ABOUT BULGARIA Situated in southeastern Europe, Bulgaria occupies the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the North, via the Danube River, it borders on Romania, to the West – on Serbia and on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. To the South its neighbours are Greece and Turkey. To the East Bulgaria touches the Black Sea, which links it also to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. Bulgaria occupies a relatively small area - 111 000 sq. km, but is nevertheless distinguished by generous and varied nature - a sea with a 380 km. long coastal strip and golden beaches, 16 mountains with their own characteristic features, shelters valleys and high plateaus, over 550 curative mineral springs, dozen of unique natural phenomena and 2000 thrilling caves, a healthy climate and diverse flora and fauna. TIME Greenwich time + 2 hours, Central European Time + 1 hour       Winter time: GMT +2 hours (October through March).       Summer time: GMT +3 hours (April through September) POPULATION The population of Bulgaria is about 8 000 000 people, 1 150 000 million live in the capital, 450 000 people live in the sea capital – Varna. LANGUAGE The official language in Bulgaria is Bulgarian. The Bulgarian language belongs to the group of the Slavic languages and it is very close to Russian, Macedonian and  Serbo-Croatian languages. 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. Attention: Bulgarians shake their heads from the left to the right to express "YES". However, this stands for "NO" in the rest of the world.

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RELIGION
90% of Bulgarian people are Orthodox Christians and celebrate the traditional Christian holidays -  Christmas, Easter and the name days of Bulgarians named after Archangels, Saints and Martyrs. About 8% are Muslims. As a whole Bulgarian people are very obliging and hospitable.

OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS

STATE GOVERNMENT
Bulgaria is an independent state and the form of government is of people's democracy. All citizens have equal rights as the law is concerned disregarding sex, nationality, race, religion, education, occupation, social and material status. In 1991 a new Constitution of Republic of Bulgaria is approved. The Members of the Parliament are elected at free democratic elections.

HISTORY
The Bulgarian people is one of the most ancient. The Bulgarian state was founded on the present-day territory of Europe in 681 and ever since that time the name of the country has always been the same.  

TRADITIONS
Bulgaria is especially proud of its rich folklore traditions. Folk dances, music, national costumes and traditional rituals have an important place in the life of Bulgarians. Every town and village celebrates Christian holidays and folk festivities in its own special way.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
The average January temperature in Sofia ranges between -4° and 2°. The July temperature ranges between 16° and 27° C. Along the Black Sea, the average January temperature ranges between -1° and 6° C and the July temperature ranges between 19° and 30° C. The soft transitional Mediterranean climate and the fertile soils are very suitable for growing the century-famed Bulgarian attar-yielding rose – a valuable raw material for perfumery, medical products, food and wine, and tobacco industries.

MINERAL SPRINGS
Bulgaria has some 500 deposits of mineral waters with over 1,600 water sources. These are localised chiefly at the mountain foothills. The spa resorts of national significance are Velingrad, Sandanski, Bankya the mineral baths of Stara Zagora, Narechen, Sliven and Haskovo, as well as Kyustendil, Varshets, Pavel Banya, Hissarya, Merichleri, Momin Prohod, and Kostenets. Climatic sea-side resorts offering various recreation services are Albena, Balchik, Bourgas, Varna (Zlatni Pyassatzi – Golden Sands), Kiten, Pomorie, Primorsko, Nessebur (Slantchev Bryag – Sunny Beach) and Sozopol. Picturesque lakes hide in the folds of the Rila and Pirin mountain ranges. Reservoirs of recreational potential are to be found in the Rhodope Mountains – namely Batak, Vatcha, Studen Kladenets, at the foot of the Balkan Range – Ticha, as well as in some other places. There are good prerequisites for the development of adventure tourism: wild waters– rafting and canoe, diving, delta and para glidting in the river valleys of Vatcha, Iskar, Chepelarska, Struma, and Mesta rivers.

WORLD HERITAGE
The World Register of Historical Sites, established by UNESCO, includes seven cultural sites and two nature reserves in Bulgaria - Tracian tomb - Sveshtari, Tracian tomb - Kazanlak, The Madara Horseman, The Boyana Church-Sofia, Ivanovo Rock Monasteries, The Rila Monastery, Old Nessebar, Sreburna Nature Reserve, Pirin National Park. 

Large Cities - Sofia (capital), Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Russe

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS:

There are 4 international airports in Bulgaria.
The biggest Bulgarian airport is Sofia Airport.
Plovdiv International airport is mainly used for charter flights for the ski resort of Pamporovo.
The international airports of Varna and Bourgas are used for international flights, as well as for local flights from Sofia and for charter flights during the summer, serving the beach resorts around these 2 cities on the Black Sea coast – Albena, Sunny Beach and Golden Sands.

