Bulgaria’s temperate climate makes it easy to catch good weather. Spring (Apr.-May) is pleasant and has a bevy of festivals and events. Summer (June-Sept.) is not too hot, making it perfect for hiking and beachgoing—expect crowds on the Black Sea Coast and at campgrounds. Skiing is best from December until April.
Embassies And Consulates. Foreign embassies are in Sofia . Bulgarian embassies abroad include: Australia, 33 Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, Canberra, ACT 2600 (☎62 86 97 11; www.bulgaria.org.au); Canada, 325 Stewart St., Ottawa, ON, K1N 6K5 (☎613-789-3215; www.bgembassy.ca); Ireland, 22 Burlington Rd., Dublin 4 (☎16 60 32 93; www.bulgaria.bg/europe/dublin); UK, 186-188 Queensgate, London, SW7 5HL (☎20 75 84 94 00; www.bulgaria.embassy-uk.co.uk); US, 1621 22nd St., NW, Washington, D.C., 20008 (☎202-387-0174; www.bulgaria-embassy.org).
Visa And Entry Information. Citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days within a six- month period. In all cases, however, passports are required and must be valid for six months beyond the date of entry; proof of medical insurance for the duration of the stay is also required. Travelers should consult the Bulgarian embassy in their country of origin to apply for a long-term visa. For US citizens, a single-entry visa costs US$90 ($180 with priority processing), a multiple-entry visa costs US$145; both entail an additional US$25 processing fee. Visas must be obtained before arrival; it is not possible to apply for an extended visa within Bulgaria. If staying in a private residence, register your visa with police within 48hr. of entering Bulgaria. Hotels and hostels will do this for you. Keep the registration with your passport and make sure you re-register every time you change accommodation. A Bulgarian border crossing can take several hours. The border crossing into Turkey is particularly difficult. Try to enter from Romania at Ruse or Durankulac.
Tourist Offices. Tourist offices and local travel agencies—when found—are knowledgeable and helpful with reserving private rooms. The most common foreign languages spoken by staff are English, German, and Russian. In smaller cities, tourist agencies are either privately owned or nonexistent. Hotels offer a good alternative; they often have English-speaking receptionists and maps.
Money. The Bulgarian unit of currency is the lev ( lv ), plural leva. One lev is equal to 100 stotinki (singular stontinka ), with standard denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 stotinki in coins and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100lv in notes. US dollars and euro are sometimes accepted. The government struggles to control inflation, which has increased in recent years to around 7.8%. Private banks and exchange bureaus change money, but bank rates are more reliable. It is illegal to exchange currency on the street. Traveler’s checks can only be cashed at banks. As identity theft rings sometimes target ATMs, travelers should use machines located inside banks and check for tampering. Credit cards are rarely accepted, especially in the countryside. Beware officially sanctioned overcharging; some museums and theaters will charge foreigners double or more.
While basic medical supplies are available in Bulgarian hospitals, specialized treatment is not. Emergency care is better in Sofia than in the rest of the country, but it’s best to avoid hospitals entirely. Although travelers are required to carry proof of insurance, most doctors expect cash payment. In case of extreme emergency, air evacuation costs about US$50,000. There is typically a night-duty pharmacy in larger towns. Tampons are widely available, and foreign brands of condoms ( prezervatifs ) are safer than local ones. Public bathrooms (“ Ж ” for women, “ М ”for men) are often holes in the ground; pack toilet paper and hand sanitizer and expect to pay 0.05-0.20lv. Don’t buy bottles of alcohol from street vendors, and be careful with homemade liquor. Keep an eye out for petty street crime, especially pickpocketing and purse snatching. Also be wary of people posing as government officials. Ask them to show ID and, if necessary, to escort you to a police station. Before buying drinks for strangers, always ask to see a menu to verify the price and then clarify exactly what you want. The price might otherwise prove astronomical; some travelers report that bartenders will use force to assure payment of bills as high as several thousand dollars. Taxi drivers often attempt to overcharge unsuspecting tourists.Be sure to take only marked taxis and ensure that the meter is on for the entire ride. It’s generally safe for women to travel alone, but it’s always safer to have at least one travel companion. Women should wear skirts and blouses to avoid unwanted attention, as Bulgarian women tend to dress quite formally. Darker-skinned travelers may be mistaken for Roma (gypsies), the target of Bulgarian racial discrimination. While hate crimes are rare, those of foreign ethnicities may receive stares. Acceptance of homosexuality is slow in coming; it is prudent to avoid public displays of affection. For more info about gay and lesbian clubs and resources, check out www.bulgayria.com.
By Plane. International flights mainly fly to Sofia Airport (SOF, www.sofia-airport.bg, ☎937 2211) All flights to Sofia from outside Europe connect through Western European cities. Though tickets to the capital may run over US$1500 during the summer months, budget airline Wizz Air (☎029 603 888; www.wizzair.com) offers cheap flights from London, Paris, and Frankfurt through Budapest, HUN . Travelers might also fly into a nearby hub—Athens, Bucharest, or Istanbul—and take a bus to Sofia.
