Wait... are prices rising already?

In this week’s Buzz:

• Are there any urgent care places open 24 hours in Bansko?

• Update: Bulgarian residents with non-EU driving licenses

• Household waste collection fee calculation changes

• Razlog-born mountaineer hikes the 8th largest peak

• Nick’s take on the Great Bansko Bake-off

• Bansko Day celebrations from tomorrow

With the Euro switch looming in January, many hikes seem baked in ahead of time.

There have been numerous media stories recently about restrictions in place to combat unfair price rises in Bulgaria as the country transitions from the Lev to the Euro in January next year.

That’s all nice and lovely, but if you look at prices across the board for lots of things in Bulgaria (and particularly Bansko), it feels as though the price increases have already been “baked in”.

Let’s take one example. A bus to/from Sofia was 20 BGN up until the price increased to 23-25 BGN depending on the route & bus company. They’re a business; their costs go up, it’s understandable. But the price in euros is €11.76 (23 BGN). What would be considered a fair amount, and what will the market accept? €13? €15? or as much as €20?

Other items I’ve looked at in supermarkets have gone up and down depending on what they were: coffee seemed to triple in price and then come down a little recently, but didn’t exactly go back to “normal” levels.

And then it’s on to the winter season, and the prices rise in Bansko. They could be anyone’s guess, and it will be a challenge to compare prices if restaurants’ and bars’ supplier prices have gone up significantly (how would consumers know?). But then tourists should be able to weather that storm.

Why am I even bothered? Some people in Bulgaria live on Bulgarian wages, which are historically lower than those in other Western countries.

From October, I’ll be tracking the prices of up to 15 everyday supermarket basket items every month at three different places in Bansko (as well as on eBag as a barometer), from milk to butter to bread, so that we can track if food products do actually increase after the Euro is introduced and by how much.

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Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 78 New Posts, 💬 231 Comments, 👍️ 587 Reactions

I’m Not Receiving Postal Mail and I’m Confused
Yorgos has been experiencing trouble receiving his new Wise card in Bansko and would like to know if anyone can help him understand the issue.

Is There a 24-hour Urgent Care Service in Bansko?
Peter wants to know if there’s somewhere he can go (a hospital or a clinic) that’s open 24 hours and can treat people if needed. See where people suggested.

Are There Any English-Speaking Driving Instructors Locally?
Becky is on a mission to find a local driving instructor for her daughter, who will soon be learning to drive. See who people suggested.

Facebook Community Chats Are Moving
If you’re in the Bansko Notice Board group, you may have noticed that Facebook has decided to remove all chat groups and move them to Messenger. To join the new Messenger chat group, use this link.

Anyone Make These Types of Doors in Bansko?
Georgi is searching for a maker of a specific type of door for an apartment. See what the door looks like and where people suggested.

Local/Municipality News

Update: Driving License Rule Changes in Bulgaria
It appears that news sites and even government websites misled me last week by referring to third-country license restrictions as only applying to Bulgarian citizens (even in Cyrillic). The legislation doesn’t say that. It refers to habitual residence and extends the period of allowance from “up to 3 months” to “up to 1 year” from the first issue of a residency card to get an EU driving license. I’ll have to double-check the previous amendments, but I think it’s been over two years since the 3 months rule has been in place. Read more. [see parts in red].

A Change in Household Waste Collection Fees/Taxes
The local municipality has made some changes to the way fees/taxes are calculated and charged for household waste collection, now based on occupancy and frequency of collection instead of property value. This could have some impact on individuals (or companies) who own property in Bansko. Read more.

Bansko Municipality Celebrates Bulgarian Independence Day in Dobrinishte
The local municipality celebrated Bulgarian Independence Day on September 22nd in the town of Dobrinishte with music, dancing and breaking bread. Read more here and here.

