Where is the Best Hot Springs in Bansko?
September 26, 2023
Are you a traveler, digital nomad, or world schooler looking for a luxurious, open air, hot springs thermal pool with hot tubs to relax, rejuvenate, add healing Vitamin D naturally via sun, after a day of hiking ( or skiing) the beautiful Unesco Pirin mountains in Bansko?
We love healing water & have visited many like Esalen in Big Sur , Harper Hot Springs ,soaked in the same thermal waters as Cleopatra & Julius Caesar while in Turkey , an ancient organic hammam in Morocco, the Roman Baths in Pont du Gard ,the thermal waters near Spain's Costa Blanca, Dallas, Arab baths in Malaga, Orlando, Key West, Santa Fe !! and more!
Don't miss our Instagram view below!
Regnum Thermal Hot Springs
BANSKO
This is our second Schengen Shuffle, digital nomad summer in Bansko as it is one of the cheapest, best weather, walkable, beautiful, least crowded, great internet speed locations in Europe. We prefer arriving after the Bansko Digital Nomad fest to avoid the crowds. All the thermal mineral pools and hot tubs are in nearby ( 9 minutes by taxi) rural Banya ( which literally means bath) and all the locals and some digital nomads told us that luxurious Regnum was the best one by far.
This summer we spent all day every Wednesday swimming and soaking in the healing waters & being offline in nature. Long ago when I did a 6 month camping trip from Boston to San Francisco, we met some locals that showed us (via horse) some natural hot springs near Big Bend National Park & after wards we swam in the cold Rio Grande. That was so much fun that I think that's when I got hooked. Have you found any good soaking spots on your travels?
Watch this little 4 second Youtube short that captures the fun of the pool bar with hubby designer rocking with a pina colada on our last day!
Hot Springs Thermal Pool Bar https://t.co/plT6EMS1ZG via @YouTube
— soultravelers3 🟧 (@soultravelers3) September 21, 2023
We would arrive at 9:30 or 10am when it opened and least crowded so we could swim laps first and would have it all to ourselves. One of the great things about Regnum Thermal is that there are 5 different pools. Two of them are great for swimming laps, the largest being cold and the smaller one a little warmer. There is also a bubbly hot tub with hydromassage jets. My favorite pool is a small but very hot one that goes up to 40c/104F degrees! There is also a shallow children pool with a slide.
The viking in me loves the healing mixing of cold and hot ( that we now know is great for longevity! We were both early swimmers and Gar was actually a world class swimmer with tons of medals as he was discovered at 5 to have a natural butterfly dolphin kick. He raced all through his childhood and lettered in 9th grade swimming in high school. We all love swimming and being in nature and I still enjoy his beautiful swimming form!
The sun shifts as the day goes on the weather was perfect our whole stay. Hotter than last summer, but cooler than most of Europe with the climate change sizzling high temps this summer. People from all over Bulgaria come to this area just to enjoy the mountains, nature and all the thermal pools.We loved it as couple travel retreat, but it is also great for families.
We would spend all day to get our monies worth and relax deeply. Full day use of the mineral water pools is 35BGN ( €17) for adults and 10BGN ( €5) for children.There is also a discount after 4pm for those who want to come later. In the summer, from 4pm to 8pm, it’s 20BGN per adult and 5BGN per child. Since we used a driver or taxi, we always did a fast grocery stop at Billa on the way home.
At this spa there are also steam, sauna and massage treatments which can be done for additional price.We
did not do them, but I imagine they are lovely as even the indoor and outdoor changing rooms are high quality.
There is a fun pool bar and small café/restaurant that serves food and drinks during the day. We did splurge on our last day with pina coladas at the pool bar which was a blast. Also we splurged a few times on ordering food and eating it at our loungers and especially loved the yummy pizza.( Oddly Bulgarians add mayonnaise and ketchup to their pizza, so we passed on that). Since health was our main focus we mostly just brought our own water and healthy lunch.
Bulgaria is one of the countries in the world with the most natural hot springs. Why not take advantage of that? The luxurious location surrounded by nature, trees, mountain and blue skies just invites relaxation.
There is always lovely international music playing so that adds to the enjoyment and kind of puts one in a happy relax trance. One can dance in the water too for a bit of fun exercise. It is funny because they often played songs that our daughter Heavenly regularly sings on Twitch so it was a bit like having her with us. Also funny that they regularly played "California Dreaming" which is ironic as we were one of the very few foreigners there and more than likely the only Californians.
Banya is called the "mineral paradise of Bulgaria" as it has over 75 hot springs and has been popular since Roman times for healing. The healing mineral waters are rich in magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, sodium, sulfate, hydrogen phosphate, cabonate and bicarbonate.
All of the days were sunny or with a few puffy clouds. Just cloud watching like my friend Dr. Letty Flohr recommends added to our healing and relaxation.