By Train. Bulgarian trains run internationally to Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey and are the best form of transportation in the north. Rila is the main international company; find international timetables at www.bdz-rila.com. Eurail is not accepted in Bulgaria. The train system is comprehensive but slow, crowded, and smoke-filled. Purse-slashing and theft have been reported. There are three types of trains: ekspres (express), burz (fast), and putnicheski (slow). Avoid putnicheski —they stop at anything that looks inhabited, even if only by goats. Arrive well ahead if you want a seat. Station markings are irregular and typically only in Cyrillic; know when you’re reaching your destination, bring a map, and ask for help. Purva klasa (first class) is identical to vtora (second), and not worth the extra money.
By Bus. Buses are better for travel in eastern and western Bulgaria and are often faster than trains, though they vary in both frequency and comfort. Buses head north from Ruse, to Istanbul, TUR from anywhere on the Black Sea Coast, and from Blagoevgrad to Greece. For long distances and excellent comfort however, Group Travel and Etap offer A/C and bathrooms (www.etapgroup.com). Biomet buses (www.biomet.bg) serve different routes with the same excellent comfort. Some have set departure times, while others leave when full.
By Ferry, By Taxi, And By Car. Ferries from Varna make trips to Istanbul, TUR and Odessa, UKR. Yellow taxis are everywhere in cities. Refuse to pay in dollars and insist on a ride sus apparata (with meter); ask the distance and price per kilometer. Don’t try to bargain. Some taxi drivers rig the meters to charge more. Tipping taxi drivers usually means rounding up to the nearest lev or half-lev. Some Black Sea towns can only be reached by car . Renting is cheapest from a local agency, which will charge less than the €15-60 that larger companies do. Driving in Bulgaria is quite dangerous. A road system in disrepair, aggressive driving habits, and a high number of old-model cars contribute to a high fatality rate. Rocks and landslides pose a threat in mountainous areas. Those driving should be aware that a police officer cannot enforce fines on the spot, but may only issue tickets.
By Bike And By Thumb. Motoroads (www.motoroads.com) offer motorcycle tours, and travel agencies can arrange bike tours . Stay alert when bicycling in cities, as Bulgarian drivers disregard traffic signals. Hitchhiking is rare in Bulgaria, but is almost always free. Let’s Go does not recommend hitchhiking.
Telephone. Making international telephone calls from Bulgaria can be a challenge. Pay phones are ludicrously expensive; opt for phone offices instead. If you must make an international call from a pay phone, purchase the 400 unit card (22lv). Units run out quickly on international calls, so talk fast or have multiple cards ready. There are two brands: BulFon (orange) and Mobika (blue), and work only at telephones of the same brand; BulFon is more prevalent. To call collect, dial ☎01 23 for an international operator. The Bulgarian phrase for collect call is obazhdane na smetka na abonata . For local calls , pay phones do not accept coins, so it’s best to buy a phone card. You can also call from the post office, where a clerk assigns you a booth, a meter records your bill, and you pay when finished. International access codes include: AT&T Direct (☎800 0010); British Telecom Payphones (☎00 800 00 44); Canada Direct (☎800 1359; service not available from payphones); MCI (☎00 800 0001); and Sprint (☎00 800 1010).
Mail. “ Свъздушна поща ” on letters indicates airmail . Though it is far more reliable than ground transport, it is sometimes difficult to convince postal workers to let you pay extra to have letters sent airmail. Sending a letter or postcard abroad costs 1.40lv; a Bulgarian return address is required. Packages must be unwrapped for inspection. Mail can be received general delivery through Poste Restante , though the service is unreliable. Address envelope as follows: first name, LAST NAME, POSTE RESTANTE, пиcмf дj пjиcквfнt цtнтhfлнf пjof, post office address (optional), city, Postal Code, Бългfhия (Bulgaria).
Language. Bulgarian is a South Slavic language written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Though a few words are borrowed from Turkish and Greek, most are similar to Russian and its relatives. English is most commonly spoken by young people in cities and tourist areas. Russian is often understood and is spoken by virtually everyone over the age of 35. The Bulgarian alphabet is much the same as Russian (see Cyrillic Alphabet), except that “щ” is pronounced “sht” and “ъ” is “x” (like the “u” in bug).
Bulgarian hotels are classed on a star system and licensed by the Government Committee on Tourism ; rooms in one-star hotels are nearly identical to rooms in two- and three-star hotels, but have no private baths. All accommodations provide linens and towels. Expect to pay US$25-35. Beware that foreigners are often charged double of what locals pay. Hostels can be found in most major cities and run US$10-18 per bed. For a complete list of hostels in Bulgaria, see www.hostels.com/en/bg.html. Private rooms , which can be found in any small town, are cheap (US$6-12) and usually have all the amenities of a good hotel. Outside major towns, most campgrounds provide spartan bungalows and tent space. Call ahead in summer to reserve bungalows.
Kiosks sell kebabcheta (sausage burgers), sandwiches, pizzas, and banitsa sus sirene (feta-cheese-filled pastries). Kavarma , meat with onions, spices, and egg is slightly more expensive than skara (grills). Vegetarians should request jadene bez meso (JA-de-ne bez meh-SO) for meals without meat. Kosher diners would be wise to order vegetarian, as pork often works itself into main dishes. Bulgaria is known for its cheese and yogurt. Ayran (yogurt with water and ice) and boza (similar to beer, but sweet and thicker) are popular drinks that complement breakfast. Melnik produces famous red wine, while the northeast is known for its excellent whites. On the Black Sea Coast, Albenu is a good sparkling wine. Bulgarians begin meals with rakiya (grape or plum brandy). Good Bulgarian beers include Kamenitza and Zagorka . The drinking age is 18.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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