Interesting facts about Bulgaria – what tourists need to know

You gain a wealth of experience and confidence in your abilties with every country that you have gone to. In Bulgaria, there are lots more to see — beautiful beaches, snow-capped mountains, breathtaking nature and wonderful locals. It offers a lot more that you may have not yet seen

For example, in Bulgaria, we got an amazing pictures of the Pomorie Lake with its rich animal world, the magnificent Botanical Garden of Balchik, ruins in the ancient city of Nessebar and much more.

This article is devoted to interesting and unusual observations of Bulgarian life. From it you will learn: what you should bring, where to go and what to try, so that your holidays will be richly rewarded with good experiences.

What tourists need to know who are going to Bulgaria for the first time?

If you are tired of reading the same information all over again, we have collected advice and recommendations in small batches, which briefly indicate the most important facts.

Useful information

The list of this information has everything that is difficult to attribute to any one particular category of advice. We will try to describe each item of the list as clearly as possible.

Internet articles

It may be a bit paradoxical, but you may not be able to find any reliable information about Bulgaria. More often than not, there is an impression that the people who write it were not there and/or do not have the slightest idea about this country. In addition, some of the information is old and no longer relevant. The same goes for the reviews (they are sometimes written to order). That’s why you should look for fresh, new, reliable and up-to-date information from actual tourists who have visited Bulgaria.

Quality of Bulgarian service

Every year there are more and more quality hotels and hotel complexes with a large set of services in Bulgaria, and the level is pretty much the same as those in other countries.

For those who are looking for a more affordable but still comfortable vacation, there is a huge selection of inexpensive but quite decent hotels or even rooms.

Food in Bulgaria, the number of shift of clothes and the availability of facilities and amenities are directly dependent on the hotel you chose.There are restaurants that are located inside the hotel lobbies but you still have to pay for the meals separately.

See prices and quality of housing in Bulgaria on this website. It indicates the city, the number of tourists, the date of arrival and departure from the hotel.

Bulgaria is a good option for a weekend holiday.

Not so long ago Bulgaria seemed to tourists as another “typically Soviet” country, and the rest in it was not considered comfortable. Now, the communist past has long been gone and Bulgaria has truly emerged into a progressive nation. It still develops its own tourism, but slowly but surely all signs go to a positive direction.

Prices in the country are much lower than usual, and the quality of products is almost at the same level (especially for products manufactured in Bulgaria itself) as those in other Western European nations.

If you are interested in the actual cost of food in the country, read our separate article: Meals in Bulgaria.

People will understand you in Bulgaria

The Bulgarian language belongs to the Slavic group of languages, just like Russian. However, the locals understand and know how to speak English well. Not only they will listen to you attentively, but they will do to help you in any way they can.

In general, the Bulgarians are a very friendly and open people. They are always ready to come to the rescue, give recommendations to tourists or even make some gifts for you.

The only problem is that will be able to communicate in English mainly with the younger generation or with the staff of hotels and restaurants. Older Bulgarians cannot know or understand English.

Another important point that makes the Bulgarians special (and a bit weird): their a nod of the head (our yes) means no.

Check out a related article: What language is in Bulgaria?

What can you need on vacation in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria is almost a land-locked country, except that it is bordered on the east by the vast Black Sea. If you plan to have a seaside vacation there, you may need to bring: bathing accessories, a headdress and a parasol, a towel, a sun cream or sunscreen. During the evenings the evening gets so cool and windy, so it is advisable to bring a light blazer or a jacket (depending on how cool it gets).

You do not have to take food and water in Bulgaria, for food there is generally cheap. Perhaps an exception to this are baby foods, especially if you cannot find a familiar brand, or a special food or diet that is specifically recommended by your doctor.

If you plan to visit local churches, it is advisable to bring appropriate clothing. You need to dress up comfortably but decently when you visit such places.

Read our detailed article: What should you take to Bulgaria?

How much money should you take to Bulgaria?

In Bulgaria, it is possible to have a vacation in a frugal way and at the same time enjoy rich traveling experience. In this case, just for example, you will be able to stay somewhere in the country at $150 per week.

