Bansko Old Town & Mehanas
Стар град Банско
A National Revival-era old quarter of stone walls and wooden doors, lined with traditional mehana taverns serving grilled meats, clay-pot stews and Pirin sausage.
Bansko's old town preserves many stone fortress-style houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, known for their high walls, thick wooden doors and narrow flagstone lanes, built because merchants needed protection from bandits. Many of the old houses have since been turned into traditional 'mehana' taverns. In winter they burn fireplaces and serve Bansko kapama (clay-pot meat stew), banski starets (Pirin sausage), cheeses and local red wine, often with live folk music. The old town is small enough to explore on foot, linking the Holy Trinity Church, the Velyanova House and the various house museums. In August the town hosts the Bansko International Jazz Festival.
Opening hours
Open all day; pubs mostly open late into the night
Nearby sights
- Neofit Rilski House Museum
- Bansko School of Icon Painting Museum
- Velyanova House
- Holy Trinity Church
- Nikola Vaptsarov House Museum
- Septemvri–Dobrinishte Narrow-Gauge Railway
- Bansko Ski Resort
- Dobrinishte