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 motorways, 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.

Accommodation

Bulgaria boasts an extensive accommodation network ranging from luxury five-star to unpretentious two-star hotels, small cosy hotels and private rooms, meeting all modern requirements. Reservations through tourist agencies or local accommodation offices.

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 cafйs 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.