The Best of BULGARIA

Here is our collection of the must go and must see sights in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is unique country in the Southeastern part of Europe. Its unequalled nature has always attracted many tourists from all over the world. The long history of the country has left remarkable cultural heritage to be shared with you.

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Unity Makes Strenght

Official Language

The official language is Bulgarian. In the main cities English is widely spoken. Russian is also spoken by the majority of the population.

Alphabet

Bulgaria is the mother country of cyrillic alphabet.

Flag

The Bulgarian national symbol is a tricolour flag - white, green and red horizontal strips. It was first used in 1861 by the First Bulgaria Legion during the April uprising. By virtue of the first Bulgarian constitution (Turnovo Constitution) the tricolor flag was adopted as the national flag of Bulgaria in 1879.

Borders

To the east Bulgaria borders the Black sea, to the south - Greece and Turkey, to the west - Serbia and Macedonia and to the north - Romania. The length of Bulgarian borders is 2245km. 1181km of them are land, 686km river and 378km sea. Since 2007 Bulgaria has been part of the European Union and the its northern and southern borders (with Greece only) have lost their political and geo-strategic importance.

History

Bulgaria is a country with more than 1300 years of history.

The First Bulgarian Empire was founded by kan Asparuh in 681A.D. (632/681-1018). At that time Bulgaria played a key role in the spread of Christianity, literature and culture among the peoples of Eastern Europe. The borders of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 - 1396/1422) reach three seas as a result of far-sighted government of the Bulgarian tzars. In 1396 Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and remained part of it for five centuries. The Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878 led to the creation of the Third Bulgarian State. On 22 September 1908 Bulgaria won its independence from the Ottoman Empire. After the Second World War the country became part of the Eastern bloc and its Communist regime was established. In 1990 democracy was restored in the form of a parliamentary republic and today the country is a member of the European Union and NATO.

Coat of Arms

Location

The country is located at the Northeastern part of the Balkan peninsula (Southeastern Europe) and has been the main crossroad between Asia and Europe.

Population

The citizens of Bulgaria are called Bulgarians. The last census revealed more than 7.5 million Bulgarian residents. In the cities People live in apartments with an average usable area of 65 square meters. Usually families have one or two children. Very rarely children go up to three in a family. The standard of living is low compared to other European Union countries.

Three major ethnic groups live in Bulgaria: 85% Bulgarians, 9% Turkish, 5% Roma.

Smoking is very popular in Bulgaria. According to an official research from 2009 the number of active smokers reaches 1.9 million of which 52% are men and 48% women.

Capital

The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia. The second biggest city is Plovdiv, the third one is Varna and the fourth one is Burgas. The population of Sofia is 2 million.

Currency

The national currency is the Bulgarian Lev (BGN), plural is Leva. The exchange rate of the Bulgarian Lev to the Euro is fixed. BGN 1 = EUR 0.511292 or EUR 1 = BGN 1.95583

Climate

Climate in Bulgaria is continental to the north and subtropical (Mediterranean) to the south. We have four distinct seasons - Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.
Officially
Winter is from 23 Dec till 22 March
Spring is from 23 March till 22 June
Summer is from 23 June till 22 September
Autumn is from 23 September till 22 Dec

The average temperature is 24C. However it may go up to 40C in the Summer and down to -20C in the Winter.

Traditional Meals

You can enjoy a lot of traditional meals but among others you must definitely try the Shopska Salad, Tarator and drink Rakia. The average price of a normal lunch is at about EUR 10.

Government

Bulgaria is Parliament Republic. Until 1990 it was a communistic state.

Driving lane

If you plan to drive in Bulgaria you have to keep right.

Taxi

Using a taxi in Bulgaria may be very expensive for a foreigner. Some times people get charged double or triple the normal prices if they do not know where exactly they go or if they do not know the language.

We would advise you to always consult the prices on the front window before getting into a taxi or agree the price of the ride in advance. It is a legal requirement to publish the taxi rates. If the driver has not put any prices on his window then he is a swindler.

The normal taxi day rate is EUR 0.4 per km
The normal taxi night rate is EUR 0.5 per km.

Yes/No

The way we confirm a statement is very odd. You should never trust a Bulgarian person nodding. It is just misleading because the Bulgarian way to say "Yes" is opposite to the standard and practically means "No" for you. So to avoid misunderstandings always ask people to verbally express themselves.

The flag of Bulgaria Today the flag of Bulgaria is a tricolor: white, green, and red from top to the bottom, placed horizontally. It is considered a symbol of national identity and independence.

One Day Tour in Sofia This one day sightseeing Sofia tour is aimed to help people visit and enjoy the most popular sights of the Bulgarian capital.

Bulgaria Golf Here is a nice overview if all Bulgaria golf courses. You may also find useful information on how to locate the courses and play unforgettable games.

Bulgaria Weather You will never be bored with Bulgaria weather. It is so diverse due to the contrasting continental and Mediterranean climatic zones the country lies between