Will There Be Longer Waits At The Border?

EU’s New EES System Launches This November

Starting sometime next month (November 2024), the EU will introduce its EES (Entry & Exit) system. For individuals who don’t hold a passport, residency card or long-term visa from an EU country, fingerprints and photographs will be taken on their first entry and exit into/leaving the EU.

Rumour has it that the process “…shouldn’t take too long…” (ok then 🙄) and will work similarly to that of other countries. Have you been to Thailand? It’ll probably be something similar to that. So, be prepared to wait a little longer for all those travellers who haven’t heard about the new system and haven’t got a clue about what’s happening.

• EES is a preliminary system to ETIAS being introduced in 2025 (similar to the USA’s ESTA)

• Applies to all third-country passport holders (unless exempt)

• It covers all external borders of the EU

• Holders of an EU residency card/permit are exempt (more info)

Want to read more? The IATA website (where most airlines receive guidance about entry restrictions) has an information page. More info.

Inside the BNB Group

✍️ 59 New Posts, 💬 311 Comments, 👍️ 1,164 Reactions

Where is The Best Place For Breakfast in Bansko?
Ion wants to know where people think the best place is for breakfast. A few people had suggestions.

Familia Tavern Opens With New Owners
The current owners of Pizza Verona near the square (Ivan and Angel) have opened the Familia Tavern across from 4Directions. It’ll be interesting to see how things go.

Are The Gondola Queue Wait Times Really That Bad?
Jason has booked his first ski trip to Bansko in February half-term. He knows it’ll be busy but wonders whether the queues take up to 2 hours to get on the gondola.

Going Solo in Bansko
Holly posted that she’s booked a skiing holiday to Bansko in February 2025 but is a little nervous and wants some tips on finding friends and people to ski/socialise with while she’s in Bansko.

Local/Municipality News

Bansko Mayor Wants To Boost Summer Tourism
Stoycho Banenski, the mayor of Bansko, has spoken about his goal of increasing the number of tourists to Bansko in the summer months, referencing climate change as a key factor. He also mentioned the frequent power outages during winter due to overcapacity in the town and requested more police resources for this winter. More info. [translation required].

Ulen’s Thoughts & Preparations For The Ski Season
With last week’s announcement of over a 13% increase in early bird season passes for the gondola, we’re bringing you a story with Ivan Obreykov, Ulen’s marketing director since 2003. He talks about the upcoming season, the challenges attracting tourists (lower prices might help matey), working with the local municipality, and problems hiring staff. More info. [translation required]

World Walking Day Attracts Over 400 People
Organised by the Bulgarian Sports for All Federation and Bansko Municipality, it involved all the schools in Bansko and some local sports clubs who walked to Rolbana, enjoying the fresh mountain air and local nature. More info.

Salt & Pepper Has New Owners
The Chef’s House restaurant on Neryden Gerov Street ((formerly Salt & Pepper and near Smokey Mountain) will open under new owners this coming winter season. There’s no information about the type of food they will offer or the exact date they’ll open, but as soon as Kristian and the team have finalised everything, I’ll let you know.

Supporting Local Charities

Three local charities do great work in Bansko and surrounding areas. Let’s support them: click/tap on their name below to donate.

Mountain Rescue Service
Made up mostly of volunteers, they’ll respond to a call 24/7, hiking to rescue someone no matter what the conditions.

Sunflower
They continuously support the four safety homes in Bansko, the dementia home in Mesta, and the Sdravetz Centre for people with special needs.

Bansko Street Dogs
Helping street dogs in Bansko and the surrounding areas through emergency care, neutering, flea & tick treatment, and kennels/feeding stations to keep streeties warm, dry and well-nourished.

Events Next Week

As we continue through the off-season, official event offerings will become fewer, so I’ll be including some local, regular events put on by local people & businesses in Bansko, as well as interesting events a little further away.

I Hear Your Sad Voice Concert (Razlog)
In celebration of Razlog’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, there will be a concert in the central square at 6pm on Thursday the 10th of October. If you’re interested in traditional, local music and other acts, this is for you.

Sunday Walking Meetup Raising Funds For Charity
Most Sundays from 11am at the main Gondola, Carole and friends meet up for a walk to raise funds for Bansko Street Dogs. Carole asks people to contribute 5 BGN, which is donated to BSD. This is a great way to meet new people and see some parts of the trails/forests in Bansko that you might not have discovered.

Sukhishvili National Ballet of Georgia Comes To Blagoevgrad
On Saturday 30th of November at 8pm, the Sukhishvili ballet team (from the country of Georgia) will perform in Blagoevgrad. I hear they are very good and their performances are amazing. They will also perform in Sofia around the same time and those seats are almost sold out. Read more about the ballet team here and purchase tickets here.

Weather Forecast

The forecast looks like it will be warmer next weekend. It’s a great time to go hiking in Bansko! If you want some routes and tips, see the Bansko Hiking group here.
Meteo Blue here offers the best forecast for Bansko.

Before You Go…

The weekly newsletter will always be dispatched from the Beehive to reach your email inbox by 9pm a Sunday (Bansko time). We’ve changed a technical element in the sending of emails, so some providers (like Yahoo or Hotmail) may pop the Buzz email into your spam folder. 🤷 So it’s best to check in there if you don’t see it after 9pm on a Sunday.

—
Nick
Publisher, Bansko Buzz