|
Location
Bulgaria is situated in Southeast Europe and occupies the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula.
To the north it borders on Romania, to the west on the Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to the east on the Black Sea, to the south on Greece and to the southeast on Turkey's European part.
Area: 111.000 sq km.
Relief
Extremely varied: large plains and lowlands, low and high mountains, valleys and lovely gorges.
Climate
Temperate continental with clearly marked four seasons.
A Mediterranean influence is felt in the country's southern regions.
The average annual temperature is 10.5°C.
The average January temperature is around O°C.
Average summer temperatures rarely exceed 30°C.
Population
8,428,006
Language
Bulgarian.
English, German, French and Russian is spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.
Alphabet
Cyrillic. Signs along international motorway's, in airports and resorts are also spelled in Roman letters.
Religion
86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous
and headed by a Patriarch.
State government
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic.
Official holidays
January 1 - New Year
March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule - the National Day
Easter - one week after the Catholic Easter
May 1 - Labour Day
May 6 - Bulgarian Army Day
May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script
September 6 - Bulgaria's Unification
September 22 - Independance Day
December 25-26 - Christmas
Capital
Sofia (pop. 1,141,000)
Large Cities
Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Turnovo
Useful Information
Time Difference
Winter time: GMT +2 hours (October through March).
Summer time: GMT +3 hours (April through September)
Voltage
220 V only
Monetary Units
lev. Banknote denominations include 1,00, 2,00, 5,00, 10,00, 20,00 and 50,00 leva, as well as coins of
smaller denominations.
Working Hours
offices - 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (Monday to Friday)
banks - 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. (Monday to Friday)
shops - 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 pm. (Monday to Friday, Saturday until noon)
Important Telephone Numbers
Police - 166
Ambulance - 150
Road assistance - 146
Transport
public transport
- in big cities: trams, trolley-buses, buses
- elsewhere: buses
- inter-city transport: plane, train, coach
taxi
rent-a-car: AVIS, Hertz, Intertel, Europcar, Budget and International Car Rental in Sofia, the country's big cities
and resorts
Medical Service
Free first aid and consultation in emergencies
Currency Exchange
In banks and 24-hour change bureaux. The exchange rate is announced every day.
Credit Cards
Visa, MasterCard, JCB, Diners Club, American Express, Access, Airplus.
They can be used for the payment of all standard services in hotels, restaurants, night clubs, shops, car rentals,
plane tickets, etc.
Passports and Visas
You will need a valid passport with an entry or transit visa which is issued by the embassies and consulates of the
Republic of Bulgaria abroad.
No entry visas are required for citizens of the countries with which Bulgaria has a visa-free regime, or
of organized tourists who have bought a package tour.
No entry visas are required for citizens of the EU and EFTA member states.
No visas are required for CIS citizens for a stay of one month, provided they are in the possession of a valid
passport, a voucher for pre-paid tourist services or if they pay the sum of 40 USD for each day of their stay
in the country.
Meals
Troughout Bulgaria you will find catering establishments of different categories serving different foods:renowned
luxury restaurants, taverns which serve national cuisine, restaurants serving foreign cuisine, fast food outlets,
pizzerias, numerous cafés and pastry shops, entertainment spots, etc.
Menus are usually printed in both Bulgarian and English. Restaurants stay open from 11a.m. to midnight,
but may work round the clock.
| 
EUR: 1.95583