BULGARIA
A land like a palm of your hand with breathtaking nature.
A land with playful rivers running through its veins, where beautiful waterfalls shimmer and white waves kiss the shore of the Black sea.
A land with exciting summers and magical winters.
A land with ancient history. The bearing of the past engraved in the future with colourful traditions embroidered stitch by stitch throughout time.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Bulgaria is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east.
Size: 110 910 km²
Capital: Sofia
Highest peak: Musala (2925m)
State: Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic.
Time zone: Bulgaria is in the Eastern European time zone GMT +2
International code of Bulgaria: +359
CLIMATE
Continental in the interior – cold, damp winters with snow in the higher elevations; hot and humid summers.
Temperate on the coast; mild autumns, cool winters, mild springs and warm and breezy summers.
Average temperatures during the month of September in Bulgaria:
Max. t°: 32°C Min. t°: 15°C
POPULATION
Size: 7 679 290 people
Religions: Orthodox 82.6 %, Muslims 12.2 %, Catholics 0.6 %
Languages: Bulgarian (English is widely spoken, German and French)
CAR RENTAL COMPANIES:
AVIS: +359 52 500 832
BUDGET: +359 2 870 00 00
EUROPCAR: +359 700 18 688
TOP RENT A CAR: +359 700 89 050
SIXT
HERTZ: +359 2 439 0 222
CHOICE RENT A CAR: +359 88778 5665;
MOTOROADS: +359 886 175 206
VEGER: +359 877 269 313; +359 700 16 771
MOBILE SERVICE
Communication operators in Bulgaria are the following:
* Vivacom – stationary and mobile telephone services
* Mtel – stationary and mobile telephone services
* Telenor – stationary and mobile telephone services
VIGNETTE
In Bulgaria you have to pay road tax at the border – vignette. You will get a special sticker that you have to place on your car. There are no tolls on Bulgarian roads.
You can find all the categories and vignette taxes on the web site of ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE AGENCY
EMERGENCY PHONES
EMERGENCY: 112
POLICE: 166
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE: 150
FIRE FIGHTING SERVICE: 160
HOSPITALS
Varna:
Varna District Hospital: +359 52 655911
Sveta Marina University Hospital for active treatment: +359 52 302 851
Burgas
Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment: +359 56 810 547
Life Hospital – Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment: +359 56 87 50 50
Sofia
Institute N.I.Pirogov – Sofia: +359 2 9154411
District Hospital – Sofia: +359 2 9759262
VMA – Sofia: +359 2 9226000
Plovdiv
Plovdiv District Hospital: +359 32 959221
Yambol
MBAL “ST PANTELEIMON”: +359 046 661530
CURRENCY | BANKS | CARDS
CURRENCY: Bulgarian lev / BGN
Banks are open from Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 17:00. Almost all of them have got an ATM.
CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club
TRAFFIC REGULATIONS
Speed limit in towns: 50km/h
Speed limit extra urban roads: 90km/h
Speed limit highway roads: 140km/h
It is forbidden to drive after alcohol consummation.
Seat belts are mandatory for each seat in the vehicle. Motorcycles’ driver and passengers have to wear homologated helmets.
PETROL STATIONS
All types of fuel available in Europe are available in Bulgaria. The station network is particularly dense and consists of well-known chains such as OMV, Shell, LUK OIL, PETRO, EKO, etc.
Smaller independent petrol stations are easy to find as well. In all stations except in very small villages credit cards are accepted. Only in the big chain gas stations paying with an EC-Card is possible.
OTHERS:
WATER:
The tap water is safe to drink
VACCINATIONS:
No vaccinations are required
POWER: 220 V (volts)
INTERESTING FACTS
The location of Bulgaria has made it a historical crossroad for various civilisations and as such it is the home of some of the earliest metalworking, religious and other cultural artifacts in the world.
Bulgaria is one of the oldest European countries.
It used to be land of the Thracians, and a particular hero called Spartacus was born there.
Bulgaria is home to the highest point of the Balkan peninsula, Musala, at 2,925 metres (9,596 ft) and its lowest point is sea level. Plains occupy about one-third of the territory, while plateaus and hills occupy 41 percent. The range consists of around 30 portions called mountains.
The inventor of the first electronic computer, Professor John Vincent Atanassoff of the Lowa State University, had Bulgarian origins.
Bulgarian yogurt has a unique taste because the bacteria used to make it, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, is only found naturally in Bulgarian air. (Other countries import it, though, so that they can make their own yogurt.)
The world’s oldest gold treasure, dating back more than 6,000 years, was discovered in Bulgaria.