Why a lesser-known European city with cheap booze has been named a trending travel destination for 2025

A LESSER-KNOWN metropolis successful Bulgaria has been named a trending destination for 2025 by Lonely Planet.

Earlier this week, question elephantine Lonely Planet named the 10 champion cities to sojourn next twelvemonth arsenic portion of its Best successful Travel 2025 series.

While nary successful the UK made the cut, determination were a fig from Europe that did feature, including Bansko successful Bulgaria.

Located astatine the ft of the Pirin Mountains successful southwestern Bulgaria, Bansko is renowned for its stunning earthy landscapes.

Ellie Sugareva, who is the Team Manager for Bulgaria astatine Crystal Ski Holidays, wasn't amazed to spot Bansko arsenic a trending destination.

Talking exclusively to the Sun Newspaper, she said: "Bansko has the quality of an aged accepted Bulgarian municipality successful the foothills of Pirin mountains.

"It’s a lawsuit of caller meets aged with cobbled lanes and terracotta roofs successful the UNESCO-protected centre, which is surrounded by streets lined with bars, clubs and restaurants.

"Even though it’s Bulgaria’s biggest skis area, it has a batch to connection beyond the slopes excessively including; museums for those who privation to pat into the section culture, restaurants offering accepted meals arsenic good arsenic modern cafes and themed restaurants successful the caller portion of town.

"Other activities specified arsenic Bankso’s outdoor ice-skating rink (the largest successful Bulgaria) are the cleanable outing for groups and families.

Bulgarian-born Pav Todorova, 28, primitively from Plovdiv, visited connected schoolhouse trips and holidays with her family.

She added: "As a Bulgarian, Bansko has a existent Balkan vibe that holidaymakers won't get from popular skis destinations successful occidental Europe.

"You've got delicious food, music, inexpensive booze and plentifulness of spas."

But it's not conscionable Ellie and Pav who are already standing Bansko arsenic a vacation destination, celebs similar Gary Dourdan from American TV amusement CSI person been spotted connected vacation successful the Bulgarian city.

The inexpensive prices successful Bansko are different gully for visitors, with Ellie adding: "Bansko offers large worth for money – expenditure connected food and drink volition spell a batch further here, making it an charismatic prime to budget-conscious travellers, including families and beginner skiers."

Food and portion successful Bansko is inexpensive too, with a repast astatine an inexpensive edifice costing £8 per person.

Pints of brew are said to outgo conscionable implicit £2, with a vessel of wine coming successful astatine £5.

Home to conscionable 12,000 residents, the city's compact size is different draw.

Ellie added: "Bansko is besides much compact compared to astir large edifice names successful France, Italy, Austria, and with its well-known hospitality presence, the town’s affable residents are utilized to welcoming tourists."

Those holidaymakers who privation to spell to Bansko for its skiing and snowboarding should sojourn the metropolis betwixt December and March due to the fact that it gets reliable snow cover.

The skis edifice has a bully premix of levels, with 8 bluish runs, eleven reddish runs and 2 achromatic runs.

Other winter activities see ATV safaris done the Pirin Mountains, a snowshoeing travel implicit the Rhodope scope and sledding.

Away from the snowsports, determination are plentifulness of different things to bash successful Bansko passim the remainder of the year.

The city's aged municipality is simply a maze of cobbled streets and accepted chromatic buildings, with the Holy Trinity Church and its towering doorbell operation being a highlight.

There are a mates of museums similar Velyanov House.

Set wrong a accepted Bulgarian chromatic building, the location is decorated with paintings and carved woody ceilings.

Other buildings successful Bansko's aged municipality person been turned into mehanas, old-style taverns that service traditional Bulgarian food and wine.

Local people musicians besides execute wrong the mehanas.

Order section delicacies like Chomlek (beef stew), Kapama (a sauerkraut dish) bob Chorba (bean soup) and Sirene po Shopski (baked tomatoes, food and eggs).

Bansko is simply a 2 and a fractional hr thrust from Sofia, the Bulgarian superior - and Brits tin alert determination with Wizz Air and Ryanair with instrumentality fares costing £30.

The section connection successful Bansko is Bulgarian though radical whitethorn talk English astatine the formation resorts.

Bulgaria is presently 3 hours up of the UK and the section currency is the Bulgaria lev with £10 getting astir 22 lev.

Brits tin enactment successful Bulgaria for up to 90 days without a visa but your passport must person astatine slightest 3 months near aft the time you program to leave.

Earlier this year, Pav besides revealed the little-known beaches holidaymakers should visit instead of heading to Sunny Beach.

One of those places is Veleka Beach successful Sinemorets, which is simply a tiny portion of onshore betwixt the 2 bodies of water.