Pamporovo

Pamporovo sits at about sixteen hundred metres in the central Rhodopes below the Snezhanka peak, in spruce forest rather than above the treeline, and it is the gentlest of the three main Bulgarian resorts: the runs are mostly wide and moderate, which suits beginners and families, and it markets itself on the number of sunny days, which is genuinely higher than in Rila or Pirin. The Snezhanka television tower on the summit has a viewing platform reached by a walk or by lift, giving a view across the Rhodopes and, on exceptional days, toward the Aegean. In summer the area is used for walking and mountain biking, and the surrounding villages are the reason many people come.

What you actually see

• Spruce forest runs - skiing below the treeline rather than above it.
• The Snezhanka tower - a viewing platform on the summit above the resort.
• The sunniest Bulgarian ski area - the claim the resort is built on.
• Summer walking and biking - the warm-season use of the same slopes.

When to go

December to April for skiing, June to September for walking. A weekend or a week. The season here is shorter than in the higher resorts and snow is less reliable at this altitude.

Honest expectations

The altitude is lower than Bansko or Borovets and snow cover is less reliable, with heavy reliance on snowmaking. Runs are limited for strong skiers. The resort is a hotel cluster with no village. Lifts are dated in places.

Nearby

Smolyan is south; Shiroka Laka and Gela lie west.