free to cast your vote).
When choosing countries that start with B, we looked at a few factors.
- How expensive is it to travel there?
- Is it safe?
- Is it Instagram-worthy? (Beautiful and scenic?)
Bulgaria answered all three of those questions with a giant YES! We researched photos and destinations online and it looked absolutely beautiful. The mountains were calling us.
Fast forward to when we were trying to find places to stay in the country. We knew we wanted to stay in a few different towns rather than just one spot for the entire 2-week trip. We decided our first stop would be Bankso, a beautiful mountainous town with plenty of hiking opportunities and small-town vibes that would allow us to relax and get our bearings before exploring the rest of the countryside. We found Bansko by researching national parks to hike, and also by looking at places to stay via HomeExchange.com.
HomeExchange.com is a service where you can either exchange homes with someone OR use “guest points” to stay at someone’s home of your choice. We found an adorable apartment in a ski resort at the base of Pirin National Park, one of the parks we planned on exploring. The owner of the apart-home didn’t want to do a reciprocal exchange and stay at our home in New York, so we exchanged guest points with her instead which was basically a free stay for us. When you initially sign up with HomeExchange.com, you get complimentary points to try out their service, so we were able to use those “free” points for our trip. It worked out perfectly and the place we stayed was exactly what we needed!
Try HomeExchange.com with our link and by activating your membership, you can receive 200 guest points to stay at a location of your choice to try it out! CLICK HERE.
Bankso is a magical town where everyone is so polite and welcoming. We truly felt at home in this otherworldly place. It felt like we entered another dimension, a different time where people truly enjoyed life and helped one another. This is more than I can say for New York where everyone seems angry and bitter (sorry fellow Americans). Even the stray pets were well taken care of and joined us for many of our meals. It instantly felt like home.
Here are a few date ideas that we enjoyed while visiting Bansko:
Date 1: Walk Bansko’s Old Town
The cobblestone streets and picturesque buildings make for a lovely stroll, especially at golden hour. Bankso is truly a beautiful town and well worth getting lost in. While walking the town, we witnessed a traditional Bulgarian wedding celebration with music and dancing, shopped in the hand-made souvenir stores, and admired the beautiful architecture that is like nothing else we’ve ever seen. We admired the Trinity Church, listened to its bells ring, and even got to see the storks on the top that are cherished by the locals.
We toured the home of Neofit Rilski, who was a major figure in the Bulgarian National Revival movement. An educated monk, celebrated teacher, and talented artist, Neofit Rilski revolutionized education in Bulgaria and is best known for his work in standardizing Bulgarian grammar and translating the New Testament into Bulgarian for the first time.
We suggest grabbing a cup of tea or coffee at The Snug and taking a walk. You never know what you’ll find throughout the town of Bansko. There is charm around every corner.
Date 2: Romantic Dinner for two
Everywhere we went had amazing food. I don’t know if it’s because American food is filled with preservatives and hormones and Bulgaria is so fresh and clean. Or it’s just the fact that Bulgarians know how to cook. But we did not have a bad meal our entire trip. I’m still dreaming about the delicious meals we had. A few of our favorite restaurants that we would highly recommend are:
- Motikata
- Pizzeria Boyanovi
- Mehana Chevermeto
Almost everything is topped with Feta (my favorite!), and just about every meal comes with a side of fries. We noticed it’s common for the women to be served their meal first, then the men. And if you want your check, you have to politely ask for it. Just a few things to note that we figured out along the way!
Date 3: Gondola & Hike
Needless to say, we walked A LOT in Bansko. Our resort was in a convenient place where we could walk right under the Gondola and into town. Seeing the Gondola repeatedly we decided it was a MUST-do. And we were right. It gave us amazing views of the Pirin mountains and took us into the park for ample hiking opportunities.
You can easily drive into Pirin National Park, but the Gondola was the most scenic route. You can stop mid-mountain or take it all the way and be dropped off in the meadow where during the summer you can find water slides or other activities. We took the gondola as far as we could take it and walked the rest of the way to see Bulgaria’s oldest tree, Baikushev’s pine. We walked further into the park the following day so we could see Lake Muratovo. At about 2290 meters, I found myself getting altitude sickness and we decided to not continue. It was upsetting to make it so far and have to turn around and not see the lake, but the beauty is around every corner at Pirin National Park.
There is so much more I could say about Bansko, but it won’t do it justice. It’s a place you’ll only understand by visiting and we hope you do one day.