Bansko Gondola

The Bansko Gondola — a 6.3-kilometre cable car running from the bottom of town up to the Banderishka Polyana mid-station at 1,635 metres — is what made modern Bansko. In winter it carries skiers and snowboarders up to the main piste network; in summer it stays open at reduced hours for hikers heading into Pirin National Park.

Queues at the bottom can be brutal at peak season — arrive at the first lift or buy a fast-pass online. The ride up takes about 25 minutes, with views back over the Razlog Valley as you climb. From the top, lifts continue to over 2,500 metres on the Todorka ridge.

things to do sight
A story
The eight-seater gondola was installed in 2003 as part of the privatised expansion of the ski area, replacing a slow chairlift and turning Bansko almost overnight into Bulgaria's most-visited resort. It also drove much of the construction boom — and over-construction — that now flanks the town's southern edge.