1. Sofia airport      -     www.sofia-airport.bg
tel.: +359 2/ 937 22 11
        +359 2/ 937 22 12
        +359 2/ 937 22 13

2. Varna airport     -     www.varna-airport.bg
tel.: +359 52/ 50 08 34, 50 08 40

3. Bourgas airport  -    www.bourgas-airport.com
tel.: +359 56/ 87 02

4. Plovdiv airport    -    www.plovdivairport.com
tel.: +359 32/ 60 11 11

PASSPORTS & VISAS
No visas are required for the citizens of European Union and EFTA member countries to enter Bulgaria. If you are from another country you shall need visa, for more information, please click HERE.

BORDER CROSSING POINTS YOU CAN USE FOR ENTER IN BULGARIA BY CAR
Bulgarian - Serbian Border, Kalotina - Motorway E-6, Vrushka Chuka - Belgrad-Zajcar-Koulata-Sofia Motorway, Strejimirovci - Tran-Silistra E-6, Otomansi;
Bulgarian - Macedonian Border, Gyueshevo - Sofia-Kyustendil-Skopje Motorway, Stanke Lisichkovo - Stip-Delchevo-Blagoevgrad-Sofia Motorway, Zlatarevo - Strumica-Petrich-Sofia Motorway;
Bulgarian - Greek Border, Koulata - Motorway E-20, Novo Selo - Motorway E-80;
Bulgarian - Turkish Border, Kapitan Andreevo - Motorway E-5, Malko Turnovo - Motorway E-95;
Bulgarian - Romanian Border, Rousse - Motorway E-97, Kardam - Constanta-Dobrich-Kula Motorway 14, Durankulak - Motorway E-95, Silistra – Motorway 7.

CUSTOMS INFORMATION
Foreign citizens are allowed to import 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of wine, gifts up to a reasonable amount, and unlimited foreign currency if declared.
Foreign citizens are allowed to export valuable goods, imported or declared, foreign currency amounting to USD 1000 without a document and up to 10000 if declared. Special bank permission is necessary for larger sums. Cigarettes and alcohol can be exported as above.

BORDER INFORMATION
You should be handed a yellow "statistical card" which you have to fill with your name, address, reasons for visit, etc. If you are staying in a hotel get them to stamp it for you, but if you are visiting friends or staying in private accomodation you have to go to the local police station for a stamp. In case you do not do this you may sometimes, though not always, have to pay a fine of up to USD100 when leaving the country.
You can buy the compolsory visa on the border but it will cost you about twice as much as from the Bulgarian Embassy in your own country. In case of arriving by plane new Border tax USD20 has recently been introduced and is usually added to the price of your ticket.

VOLTAGE
Attention! All electrical appliances work on ~ 220V. 

BANKS
Banks are opened Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will need your passport for cashing cheques or exchanging currency. There are also ATMs at some of the Albena hotels.

CREDIT CARDS
The main international credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Access, Airplus) are accepted at the big hotels, shopping centers, the car hire offices and some restaurants. The stickers on the shop-windows or at the hotel entrances will provide you with information as to which credit cards are accepted.

MONEY
The Bulgarian LEV consists of 100 stotinki. All payments should be made in the national currency. There are bank notes of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Leva, and coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 called "stotinki".

The exchange rate is fixed at 1 Lev = 1.9553 Euro. It is advisable the exchange of foreign currency to be made at change bureaus or at a bank.

POST BOXES
You may drop your post cards and letters at the Reception desk at your hotel or put them in the post boxes in the resort. Albena's Post Office is situated in the central area.

PHONE CALLS
You may contact the number you want by directly dialing the relevant country and area code from the phone in your room. By using a phone card you can make an international call from a public telephone too.

SAFE
It is recommended to keep valuables and documents in the safe you will be provided at the hotel reception. In case of any loss or theft, please approach your guide. When going to the beach you are advised not to take documents, money or valuables with you.

PHARMASY
Usually is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is also a 24-hour pharmacy. You will be provided with more detailed information at the reception desk in your hotel.

BEACH
All beaches are free. You will only be charged for using deckchairs and parasols.

RESTAURANTS
The menu includes mostly dishes of both the Bulgarian and the European cuisine. Restaurants are usually open from 07.30 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. Some of them may be open as long as there are guests.

SHOPS
Shops in the resort are open every day, including Saturday and Sunday. They work from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.

WATER
Tap water is chlorinated but completely suitable to drink. Still, better drink bottled mineral water.

FOOD AND DRINKS
Bulgarian food is close to the traditional European cuisine. Traditional Bulgarian menu includes bread, yogurt and fresh milk, cheese, tomatoes, paprika, potatoes, onions, beans and fruits, grappa and red or white wine.