The Bansko ski pass price depends on the pass type and age band, and the ski area publishes current prices on its official price page. One lift pass covers the whole area, reached by the gondola from town. Season passes add a fast lane at the gondola and mountain insurance, and several age bands need documents.
How the Bansko lift pass works
The gondola rises from Bansko and serves all the runs, so it is the lift that links town with the rest of the network. On the ski area's figures it is 6,233 m long, climbs 601 m and carries 2,000 people an hour.
A Bansko lift pass opens the gondola and the chairlifts and drag lifts it connects to. The seasonal pass is valid during the ski area's working hours through the winter season. For day and multi-day passes, check the official price page for the current rules before you buy.
To skip the morning shuttle, look at the hotels near the gondola.
Pass types and age bands
The ski area sells passes in these bands, and every band other than adults needs paperwork:
- Adults.
- Students with a valid, certified student ID.
- High school students aged 12 up to their 19th birthday, with an age document.
- Children aged 7 up to their 12th birthday.
- Kids under 7.
- Pensioners under 75 with their official pension document.
- Pensioners aged 75 and over with an age document.
The two youngest bands come with conditions. Kids and children passes can only be bought and used with an accompanying adult and an age document. One adult can accompany up to two kids under 7, and a kid's pass cannot run longer than that adult's own pass.
If you study outside Bulgaria, ask at the ticket counter whether your card counts as a certified student ID.
Season and year-round passes
Two longer passes are available:
- Seasonal pass: valid during working hours for the winter season.
- Year-round pass: also covers summer when the lifts run, and is sold only to Bansko Loyalty Club members.
Both give you a fast access corridor at the gondola in winter, and both include mountain insurance. For 2026-2027 they sell at early-purchase prices from 1 October to 1 December 2026. Prices are set in euro, including VAT, and the official price page carries the current figures.
What passes cost
So far the ski area has priced one product for 2026-2027: seasonal and year-round passes bought at the early-purchase rate between 1 October and 1 December 2026.
| Pass type | Adult | Student, pupil 12 to 18 or pensioner under 75 | Child 7 to 11 | Under 7, or 75 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal pass, early purchase | 870 EUR | 820 EUR | 460 EUR | 55 EUR |
| Year-round pass, early purchase (Loyalty Club members) | 870 EUR | 820 EUR | 460 EUR | 55 EUR |
Day and multi-day prices for 2026-2027 are not out yet; the new list usually appears in December. Until then, last season's 2025-2026 list is the only official reference. It priced a preferential adult day pass at 33.23 EUR on 14 December 2025, when only early snow was open, and an adult return trip on the gondola at 27.10 EUR. The full high-season day price was not on that list, so check it locally once the new figures are published.
Hire, lessons and the Junior school, also from last season's list:
- Adult ski set (skis, poles and boots): 19 EUR for one day, 94 EUR for six days.
- Snowboard with boots: 27 EUR for one day, 129 EUR for six days.
- Child ski set: 14 EUR for one day, 59 EUR for six days.
- Adult group lessons: 56 EUR for one day, 252 EUR for six days.
- Private lessons, one adult: 185 EUR for one day, 725 EUR for six days.
- Junior ski school, ages 4 to 7: 54 EUR for one day, 231 EUR for six days, with lunch, kit and the gondola included.
Lift passes cost 10% less when you rent a full kit from Ulen, and 15% less when you add an instructor to the kit.
Prices checked October 2026.
Lifts and runs the pass covers
The ski area lists this lift network:
- Gondola from Bansko, serving all runs.
- Six-seat chairlifts: Kolarski and Todorka.
- Four-seat chairlifts: Mosta, Banderitsa 1 and 2, Shiligarnik, Chalin Valog and Plato.
- Two-seat chairlift: Tsarna Mogila, currently listed as closed.
- Drag lifts: Stara Kotva, Detska Kotva and Vlek Chalin, plus a baby area with a carpet and three drags.
Named runs include Kolarski, Banderitsa, Plato 1 and 2, Balkaniada, Shiligarnik 1 and 2, Todorka, Stara Pista, Ulen, Tomba, Strazhite, Tsarna Mogila and Chalin Valog 1 and 2, with ski roads 1 and 2 leading back towards town. For difficulty grades and lengths, pick up the piste map on arrival or ask the ski school.