Doing fun and creative things together as a couple enriches every marriage. After years of parenting as our focus, we are doing things like this to reinvent ourselves as a couple and individual. After over 30 years of marriage slow travel, adventures and taking time to enjoy the years we have left helps us heal ourselves and transform us after the empty nest phase.
One can actually plug in there, but we left the laptops at home and did not bother to use our phone. I loved always seeing the horses in the nearby fields. There was also a lot of grass at this resort so I would do some grounding/earthing while there.
Right next to this spa is the ancient Murtina bath which is believed to have been built sometime in the 17th century. You can see it in some of the pictures like this one. Due to all the hot springs, Banya is one of the oldest settlements in the area. It's an ancient Thracian settlement from the 5th century. This bath is typical of the Ottoman public baths during that time in the Balkans, built in the period 15-20 century. It was used regularly into the 1950's and was fully restored in 2012.
So relaxing and bathing in healing thermal waters has a long history in this area. We enjoyed these day immensely, mostly just relaxing under our umbrella and enjoying nature. Plus swimming and soaking.
Love this quote by Anne Lamott that says it all:
"You can change the world with a hot bath, if you sink into it from a place of knowing that you are worth profound care, even when you are dirty and rattled. Who knew?"
Pool Bar Dancing fun! Nomad life travel hot tub! https://t.co/vitmqEFbre via @YouTube
— soultravelers3 🟧 (@soultravelers3) September 26, 2023
Are you a traveler, digital nomad, or world schooler looking for a luxurious, open air, hot springs thermal pool with hot tubs to relax, rejuvenate, add healing Vitamin D naturally via sun, after a day of hiking ( or skiing) the beautiful Unesco Pirin mountains in Bansko?
We love healing water & have visited many like Esalen in Big Sur , Harper Hot Springs ,soaked in the same thermal waters as Cleopatra & Julius Caesar while in Turkey , an ancient organic hammam in Morocco, the Roman Baths in Pont du Gard ,the thermal waters near Spain's Costa Blanca, Dallas, Arab baths in Malaga, Orlando, Key West, Santa Fe !! and more!
Don't miss our Instagram view below!
Regnum Thermal Hot Springs
BANSKO
This is our second Schengen Shuffle, digital nomad summer in Bansko as it is one of the cheapest, best weather, walkable, beautiful, least crowded, great internet speed locations in Europe. We prefer arriving after the Bansko Digital Nomad fest to avoid the crowds. All the thermal mineral pools and hot tubs are in nearby ( 9 minutes by taxi) rural Banya ( which literally means bath) and all the locals and some digital nomads told us that luxurious Regnum was the best one by far.
This summer we spent all day every Wednesday swimming and soaking in the healing waters & being offline in nature. Long ago when I did a 6 month camping trip from Boston to San Francisco, we met some locals that showed us (via horse) some natural hot springs near Big Bend National Park & after wards we swam in the cold Rio Grande. That was so much fun that I think that's when I got hooked. Have you found any good soaking spots on your travels?
Watch this little 4 second Youtube short that captures the fun of the pool bar with hubby designer rocking with a pina colada on our last day!
Hot Springs Thermal Pool Bar https://t.co/plT6EMS1ZG via @YouTube
— soultravelers3 🟧 (@soultravelers3) September 21, 2023
We would arrive at 9:30 or 10am when it opened and least crowded so we could swim laps first and would have it all to ourselves. One of the great things about Regnum Thermal is that there are 5 different pools. Two of them are great for swimming laps, the largest being cold and the smaller one a little warmer. There is also a bubbly hot tub with hydromassage jets. My favorite pool is a small but very hot one that goes up to 40c/104F degrees! There is also a shallow children pool with a slide.
The viking in me loves the healing mixing of cold and hot ( that we now know is great for longevity! We were both early swimmers and Gar was actually a world class swimmer with tons of medals as he was discovered at 5 to have a natural butterfly dolphin kick. He raced all through his childhood and lettered in 9th grade swimming in high school. We all love swimming and being in nature and I still enjoy his beautiful swimming form!
The sun shifts as the day goes on the weather was perfect our whole stay. Hotter than last summer, but cooler than most of Europe with the climate change sizzling high temps this summer. People from all over Bulgaria come to this area just to enjoy the mountains, nature and all the thermal pools.We loved it as couple travel retreat, but it is also great for families.
We would spend all day to get our monies worth and relax deeply. Full day use of the mineral water pools is 35BGN ( €17) for adults and 10BGN ( €5) for children.There is also a discount after 4pm for those who want to come later. In the summer, from 4pm to 8pm, it’s 20BGN per adult and 5BGN per child. Since we used a driver or taxi, we always did a fast grocery stop at Billa on the way home.
At this spa there are also steam, sauna and massage treatments which can be done for additional price.We
did not do them, but I imagine they are lovely as even the indoor and outdoor changing rooms are high quality.
There is a fun pool bar and small café/restaurant that serves food and drinks during the day. We did splurge on our last day with pina coladas at the pool bar which was a blast. Also we splurged a few times on ordering food and eating it at our loungers and especially loved the yummy pizza.( Oddly Bulgarians add mayonnaise and ketchup to their pizza, so we passed on that). Since health was our main focus we mostly just brought our own water and healthy lunch.
