Bulgaria

Understand

Being close to the Turkish Straits, the key land routes from Europe to the Middle East and Asia pass through Bulgaria. Thanks to this location, many peoples that have left their impact on the land. Remains of various civilizations and epochs are scattered all across the country and can still be seen today, from the tombs of the mighty Thracian kings, through the theatres of the ancient Greeks and the stadiums of the Roman Empire, to the medieval castles of the kings of the First and Second Bulgarian Empire, and the mosques from the Ottoman rule.

People The largest ethnic group in the country are ethnic Bulgarians, at around 85% of the population, followed by Bulgarian Turks (about 10%) and Roma (about 5%; locally often referred to with the exonym tsigani). Smaller ethnic minorities (around 10; 000 or less) include Russians (mostly 20th and 21st century immigrants) and Armenians (mostly dating back to the Ottoman Empire), as well as even smaller contingents of other Balkan ethnicities. Most Bulgarian Jews survived the Holocaust but left Bulgaria after the Second World War. The majority of Bulgarians are Eastern Orthodox Christians, represented by the autocephalous (self-headed) Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The second most popular religion is Islam (almost entirely Sunni), practiced by the Turkish minority and the Bulgarian Muslims, an interesting Bulgarian-speaking sub-ethnic group that likely dates back to conversion attempts during the Ottoman reign and lives mainly in the Rhodope Mountains (they are sometimes referred to with the exonym pomatsi; considered undesirable by them). There's a small minority of Protestants (about 1%) due to the efforts of foreign missionaries in the 19th century and after the fall of Communism. The even smaller minority of Roman Catholics (

Getting there

Entry requirements

Bulgaria is a full member of the Schengen area; you can visit on any Schengen visa. Citizens of the EU, of Schengen countries and of the following other countries and regions do not need visas to enter Bulgaria: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, South Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. Citizens from all other countries need a visa, which can be obtained from a Bulgarian embassy or consulate in your home country. Different types of visa can be obtained, including a short-stay, 90-day Schengen visa ('Type "C" visa for the purposes of a planned stay'). Short-term visas issued before 31 March 2024 are valid for Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, not for other Schengen countries.

By plane There are four international airports in Bulgaria, located in the cities of Sofia (SOF IATA), Varna (VAR IATA), Bourgas (BOJ IATA), and Plovdiv (PDV IATA), but most traditional flag carriers (like Lufthansa; British Airways; Turkish Airlines) fly only to Sofia International Airport. There are many charter and last-minute flight offers, however, to Varna or Bourgas leaving from Western Europe (especially Germany and Great Britain). Using those, you can go from German airports to Bulgaria and back for less than €100, if you are lucky. Several low-cost airlines offer regular flights to Bulgaria. They change their schedules every season, so check for flights at the airline's website.

Wizz Air has direct regular flights

Getting around

By bus The fastest way to travel around the country is by bus. Buses frequently connect all the larger cities. Timetables information in English can be found online (avtogari.info or bgrazpisanie.com). Always confirm times locally as online resources may be incomplete or out of date. Most bus station agents (except at the Black Sea and in Sofia) as well as the drivers will not speak or understand any languages except Bulgarian (and; if you are lucky; Russian) and the destinations will be written exclusively in Cyrillic. You can look up bus schedules for the Sofia New Central at the bus station. Buses depart on time and don't wait for late passengers. Travelling from Sofia to major cities in Bulgaria by bus is good value. A one way ticket to the Black Sea from Sofia costs €12-15. Several companies operate regular routes serviced by new and modern buses. The closest Bulgaria has to a nation-wide service is provided by the merger of the three largest companies into Union Ivkoni/Etap Adress/Group Plus (website in English; you can buy tickets online). Another large bus company, but with a more limited network, is Biomet (also in English; online tickets sub-site). At the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast buses go from Varna, Sunny Beach or Bourgas all along the coastline, passing through most sites and towns. Ticket: You will always receive a ticket your origin and destination (in Cyrillic), in the rare case that you feel you have been cheated. Short distances with buses outside of cities are a bit more expensive (per km) than inner city and long distance trips.

By train

Using the