# Pamporovo

Pamporovo (Пампорово) is a ski and mountain resort in the Western Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria, not far from Smolyan. Established in the 1930s, it's one of the most famous ski resorts in the country and hosts international winter sports competitions.

## Understand

Pamporovo is scattered on the northern side of a mountain ridge called Bukova Planina ("Beech Mountain"), under the highest peak of the ridge, the 1,925-metre (6,316 ft) Snezhanka (Снежанка, 'zh' is pronounced like the S in leisure, pleasure). On the southern side of the ridge is Ezerovo, a suburb of Smolyan. The closest sizable settlements are the town of Chepelare to the north, and the province centre Smolyan to the south - both about 8–10 km (5.0–6.2 mi) "as the crow flies", but longer on the winding mountain roads.

## Get in

Pamporovo is about 2 hours away from Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second biggest city. Access to the resort town is gained through a series of windy mountainous roads.

## Get around

Pamporovo is relatively small and many places of interest are within walking distance of one another. Mini buses and coaches are organised during the winter by the surrounding hotels to get to and from the ski centre. They usually operate several times in the morning and evening. Buses to the town centre from the ski centre are also available throughout the afternoon. There are a substantial amount of taxis in the town for getting around at night.

## See

The view from the ski slopes on Snezhanka is spectacular. The tower on top of the mountain stands another 110 m providing an even better view. On clear days you can see as far as the Greek coast.

## Do

Skiing is Pamporovo's main attraction. During the skiing season the ski centre and slopes at Snezhanka are open from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.
Snowmobiles are available for supervised use at night on the mountain when the snow fall is adequate.
An authentic Bulgarian folk feast is served in a nearby restaurant. Lamb is spit roasted and served while traditional Bulgarian music is played accompanied by traditional dance.

## Buy

The town has a small supermarket located in the centre. There are also various shops all centred in the same area. Jewelers, souvenir and clothing shops are to name a few.
Pamporovo has several shops specifically catering for ski gear and ski related paraphernalia.

## Eat

The town has enough restaurants with decent quality food so that you won't go hungry.
There are numerous cafés and places to eat on the mountain slopes itself so it's easy to find food for lunch or a snack when skiing.

## Drink

The water in Pamporovo is quite pure. It flows down from glacial ice in the surrounding mountain range. If you're not used to the water it may cause an upset stomach, due to the mineral content.

## Sleep

Hotels seem to be the only place available for sleeping. The town has enough hotels of different status for anyone looking for a place to stay.If you want to rent an apartment there are plenty to choose from and are available all year round.
* $^{[deadlink]}$ Hotel Finlandia, ☏ +359 30 218 367. 4-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Hotel Orlovetz, ☏ +359 30 959 000. 5-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Hotel Pamporovo, ☏ +359 89 336 5829. 5-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Malina Village, ☏ +359 88 813 7007. 3-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Murgavets Grand Hotel, ☏ +359 30 958 190. 4-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Orpheus Hotel, ☏ +359 87 912 1445. (updated Feb 2016)
* Perelik Hotel, ☏ +359 30 958 511. 4-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Prespa Hotel, ☏ +359 88 540 4606. 2-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)
* Snezhanka Hotel, ☏ +359 2 878 0101. (updated Feb 2016)
* $^{[deadlink]}$ Stream Resort, Dunevski Livadi Area, ☏ +359 2 965 1229. 3-star hotel (updated Feb 2016)