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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BULGARIA

Geographic location and climate

Bulgaria is situated in Southeastern Europe, in the Eastern part of the Balkan peninsular on a territory of 111 000 sq.km. It borders to the north with Roumania, to the south – with Turkey and Greece, to the west – with Serbia and Montenegro (formerly the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), and to the east – with the Black Sea. The climate is of the moderate continental type with 4 seasons defined. In the southern areas the Mediterranean climate is characterised by a mild winter and a hot summer.

Capital

The capital of the Republic of Bulgaria is the city of Sofia – one of the oldest cities in Europe, founded durng the 8th – 7th century B.C. by the Thracian tribe Serdi. The town is named Sofia after the name of the church “Sveta Sofia” in the 14th century. Nowadays Sofia is the main political, economic, cultural and transport centre, as well as the biggest town in the country with a population of 1 220 000.

Culture, religion and education

The culture in Bulgaria is a mixture of the cultures of the ancient Thracian tribes, the Bulgarians, the Slavs and the influence of the Byzantine and the Ottoman empires. 86 % of the citizens are Christians and 11 % are Muslims.

The official language is Bulgarian. Bulgaria’s literacy rate is 99 %. Education is free and compulsory for children from the ages of 7 to 15 years. Students attend primary school for four years, basic (or middle) school for three years, and secondary school for three to five years depending on the course of study. About 30 % of students continue their education past the secondary level. There are more than 20 higher education institutions in Bulgaria.

Architecture

The chief architectural monuments of Bulgaria are the medieval churches and monasteries. The oldest is the 4th-century church of Saint George in Sofia. South of Sofia in the Rila Mountains is the Rila Monastery founded in the 9th century. An important monument of the 11th century is the Bachkovo Monastery, south of Plovdiv. A major modern structure is the large, ornate Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in Sofia in the early 20th centrury.

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State system

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic with a one-chamber parliament. It is ruled by the Constitution and the laws of the country. The National Assembly (the Parliament) deals with the legislation. It is elected for a period of 4 years and has 240 national representatives (members of parliament). Head of State is the President, elected for a period of 5 years. Mr. Georgi Parvanov was voted President of the Republic in 2001. The supreme executive body is the Council of Ministers, which involves the Prime Minister (at present Mr. Simeon Sakskoburggotski), the deputy minister and ministers. The third power is the judicial power. It protects the rights and the legal interests of the citizens, the juridicial persons and the state.

Electricity

The electrical network works under 220 V.

Money and payments

The currency in Bulgaria is called the Bulgarian lev. One lev equals 100 stotinki. On the virtue of the present Currency Board in Bulgaria one lev equals 0.50 EURO. The emitted paper money has denominations of 1.00, 2.00, 5.00, 10.00, 20.00, 50.00 and 100.00 levs. Money exchange can be done either in the banks or in the change bureaus. The exchange rate is being announced every working day.

Payment with credit cards is not very popular but still you can use MasterCard, Visa, JCB, Diners Club, American Express, Access, Airplus to pay the standard services in the hotels, the restaurants, the shops and the big shopping malls.

Time

The winter time (from October till March) is defined when you add 2 hours to GMT, and the summer time (from April till September) when you add 3 hours to GMT.

Office hours are 9 – 17 Monday to Friday. Banks work with clients from Monday till Friday from 9 a.m. till 15 p.m. Shops’ working time is 9 - 20 during the week and 9 - 12 at weekends.

Transport

Public transport is organized in regular routes. There are buses, trolleybuses, trams and underground in the capital Sofia, buses and trolleybuses in the big cities, and buses in the small towns and villages. Taxi cars are available. You can also rent a car for a certain period of time.

The intercity connections are made by bus, railway and air transport.

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Telecommunication services

Bulgaria has a comparatively well-developed system of stationary telephone systems, the better part of which are analogue. If you would like to have a telephone, you have to submit an application to one of the offices of the Bulgarian Telecommunication Company and pay the respective fee, depending on the type of the order. The speed of the order fulfillment depends on the availability of existing telephones and their capacity. The price of one impulse for city calls is 6 stotinki including VAT. The price of one impulse for intercity calls depends on the zone where you are calling. Almost ¾ of the places in Bulgaria can be dialed automatically. The price of the intercity calls depends on the duration of the call and the zone in which the country you are calling to is located. When you are abroad, the international code for Bulgaria is 00359.

Two GSM operators - Mobiltel and Globul, operate in Bulgaria. Mobiltel covers about 90 % of the country’s territory. The price of one minute of a phone call depends on the tariff, which you have chosen. As a whole, the prices of the telephone devices and the services are higher than the respective prices in the European countries.

Hotels

In Bulgaria you can find a variety of hotels – from luxury five-star hotels to small private hotels. Prices vary depending on the category, the season, the place and the services included in the package. You can make reservations through the tourist agencies, the local tourist offices and the INTERNET.

Restaurants and snack bars

Most of the restaurants and snack bars in Bulgaria are private. They offer Bulgarian and European dishes. The working time is until midnight, although it is usual that they work until the last customer is gone. In the centers of the big cities there are confectionaries, coffee bars and fast food bars.

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Bulgarian people

Bulgarian people are hospitable, cordial and friendly with foreigners. They have a good sense of humour and a warm southern personality. The Bulgarians are well educated, not very religious but are tolerant towards other religions and ethnic groups.

Official holidays

1 January – New Year

3 March – the National Day (Bulgaria’s liberation from Ottoman rule)

1 May – Labour Day

6 May – Bulgarian Army Day

24 May – Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script

6 September – Bulgaria’s Unification

22 September – Independence Day

25-26 December – Christmas

April or May – Easter

Important telephone numbers

Police                     166

Fire emergency        160

Ambulance              150

Road assistance       146

Customs formalities

When you enter Bulgaria you have to present a valid passport at the border. The citizens of the countries in the European Union and of the countries with which Bulgaria has contracted a regime with no visas are not requested to have an entry visa. All the other people need to apply for visa at the Bulgarian Embassy in the respective country abroad.

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