Bulgaria is one of the countries in the world with the most natural hot springs. Why not take advantage of that? The luxurious location surrounded by nature, trees, mountain and blue skies just invites relaxation.
There is always lovely international music playing so that adds to the enjoyment and kind of puts one in a happy relax trance. One can dance in the water too for a bit of fun exercise. It is funny because they often played songs that our daughter Heavenly regularly sings on Twitch so it was a bit like having her with us. Also funny that they regularly played "California Dreaming" which is ironic as we were one of the very few foreigners there and more than likely the only Californians.
Banya is called the "mineral paradise of Bulgaria" as it has over 75 hot springs and has been popular since Roman times for healing. The healing mineral waters are rich in magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, sodium, sulfate, hydrogen phosphate, cabonate and bicarbonate.
All of the days were sunny or with a few puffy clouds. Just cloud watching like my friend Dr. Letty Flohr recommends added to our healing and relaxation.
Doing fun and creative things together as a couple enriches every marriage. After years of parenting as our focus, we are doing things like this to reinvent ourselves as a couple and individual. After over 30 years of marriage slow travel, adventures and taking time to enjoy the years we have left helps us heal ourselves and transform us after the empty nest phase.
One can actually plug in there, but we left the laptops at home and did not bother to use our phone. I loved always seeing the horses in the nearby fields. There was also a lot of grass at this resort so I would do some grounding/earthing while there.
Right next to this spa is the ancient Murtina bath which is believed to have been built sometime in the 17th century. You can see it in some of the pictures like this one. Due to all the hot springs, Banya is one of the oldest settlements in the area. It's an ancient Thracian settlement from the 5th century. This bath is typical of the Ottoman public baths during that time in the Balkans, built in the period 15-20 century. It was used regularly into the 1950's and was fully restored in 2012.
So relaxing and bathing in healing thermal waters has a long history in this area. We enjoyed these day immensely, mostly just relaxing under our umbrella and enjoying nature. Plus swimming and soaking.
Love this quote by Anne Lamott that says it all:
"You can change the world with a hot bath, if you sink into it from a place of knowing that you are worth profound care, even when you are dirty and rattled. Who knew?"
Pool Bar Dancing fun! Nomad life travel hot tub! https://t.co/vitmqEFbre via @YouTube
— soultravelers3 🟧 (@soultravelers3) September 26, 2023
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Bankso Hot Springs sounds a pretty cool place to visit in the summer or in ski season. I had not realised it was such a popular place for nomads, I feel I know need to pay a visit!
Posted by: Angela Price | September 27, 2023 at 10:38 AM
Definitely want to explore more of Bulgaria in the future, so thanks for sharing your experience in Bansko hot springs.
Posted by: Kitti | September 27, 2023 at 11:02 AM
Thanks Angela! Bansko is a great spot for digital nomads in all seasons, but we like it best in summer. LOTS of co working places and super cheap. Perfect for Schengen shuffle. Lots of world school families do it in winter too for the skiing. Hot tubs are just a bonus! :)
Posted by: Jeanne Dee | September 27, 2023 at 11:06 AM
Bulgaria is worth the visit Kitti! Honestly I likely would have missed this if it were not for doing the "schengen shuffle" as I wanted to stay in Europe, but we have loved our summers in Bansko!
Posted by: jeanne dee | September 27, 2023 at 11:12 AM
I've never been to Bulgaria but it definitely looks like it's worth a visit!
Posted by: Melissa | September 27, 2023 at 12:18 PM
One of my favourite things in the world is to visit a hot spring after skiing. Sometimes, I have to make do with a hot tub, but like you, I much prefer to therapeutic qualities of a natural hot spring. Bankso sounds wonderful!
Posted by: Jane Frith | September 27, 2023 at 01:30 PM
Yes, Mellisa, Bulgaria is def worth a visit. I think Bansko is the best, cheapest, coolest place to be in Europe in summer and the cheapest ski area in Europe. It also fits your sustainability interests and a wonderful place to hike. I think of it as cheap Switzerland. :)
Posted by: Jeanne Dee | September 28, 2023 at 12:51 AM
We seem to have a lot in common Jane! I think you would love Bansko for skiing and thermal pools and there are lots of Brits there ( we rented our apartment from a British couple). Since we both like van life, I hope we run into each other in real life one of these days!
Posted by: Jeanne Dee | September 28, 2023 at 01:15 AM
Those views look incredible!
Posted by: Monica | September 28, 2023 at 04:16 PM
Thanks Monica! And yes, the views are really spectacular in Bansko and these Unesco mountains. So many wonderful hikes in the pristine mountains, forests and lakes. See some of my other posts on this topic & I will be writing more as too many people miss this bargain gem!
Posted by: Jeanne Dee | September 30, 2023 at 04:28 AM