Uli Kuenzel
My home base is Dresden, Germany. I am a Requirements Engineer and Pre-Sales Consultant in IT, mainly building web portals for the corporate world. Remote Gazette is a project I do out of passion after work and whenever I find somebody who has a story to tell about his/her workation 😉
www.remotegazette.com
Outline
Bansko has become one of the not-so-secret-anymore spots in Europe to do workation and/or nomading. Even though it is small by size you will find all kinds of international folks coming into town and ending up staying longer than initially planned.
Preparation
Bulgaria is an EU-Non-Schengen-Country. That means, that in order to go to Bulgaria, you don’t need to comply with any special visa requirements. As an EU-citizen just grab a passport and go.
Unless you want to go to Bansko in the middle of January when all the ski slopes are open and people are queuing at the Gondola every day, the situation regarding accommodation is still pretty relaxed so you don’t need to book your room far in advance. You may even arrive and check while you are in Bansko which arrangement suits you best.
Story
Given that you are looking for a place to work from and at the same time want to enjoy a close, but not intrusive community, take advantage of the plentiful options to spend your free time outdoors, and enjoy incredibly low costs of living: Yes, check out Bansko.
Location
Bansko? If you haven’t heard of it, yes: It exists, it is a tiny resort town in the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, reaching as high as 2.914 meters at Vihren peak.
That means you can ski in the winter and hike in the summer. What is basically one of the main reasons I chose to go to Bansko. There are not so many destinations within reach where you can enjoy good company of likeminded people from all over the world, live for a fraction of the cost that you pay in Western European countries and find a paradise for hiking just in front of your door. And we’re talking about serious hikes, with all the wilderness and nature you may think of. There is a surprisingly well-maintained network of trails and numerous huts that offer overnight stays during the summer. To get an overview, I can recommend to download these two apps:
- BG Huts for accommodation in a mountain HUT
- NP Pirin for the trails through the mountains, incl. GPS tracking
If you don’t mind to be 3 days in the wilderness you may even consider crossing Pirin Mountain range from Bansko all the way to Melnik.
For relaxation after a hike enjoy the hearty and tasty Bulgarian food in one of the many Mexhanas, and don’t miss the hot springs in the neighboring town Banya!
Bansko has undergone huge development in recent years. While there was not much infrastructure until the early 2000s, skiing opportunities and resorts have developed along with each other at a steady pace.
Digital Nomadism in Bansko has started around 5-6 years ago, with the opening of the first coworking space in town – Coworking Bansko. Since then it has become more and more popular to go to Bansko among nomads.
There is even an annual nomad fest now in town that is getting bigger and bigger every year. And eventually, digital nomads have paved the way to make Bansko a destination for workationers as well.
Traveling
I flew into Sofia Airport and went with the Metro to the Central Bus Station. From there, I took a regular Bus Connection to Bansko, which took about 3 hours. Alternatively, you can use a private / semi-private transfer (prices vary according to demand – if you are the only one who needs a ride the price is obviously higher).
Check out these websites to book your transfer:
Accommodation
Accommodation is easy to find in Bansko during the summer season. Apparently, it gets packed when the winter season starts and ski lifts operate. (That’s what locals say)
Here are a few helpful links to Coliving Spaces and local search sites that could be a good first step to finding your place:
Work
Bansko is home to a growing number of Co-Working Spaces since it has become an incredibly popular destination among Digital Nomads recently. The most established ones are:
I chose to book a month’s membership with Altspace and can say it was the perfect decision for me. The friendliness and openness of their community, the design of their two Co-Working locations, and the spirit created by the owners Becky and Mark made it just as I needed it to be productive and social at the same time.
Community
In Bansko, you can find a great load of interesting, sympathetic people to hang out with. It’s a small town, so after a few weeks, everybody knows everybody. However, to make it easier for you, here are a few must-check-outs for your bucket list while you are in Bansko:
- Bansko Lab
- Bansko Pub Quiz
- All the activities promoted in the numerous Facebook Groups around hiking, socializing and nomad-specific questions and discussions
Conclusion
Bansko is a must-do place in Europe for anyone who fancies location-independent models of living and working. While the scene has been dominated by nomads nowadays more and more people who rather fancy going on a workation choose Bansko for a few weeks. Nature, community, cultural opportunities, and costs of living stand in a very favorable ratio.
Helpful Links
- If you want to see what’s going on officially: Visit Bansko
- If you want to go to Greece for a beach day in the summer: Friends Travel Bansko
- If you want to go to the hot springs: Regnum Banya
- If you want to hit the bars: Bansko Bar Crawl (not all-year-round, though)