City Walk: Bansko and Borovets beyond the slopes, part 2

More mountain addresses worth slowing down for.

By GoGuide editors / 9 February 2026Share:

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City Walk: Bansko and Borovets beyond the slopes, part 2

The mountains rarely give everything away on the first visit.

Just when you think you’ve found their rhythm, the view changes and you’re tempted back. This route takes us beyond Bansko, towards more good food, new scenery and the feeling of getting away without travelling too far. Borovets enters the picture with its own character: quieter, greener and possessed of an old-fashioned mountain charm that knows when to leave you alone and when to surprise you.

In the second part of our selection, we slow down a little further,

take a deeper breath and look for places that feel like a retreat. Somewhere between ski runs, for an afternoon with no plans, or for an evening that needn’t end early. The mountains still set the pace. We’re happy to follow.

DABOV Specialty Coffee

Coffee has found its own rhythm in Bansko. DABOV Specialty Coffee opened in the heart of town during the summer jazz festival and has since become a regular stop for people who appreciate the details.

A minimal interior, a warm welcome and quiet confidence in what matters.

In the cup: Cup of Excellence coffees, micro-lots, filter coffee, cold brew and matcha. The beans come from small farms, with stories worth hearing. Each selection has its own character and takes your mind somewhere else for a moment. Tasting feels like a conversation, rather than a performance. And the coffee break smells unmistakably of DABOV.

Bansko, 84 Pirin Street
+359 88 247 7000

Raclette House

At Raclette House, the cheese melts slowly, conversation loosens up and the time becomes less pressing. Swiss cheese is imported directly from Switzerland, heated and scraped onto the plate at just the right moment. Have it the traditional way, with boiled potatoes and accompaniments, or more casually over a crisp baguette. Raclette isn’t the whole menu, either.

There are vegetarian choices, house-prepared Bulgarian meats and the familiar sudzhuk sausage, finding a happy home in an Alpine setting.

Selected Bulgarian craft beers and mulled wine complete the picture,

with the latter warming more than your hands. The room is cosy and intimate, and the staff are the kind who remember faces. It’s a place for people who know the best evenings begin with something delicious and don’t need a plan beyond that. Keep it in mind when the road leads to Bansko and the cold calls for something comforting.

Bansko, New Town, 79 Pirin Street
+359 89 842 0916

Bashtin Dom and Skabrin Resto Bar

One house, two floors, one experience. Some places don’t draw a firm line between staying and eating. You walk in and feel part of the whole thing. Bashtin Dom and Skabrin Resto Bar share a historic Bansko house that feels quietly sure of itself.

Built in 1923 and restored a century later with respect for its original architecture,

the house has a sense of continuity. Upstairs, Bashtin Dom invites you to settle in slowly.

The rooms and loft are spacious and light, arranged with care that never feels showy. Views of Pirin, Rila and the bell tower of Holy Trinity Church remind you where you are without disturbing the quiet. The courtyard and shared spaces feel more like a home than a hotel. Mornings begin gently; evenings end peacefully. The cobbled streets of the old town are a few steps away, with the mountain close enough without losing that sense of retreat. Downstairs, Skabrin Resto Bar expresses the same approach through food.

Ognyan Ivanov and chef Georgi Boykovski bring a progressive approach to Bulgarian cooking in this February 2026 portrait. Their “Cooking the Forest” concept is about balance. Carefully chosen local ingredients meet fermentation and techniques such as freeze-drying. Pine cones, pine needles, juniper and apples in the juices bring the flavours together, rather than simply trying to surprise.

By day, there’s brunch at a mountain pace.

Evenings offer a more refined dining experience. Both floors speak of quiet, memory and a place that stays with you without demanding attention. Bashtin Dom and Skabrin Resto Bar suit people who want more than an address: an atmosphere, a sense of belonging and a reason to return.

Bashtin Dom / Skabrin House
Bansko, 2 Sts Cyril and Methodius Street
+359 89 988 3882
www.skabrin.house

Skabrin Resto Bar
Bansko, 2 Sts Cyril and Methodius Street
+359 88 714 9595

Space Zone

Space Zone gives its stylish interior a menu with a taste for crossing borders. Different culinary traditions meet here,

with European and Asian influences, sushi, pizza and homely favourites

such as pelmeni and vareniki. The idea is to make the meal an occasion, with combinations that take you a little beyond the ordinary. A brief escape from the day, beginning with the first bite and lasting beyond the last.

Bansko, Gramadeto district, 125 Pirin Street
+359 87 956 1129
www.spacezonebansko.com

Hotel Rila

Some places feel less like somewhere you visit than somewhere you return to. Hotel Rila is one of them. Each winter offers a familiar pleasure in a slightly different form. In 2026, Borovets marks 130 years since its beginnings as Chamkoria in 1896. Right in the centre, beside the slopes and lifts, the hotel is part of the resort’s story. Fully refurbished, with a pronounced Alpine character,

it makes room for a winter break on a generous scale:

active outdoors, comfortable indoors. There’s skiing and snowboarding for adults, with snowy adventures for children. Afterwards, Rila SPA offers Balinese treatments, a thermal area, a large indoor pool and a children’s pool. Evenings have a rhythm of their own: dinner at Samokovi and house cocktails at The Terrace Lounge. Check the current programme for après-ski events.

Borovets
0 750 900 05
www.rilaborovets.com

Festa Winter Palace Hotel

Among the trees and clear air of Borovets, Festa Winter Palace offers an elegant mountain retreat. The five-star hotel combines a classical style with a contemporary wish for balance and quiet. The Festa Hideaway concept extends that idea to people and teams looking for a different rhythm between work and rest, concentration and freedom, activity and downtime. Away from the noise, the mountain setting gives conversations a little more room.

For a personal occasion, the hotel offers an appealing forest setting for a wedding.

Elegant function rooms, an individual approach

and the kitchen’s own style help the day take shape. The aim is a celebration that feels at home in the Rila landscape, with attention to the details.