Mountaineer from Razlog Conquers 8th Tallest Peak in the World
Georgi Kolevichin, a mountaineer from Razlog, hiked and reached the summit of Manaslu Peak, the eighth-tallest peak in the world, located in Nepal at 8,163 metres. He managed to wave the Bulgarian flag and snap a photo at the peak for people back home before heading down to base camp. Read more.

Work, Belong and Thrive at Altspace Coworking

Our community bridges the gap between the Bansko community and working online at a coworking space, bringing people together by challenging each other on Side Hustle Day, enjoying dinner together in a local restaurant, painting & wine, or chilling and talking about everything and nothing at Friday Beers.

If you want to join a community and coworking space that offers the right work-life balance, then book a trial day with Altspace Coworking. It’ll be one of the best decisions you’ll make.

👉️ Read More About Our Community & Spaces

Events Next Week

Bansko Runclub(ish)
Bansko Runclub(ish) will meet at 6.30pm at Altspace Coworking on Gotse Delchev Street on Tuesday (30th). If you enjoy running, they usually have a moderately paced 5km run around Bansko.

Beyond Words Exhibition
From Friday (3rd) to Tuesday (7th), a poetry paintings exhibition by Mey Chudea & Mariana Ivanova called Beyond Words will take place at the Tourist Information Center. The timings are unclear, but I’d expect it to be accessible during working hours (10am to 4pm). This is the final exhibition of the summer 2025 event calendar.

Bansko Street Dogs’ Saturday Sale
Support the local Bansko Street Dogs charity by attending their Saturday Sale. What’s on offer? Clothes, homewares, books, furniture, plants, outdoor gear (bikes, tents, etc.) – all pre-loved and in great condition. On Saturday, from 10am to 2pm near Moderator (location).

Bansko Day Celebrations
Next Sunday (October 5th), the town celebrates Bansko Day: a celebration of 113 years of the town being liberated. Events start tomorrow (Monday 29th) and continue throughout the week (various timings & locations). More info.

The Great Bansko Bake-off

Earlier today, I visited Altspace to judge their third bake-off competition. It’s kinda like the Great British Bake-off with Prue and Paul, but it’s usually myself and James from the Avalon. Today, though, it was just me as James was unavailable.

There were 13 entries, some of which looked absolutely amazing. You didn’t have to be an Altspace member to enter, and it was enjoyable (although, as I’m writing this, I can still feel my head buzzing from all the sugar: some of them were jam-packed with sweet, sugary butteriness that I love).

There were traditional Victoria sponge-type cakes, cookies, flapjacks, pumpkin-style pies, and focaccia bread (which was really tasty). I usually don’t like anything matcha (it’s one of those things where I’m like… no, don’t want it), so I was pleasantly surprised when I was writing down 4/5 for taste and flavour for that cake.

But it was tough when I managed to estbalish the top three: I needed to choose a winner. There was an autumn (pumpkin) pie, a barry lemon cake, and chocolate & coconut flapjacks. The autumn pie had a monstrous depth of flavour, the barry lemon cake had the right balance of lemon punch without being overly sweet, and the flapjacks tasted like they were made store-bought: they looked too precise, had a great flavour balance, and packed that moreishness that you want from a flapjack. The result? The autumn pie and barry lemon cake tied joint second, and the flapjack came first.

Well done to everyone who took part. It’s great to be part of the diverse Bansko community, where people come together and share their passion for various things. The rumour is that the next competition is close to Christmas, so I’ll be ready with a hungry belly 😁

Photo of the Week

Meet Enya. Cute, isn’t she? She’s a young puppy that Bansko Street Dogs is looking after. She had Parvo recently (can be deadly for puppies), but is now much better.
Read about her story here.

Follow @banskobuzz on Instagram.

It's always great to hear when someone buys me a coffee, tags the Buzz on social media, or replies to one of these emails to share their thoughts. I just wanted to say that I appreciate each and every one of you.

Until next week, when there’s going to be an announcement…

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