Pamporovo

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The five-star Hotel Pamporovo and the new church in the resort

Pamporovo (Bulgarian: Пампорово) is a popular mountain resort in southern Bulgaria, one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe. It is set amongst magnificent pine forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding, but is also a popular tourist place in summer. The center of Pamporovo comprises a number of excellent hotels and bars. It is also one of the most southernly skiing resorts in Europe.

The resort is set in the southern Rhodope Mountains at an altitude of 1620 meters above sea level. The highest peak in the area, Mount Snezhanka (1928 m), is several hundred meters higher than the resort. Pamporovo is around 260 km away from Sofia, 85 km south of Plovdiv, 15 km north of Smolyan, and 10 km south of Chepelare.

The resort boasts 25 km excellent ski-runs and 38 km cross-country skiing tracks served by 18 lifts with a total capacity of 8 500 persons per hour. All ski runs are safe guarded and maintained in a very good condition. Four snow-leveling machines and 6 snow cannons guarantee skiers comfortable and enjoyable downhil rides. More than 100 highly qualified ski instructors fluent in different languages are here to teach both beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders.

The winters in Pamporovo tend to be mild, but have around 150 days of snowfall each year. This combination allows for a long skiing season at the resort. Pamporovo is known for its high number of sunny days during the winter, often topping 120 days from December to May. The average January temperature is 3 degrees Celsius (or 37.4 F).