Season dates and lift hours
The 2026-2027 winter season runs from 1 December 2026 to 11 April 2027 inclusive. Daily lift hours:
- Gondola: 08:30 to 17:00.
- Ski lifts: 08:45 to 16:15.
- Banderitsa lift: last ride 16:15.
- Plato lift: last ride 16:00.
Plan your last runs around the Plato lift, which has the earliest last ride.
Where to buy and what to bring
During the early-purchase window, season and year-round passes for 2026-2027 are sold at:
- MAXSPORT stores in Sofia and Bansko.
- The Ulen AD ticket counters at the gondola bottom station, open daily from 8:00 to 17:00.
Bansko is about 150 km from Sofia, the closest airport, so a stop at a Sofia store can fit in before you head south; the Sofia Airport to Bansko guide covers the journey. For day passes, start with the official price page and ask at the gondola ticket counters.
Bring the right document for each person's band, and the accompanying adult for any kids or children passes. The Premier resort says its ski concierge can arrange passes and rental; elsewhere, ask the hotel whether it sells passes.
Ski rental, school and loyalty club
Ulen AD, which runs the gondola ticket counters, also runs the Ulen Ski School. It offers individual and group lessons in skiing and snowboarding, a Junior ski school and cross-country skiing. Elite Ski School is listed as well. For ski and boot hire, ask the hotel or check locally when you arrive.
The Bansko Loyalty Club recognises repeat season pass holders:
- Silver: after seasonal passes in two consecutive seasons.
- Gold: after four.
- Platinum: after six.
Every level gets a fast track at the gondola, and member benefits at shops, restaurants and gondola parking grow with each level.
Top-category hotels and the gondola
The four hotels in this guide hold the top official category. For a pass holder, the difference that matters is how each one gets you to the gondola.
| Hotel | Official category | Board | Gondola access, in the hotel's words | Pools and wellness | Page | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko | 5-star | BB | ski-in/ski-out, opposite the gondola | spa, indoor and outdoor pools, kids outdoor pool, snow room, kids club | View hotel | Check availability |
| Premier Luxury Mountain Resort | 5-star | BB, HB | close to the Bansko gondola, with passes and rental via the concierge | spa and wellness, heated indoor pool all year, heated outdoor pool in season, children's pool | View hotel | Check availability |
| Regnum Bansko Ski Hotel & SPA | 5-star | BB, HB | winter shuttle to the gondola | indoor and outdoor pools, outdoor children's pool, seasonal aquapark, wellness centre | View hotel | Check availability |
| Grand Hotel Bansko | 5-star | AI | Not published | Not published | View hotel | Check availability |
Not published by the hotel
For a wider choice, compare all Bansko hotels or the full list of ski hotels, and plan the rest of the trip with the Bansko ski holiday guide.
Questions
How much is a Bansko ski pass?
870 EUR for an adult seasonal pass bought between 1 October and 1 December 2026, with mountain insurance included. Students, pupils and pensioners under 75 pay 820 EUR, children aged 7 to 11 pay 460 EUR, and kids under 7 or skiers aged 75 and over pay 55 EUR. Day pass prices for 2026-2027 usually appear in December.
When does the 2026-2027 season open?
On 1 December 2026. The ski area gives the winter season as 1 December 2026 to 11 April 2027 inclusive, with the gondola running from 08:30 to 17:00 and the ski lifts from 08:45 to 16:15. Conditions can move things, so check the official pages shortly before you travel.
Does the season pass include insurance?
Yes. Both the seasonal pass and the year-round pass include mountain insurance, and both add a fast access corridor at the gondola in winter. Read the official price page for what the cover includes, and keep your own travel insurance for anything beyond it, such as flights or lost equipment.
Can children ski on their own pass?
Yes, but not unaccompanied. Kids under 7 and children aged 7 to 11 have their own pass bands, yet those passes can only be bought and used with an accompanying adult and an age document. Each adult can take up to two kids under 7, and their passes cannot outlast the adult's.
What is the Bansko Loyalty Club?
It is the ski area's scheme for repeat season pass holders. Seasonal passes in two consecutive seasons earn a Silver card, four earn Gold and six earn Platinum. Every level gets a fast track at the gondola, member benefits grow with each level, and only members can buy the year-round pass.
