Bansko and the mountains
Bansko, a burgeoning tourist centre that mixes traditional
Bulgarian architecture with holiday-resort flair, makes a good jumping-off point for some amazing hikes in the
Pirin National Park, and is a transport nexus, with buses to the Struma and Mesta valleys flanking the
Pirin range, and trains to Velingrad in the western
Rhodopes. It also gives easy access to a couple of attractive, traditional villages, Dobrinishte and Dobarsko, both of which are surrounded by stunning countryside. The road from the Struma Valley follows the River Gradevska that separates the
Rila and Pirin ranges, and crosses the PREDEL PASS, site of the Pirin Sings folklore festival where amateur musicians and dancers from towns and villages throughout the region perform on a series of small stages. The route also passes through
RAZLOG, 6km north of
Bansko, which is a less attractive town, notable only for its Kukeri rites on January 1, when large processions of costumed revellers take over the centre.
