Information About Bulgaria

Bulgaria has become very popular over recent years, for its cheap cost of living, inexpensive property, and its mediterranean climate and beautiful golden beaches along the Black Sea coast, to its stunning mountain views with popular ski resorts inland.

Most restaurants don't accept debit/credit cards so it is advisable to have cash with you
Haggling is no longer appropriate at many outlets in the Black Sea coast
Some cheaper restaurants charge a small fee for the use of their toilet, even if you are a customer
Nodding your head means 'no' and shaking it means 'yes' in Bulgaria
It is appropriate to leave around a 10% tip after a meal
Bulgaria is 2 hours ahead of the UK and 1 hour ahead of Western Europe

The northern part of the country has a continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers, while the south-west and the Black Sea coast in the east has more of a mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters.
On average the cities of Bourgas and Varna on the Black Sea coast have 2300 hours of sunshine annually.
This shows an up to date forecast of Bourgas.

Bulgarian cuisine tends to be dominated by meat, and a standard meal would consist of meat served with potatoes and a portion of vegetables. Yoghurt is also eaten daily by most Bulgarians and accompanies almost every dish.
You'll find nowadays however that the west are well catered for with pizza & pasta etc on most restaurant menus. This is particularly true in the Black Sea coast where tourists can find full English breakfasts and Sunday roasts chalked onto blackboards everywhere ! Although this areas main cuisine highlight is fish. You will have a large choice of seafood in the coastal restaurants which will be fresh from the sea that day.
The local wine has a high reputation abroad with its fantastic value and very high quality, in particular for its reds, however the long mild winters on the Black Sea coast are favourable conditions for producing white wine, and over half of the countrys whites come from this area.

The Bulgarian currency is the lev, or leva in the plural, which is subdivided into 100 stortinki.
Cash is still the most popular method of payment in the majority of outlets, but there are plenty of ATMs about and most accept foreign cards, although there is usually a daily limit and a small charge.
You can buy travellers cheques from most large banks, although commission charges vary between each bank. You may also be charged a commission to cash your cheques and the exchange rate can be much worse than the market rate.
The currency converter below may be of use to you.

There are four international airports in Bulgaria, however Bourgas and Varna cater for visitors to the Black Sea coast.
We provide airport runs, & shopping/sightseeing trips. Prices can be viewed and bookings made via the 'Book Transport' link on the left of this page, however if you prefer to hire a car there is a hire car help desk at both airports or you can pre-book via the internet.
You can fly to Bulgaria out of most large UK airports. Here are a few websites you may find useful.

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