Alpine Studio — Central Bansko

A 38 m² studio on the second floor of a stone-and-timber building in the old town. It is not large, and we would not pretend otherwise — but it is finished properly, it is warm, and it is in the part of Bansko people actually want to walk around in the evening.

Why this one

The old town is a five-minute walk from the mehanas and about twelve minutes from the Gondola. That trade-off — slightly further from the lift, considerably nicer surroundings — is the right one for most buyers who intend to use the place themselves rather than purely rent it out.

Maintenance charges are €340 a year, which is low for Bansko and reflects a building with no pool and no reception to pay for. For a buy-to-let, that number matters more than the headline price.

The honest assessment

It sleeps two. A sofa bed would technically make it three, and we would advise against selling it that way — a studio with three adults in it is a bad review waiting to happen.

Summer occupancy in the old town holds up better than in the ski-side blocks, which is the main argument for buying here rather than fifty metres from the lift.