Bulgaria Travel Guide

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Country Facts

Location

Southeastern Europe.

Language

Bulgarian is the official language and the Cyrillic alphabet is used - Bulgaria is the only EU nation to use it. Turkish and Macedonian are amongst the minority languages. English, German, French and Russian are spoken in major tourist resorts and hotels.

Area

110,994 sq km (42,855 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin.

Population

7.5 million (2009).

Population Density

67.5 per sq km.

Capital City

Sofia. Population: 1.4 million (2009).

Government

Democratic Republic since 1990.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Boiko Borisov since 2009.

Head of State

President Georgi Parvanov since 2002.

Religion

The majority of the population are Christian, the main denomination being Bulgarian Orthodox Church with a membership of 83% of the population. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is considered to be the traditional religion in Bulgaria. There is also a significant Muslim minority (13%) and a small Jewish community.

Recent History

The center-right GERB party, led by Boiko Borisov, won the latest election in summer 2009. Voters punished the Socialist-led governing coalition of Sergei Stanishev for failing to crack down on corruption and organized crime. Mr Borisov has promised to jail corrupt officials and mafia bosses and pull the country out of its worst economic downturn in years. President Georgi Parvanov won a second term in the October 2006 presidential elections. His role is mainly ceremonial.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +359. Calls from some remote parts of the country must be placed through the international operator. There are many public telephones in the main towns, from which telephone cards are used.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is patchy to good in most of the country. It is easy to purchase domestic SIM cards.

Internet

There are fewer internet centers in Sofia and Plovdiv than there used to be owing to high rent, but there are a few internet gaming rooms. Varna has several places in the town center, and the beach resorts have some facilities. Most major hotels have internet connection, and some have Wi-Fi access.

Media

Bulgaria enjoys a relatively free press, although most media outlets are aligned to one political party. Bulgaria passed a broadcasting law in 1996, one of the last European countries to do so. National radio and TV were given the status of public services and granted independence. bTV, Bulgaria's first national commercial channel, was launched in May 2000 by Balkan News Corporation (part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation) and pulls in more than 35% of the TV audience. Nova TV won the bid for a second national commercial TV license in 2003. Several privately-owned regional television stations are also on the air.The weekly newspaper, Sofia Echo, is available in English, as is the daily business publication Pari (Money). Both of these are available in print or online versions.

Post

Airmail to Western Europe takes from four days to two weeks. The General Post Office in Sofia, at ulitsa Gurko 6, is open 24 hours.Usually Mon-Sat 0830-1730.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
24 Dec - 25 Dec Christmas
31 Dec New Year’s Eve

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
3 Mar National Day (Day of Liberation)
24 Apr - 27 Apr Orthodox Easter
1 May Labor Day
6 May St George’s Day (Day of Bulgarian Army)
24 May St Cyril and Methodius Day (Day of Culture and Literacy)
6 Sep The Unification of Bulgaria
22 Sep Independence Day
1 Nov Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders
24 Dec - 25 Dec Christmas
31 Dec New Year’s Eve

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
3 Mar National Day (Day of Liberation)
15 Apr Orthodox Easter
1 May Labor Day
6 May St George’s Day (Day of Bulgarian Army)
24 May St Cyril and Methodius Day (Day of Culture and Literacy)
6 Sep The Unification of Bulgaria
22 Sep Independence Day
1 Nov Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders
24 Dec - 25 Dec Christmas
31 Dec New Year’s Eve

Contact Information

National Tourist Information Center

Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya 1, 1040 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tel: (02) 933 5811.
Website: www.bulgariatravel.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800.

Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the UK

186-188 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5HL, UK
Tel: (020) 7584 9400 or 9433 (general enquiries) or 0906 550 8950 (visa section; recorded information; calls cost £1 per minute) or (020) 7589 3763 (visa section; individual enquiries; Mon-Fri 1300-1500 only).
Website: www.bulgarianembassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800 (general enquiries) or 0930-1230 (visa applications with appointment) or 1230-1400 (visa applications without appointment).

Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the USA

1621 22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 387 0174 or 7969 (consular office).
Website: www.bulgaria-embassy.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1730.