Meeting place

Discover Bulgaria

The independent state of Great Bulgaria was formed under the rule of Kubrat in 632 AD, and was officially recognized as such in 681 AD. It is the homeland of ancient civilizations, and remnants of their cultures, and the ruins of their cities, palaces and monasteries are found throughout the country.

After centuries of Turkish control, military conflicts and fighting on the losing side in both World Wars, decades of Communist Party rule, and assorted political squabblings, Bulgaria is finally adjusting to its switch to democracy in the early 1990s.

Total area: 110 994 km²
(the 105th state territory in the world)

Located in the Eastern Part of the Balkan Peninsula, in South Eastern Europe. Bordered by the new states of former Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, the Danube (border with Romania) and the Black Sea

Official language: Bulgarian. 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.

Currency: Currency unit in the Republic of Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Lev or BGN. 1 lev = 100 stotinki.
Pegged exchange rate:
EUR 1 = BGN 1.955

Currency Exchange
In banks and 24-hour change bureaux. The exchange rate is announced every day.

Credit Cards: Valid card types in bank machines: Eurocard, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, VISA, VISA Election

Working Hours banks - 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.(Monday to Friday)
shops - 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 pm. (Monday to Friday, Saturday until noon)

Time difference: Bulgaria's time zone lies two hours ahead of Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT). Along with most of Europe, however, Bulgaria institutes its Summer Time. Summer Time is three hours ahead of GMT and is instituted from the last Sunday in May to the Saturday before the last Sunday in September.

Public Transport: in big cities: trams, trolley-buses, buses; inter-city transport: train, buses, plane, taxi;

Rent-a-Car: AVIS, Hertz, Intertel, Europcar, Budget and International Car Rental in the country's big cities and resorts.

Phone numbers
•  00359 - Country Dialing Code
•  0123 - operator for international calls (if no direct phone call is possible)
•  1286, 983 308 - Road Assistance
•  75 361 - Institute for Treatment of Foreign Citizens
•  798 035 - Sofia Airport - International Flights
•  722 414 - Sofia Airport - Domestic Flights
•  121 - operator for long-distance calls within the country
•  140 - sending of telegrams
•  146 - Emergency Road Service
•  150 - Emergency Medical Aid
•  166 - Police/Road patrols

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Sofia (1.2mln), Major cities: Plovdiv, Varna and Bourgas

Distance: London/Sofia - 2100km; Sofia/Varna - 470km, Sofia/Bourgas - 400 km.

Population: 7,037 mil. (2012)
Population density: 65/km²

Ethnic groups (2011 est.)
•  Bulgarian (76.9%),   •  Turkish (8%),
•  Roma (4.4%),   •  other (unknown) (10%)
•  other (Hebrew, Russian, Armenian) (about 0.7%)

Religion:
Eastern Orthodox (59.4), Muslim (7.8%),
none 3.7%, unspecified 27.4%,
other (Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Orthodox, Jewish) (1.7%),

The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch.

Important dates:
•  First Bulgarian State Established - AD 681.
•  Creation of Cyrillic alphabet, now used in Bulgaria and the new states of former USSR and Yugoslavia
(Russia,Ukraine, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia) - AD 865.
•  Liberation from Ottoman empire - 1878.

The official Holidays are:
•  January 1 - New Year
•  March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation
•  April 24 - Easter
•  May 1 - Labour Day
•  May 24 - the Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script
•  September 22 - the Independence Day
•  December 25 - Christmas

Coastline: 354 km The longest river: Iskar (368 km)

Highest peak: Musala (2925 km)