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Capital: Sofia (1.2 mil. Inhabitants)
Official language: Bulgarian, alphabet – Cyrillic
Religion: Orthodox (85%), Muslim (8%), others (7%)
Time zone: GMT (London) + 2 hours, East-European time (Germany) + 1 hour
Entrance to the country:
Most of the foreign citizens entering Bulgaria don’t need visa but they must carry their valid international passport. The list of the countries which citizens need visa, when entering Bulgaria, can be found at www.mfe.government.bg
Climate:
Continental to Mediterranean in the South parts of the country. Average temperatures during January vary from -2 to 2 degrees centigrade in the valleys to – 10 degrees centigrade in the mountains. Average temperatures for June vary from 19-25 degrees centigrade in the valleys to 10 degrees centigrade in the high mountains. Rainfalls are 450-600 mm in the valleys to 1300 mm in the mountains.
Local time
Winter time - GMT + 02:00 hours
Summer time - GMT + 03:00 hours
Daylight saving time - from last Sunday of March to last Sunday of October
Weekend - Saturday, Sunday
Transportation: Roads:
37.3 thousand km.; railways - 6.5 thousand km. (65 % electrical).
Sea ports – Varan and Burgas.
Danube ports – Russe, Lom , Vidin, Silistra etc.
International airports – Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas and Varna.
Public Holidays:
1 January - New Year
3 March - Liberation Day
1 May - Labour Day
Late April/May - Easter
6 May - St. George's Day (Day of Bulgarian Army)
24 May - National Culture Day
6 September - the Union Day
22 September - the Independence Day
1 November - Day of National Revivals
24 December - Christmas Eve
25 December - Christmas
26 December - 1st day of Christmas
Electricity
220 Volt; 50 Hertz - Western-style appliances need adapters for the country's twin-prong plugs, as well as voltage converters (for US applicances only).
Roads:
Right hand drive. Speed limits:
- residential areas - 50 km/h
- country roads - 90 km/h
- motorways - 120 km/h Medical Service:
Free first aid and consultation in emergencies
Post offices and telecommunication:
Working time of post offices is from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Postage stamps and postcards may be bought from the desks in the post office or from pavilions selling newspapers.
There are a lot of internet-cafes from which you may talk cheap or send e-mails (most of them work 24 hours).
Local and international telephone services are covered through automatic street telephones operating with tokens and calling cards.
Shopping hours:
Offices - Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm
Banks - Mon-Fri 9am-3pm
Shops - Mon-Fri 9am-7pm; half-day Saturday. But more of the shops stay open until 8pm on weekdays and 5pm on Saturdays.
Taxi service:
Taxi cabs in the country are yellow, signaled with the respective identification. Taxi-cabs can be found at the taxi ranks in towns and resorts, or can be ordered by phone.
They operate at daytime and nighttime rates – from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (daytime) and from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (nighttime).
Public Transport:
There is an extensive public transport network of busses and in some towns – trolley busses. Sofia also has a subway.
Bus tickets cost 0,50 BGN, 5 tickets used by 1 person can be bought for 2 BGN.
Tickets are sold in kiosks at the bus stations and must be perforated on boarding the vehicle.
Bulgaria has a good railway network connecting even very small villages with big cities and you can get almost anywhere by train.
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 both on ATMs and for payment of all standard services in hotels, restaurants, night clubs, shops, car rentals, plane tickets, etc.
Insurance:
Appropriate insurance is strongly recommended when you travel abroad. Usually the insurance is included in the tour package you purchase. Foreign tourists may also enter Bulgaria with insurance policies from foreign insurance companies.
Custom’s formalities and limitations:
Upon crossing the state border of the Republic of Bulgaria passengers may import and export duty free commodities that in type, quantities, and value are not of a commercial nature and personal belongings.
Common custom declarations and restrictions are applied for import and export of currency, food, alcohol and goods. There is a special custom regime for antiquarian objects, historic and cultural treasures, medicines, narcotics, weapons, ammunitions.
D.D. Travel Bulgaria Fax: 972-57-7970788 We are open Monday-Friday from 9:30 - 18:30 (Bulgaria time).
