Bulgaria destination information

All you need to know before visiting Bulgaria

Bulgaria summary

Bulgaria is a medium sized country with around 7M Bulgarian. Official language is Bulgarian. Bulgaria uses metric system (kilograms, centimeters, °C). Time zone is UTC+02:00 with daylight saving time. Currency used in Bulgaria is Bulgarian Lev (BGN).

🎫 Border Rank #️⃣ 103
🗺️ Passport Rank #️⃣ 41

ATMs in Bulgaria are Very common. Internet speed in Bulgaria is on average 13.3 Mbps. In Bulgaria you drive on the right side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).

🏙️ Sofia
🗣️ Bulgarian
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 7M ☀️ ~11 °C 🌧 ~46 mm 👍 Developed 🚩 111k km2 (43k mi²)
🎫 Visa Exemption
🗺️ Passport Strength
📧 Bulgarian visa Online
🏥 Health regulation
🛃 Customs rules
🏛️ Embassies

General

Socket 🔌

Bulgaria uses 230V, 50Hz with sockets and plugs Type C and Type F.

Languages 🗣️

  • Bulgarian

Money

Currency 💱

1 BGN = 0.56 USD

Bulgaria uses the Bulgarian lev (symbol: ??), code BGN.Banknotes come in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2 leva. Lev is subdivided into 100 stotinkas. Coins come in denominations of 2 and 1 leva and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 stotinkas.

ATM 🏧🏦

Very common

Automatic teller machines are very common in Bulgaria. You can find them in both large & small cities, tourist areas etc.You do not need a chip & PIN card to use an ATM — your standard magnetic card will work fine.

Tipping 💁🏽

Expected to tip

Tipping is expected in Bulgaria since staff depend on tips to supplement their often minimum wages.

Card 💳

Widely accepted

Credit cards are widely accepted within Bulgaria (at hotels, shops, and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies etc.). Visa, MasterCard and Maestro are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common. Diners Club is pretty rare. Discover, JCB, UnionPay and RuPay are unknown.

Phone

Mobile Phone 📱

Bulgaria uses GSM mobile networks GSM 900 and GSM 1800.

Roaming 🌐

If you don't want to buy SIM card in Bulgaria upon arrival, make sure to check the roaming charges with your telecom provider before your departure so there are no surprises when you return home.

Emergency Calls 🚨

Universal :

999

Police :

999

Ambulance :

999

Fire department :

999

Calling ☎️

International

To call Bulgaria, dial +, then 359 (the country code for Bulgaria), then the area code (without the initial 0) and the local number.

Locally

For local calls within Bulgaria, start with the area code (with the initial 0). In the case above area code is 2 .


international: + 359 2 1234567
calling local: 02 1234567

Internet connection

Internet Speed 💯

Internet speed in Bulgaria is on average 13.3 Mbps.

Wifi 📡

WiFi coverage in Bulgaria is high. Many hotels, hostels, cafes, restaurants and bars have it.

SIM Card #️⃣

You can buy a SIM card for about 11.19 BGN, which includes 1 GB of data plan. You can choose from 4 telecoms: Max Telecom, Mtel, Telenor or Vivacom.

Driving

Rules 🚗

In Bulgaria you drive on the right side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).

Limits 🚦

Unless otherwise posted, the speed limits for cars and motorcycles are as follows: 140 km/h (86 mph) on motorways, 140 km/h (86 mph) on expressways, 50 km/h (31 mph) in all built-up areas and 90 km/h (55 mph) on undivided highways.

Weather

Temperature 🌡️

Rainfall ☔

Countries nearby Bulgaria


More on Bulgaria travel and visa information

All the informations you need to schedule your trip to Bulgaria.

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Visa Exemption

Check who can come to Bulgaria without visa requirement.

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Passport Strength

Check countries nationals of Bulgaria can visit without visa.

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Bulgarian visa Online

Apply for visa to Bulgaria online.

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Health regulation

Want to visit Bulgaria ? Check health regulation !

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Customs rules

Want to visit Bulgaria ? Check customs regulation !

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LGBT Destination info

Check if Bulgaria is LGBT friendly for travel.

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Bulgarian embassies

Check list of Bulgaria embassies around the globe !