Not used to limiting yourself to anything?Then get ready to pay shell out at least $400 for 7 days of luxury vacation.

Read more in a separate article: How much does it cost to rest in Bulgaria?

What is allowed to export from Bulgaria?

You have to carefully study the rules and regulations of the flight, consider all restrictions on the weight of luggage, as well as the things that are allowed to be transported in the aircraft cabin. This is to prevent yourself from trouble, especially if you get your items damaged or confiscated.

You can officially take out from Bulgaria not more than 5000 BGN. If you want to take out the amount from 5000 BGN to 20000 BGN it is necessary to fill in the customs declaration. Some of the alcoholic beverages allowed: beer with a total volume of up to 16 liters, non-sparkling wine – up to 4 liters; strong wine – up to 2 liters. Allowable weight of tobacco to be transported: up to 250 grams of tobacco, 50 cigars or 200 cigarettes. Some of the jewelry items that are allowed to be transported: silver (not processed) and jewelry made from that weighs up to 300 grams, ornaments of gold or platinum weighing up to 60 grams, gold and platinum which are not processed – up to 37 grams.

Prices in Bulgaria resorts

Prices for food, things and restaurants can vary in different parts of the resort you have chosen. To get the most economical beach holiday, we advise you not only to be interested in your hotel and the nearest shops, but also “look a little further” beyond the usual. Tourist streets are mostly closer to the seaside part of the city.

For a lounger you will be given a special coupon

If you rent a sunbed and / or an umbrella at any Bulgarian resorts, you will be given a coupon that confirms this. Then this coupon will be registered throughout the day. If you want to leave for lunch, for example, you can leave a towel there, nobody will touch it.

How about the leader of the group?

Personally, we were not lucky, if I may say so. The representative of the tourist company came late and could not tell us anything specific nor offer us anything. We looked at options (they were all the time in a magazine in the hall) and heard about exchange offices that seemed to us quite doubtful. We hope that you will be luckier.

Your resort should be a very interesting place

This information applies to those tourists who come to lie on the beach. In Bulgaria, there are lots of amazing and beautiful places. But the your resort you choose should be also interesting enough.

Look around and be sure to find something special: in Nessebar there are old narrow streets with ancient ruins, in Pomorie there is a monastery of St. George and a unique salt museum, in Burgas there is a seaside park etc.

We came across tourists who did not even see the sea for their entire vacation, they just had a pool near the hotel.

Rent a car in Bulgaria

The roads in Bulgaria are generally good, and serpentine roads are found mainly in the interior of the country. If you want to travel around the country and see more different attractions, it’s better to rent a car than to sign up for expensive guided tours and excursions. Not only it will be cheaper but also more advantageous to you.

View and book your car on Rentalcars.com

Shopping in Bulgaria

As we have a separate article about souvenirs and purchases in Bulgaria, here we will tell you about it only in brief.

A popular tour – shopping in Burgas or Varna

Burgas and Varna are the two largest port cities in Bulgaria. Here you can find a huge number of all kinds of shops, shopping centers and even malls. These cities are often listed as special “shopping tours.” However, their merchandise are mostly expensive and shopping here economically is almost impossible, unless you are a haggling veteran. The only good thing is the wide variety of goods.You can also see a lot of fake luxury goods, many of which come from neighboring Turkey.

Read more about shopping in Burgas in our separate article: Bourgas: shopping, attractions and photos.

Carefully approach the issue of purchases

If you want to bring something home form Bulgaria, you have to carefully examine the product that you are about to buy, There are ware markets in every resort town, but the quality of goods can vary. Again, most of these goods come from Turkey that range from shirts to bags to sarafans. There are also warm clothes too, for the winter.

Bulgaria – a country of inexpensive jewelry

Bulgaria is known for its inexpensive but elegant jewelry. Most of them are made from silver. You can buy your favorite goods anywhere in the country without fear of forgery. Prices vary significantly depending on the quality of the jewelry and/or the store.

Meals in Bulgaria

Check out individual articles if you are curious about the food and meals in Bulgaria:

The market is a paradise for tourists

Unfortunately, in Nessebar we could not find a fruit market, similar to the bazaar in Pomorie. Each time we visit Pomorie, we would always go for juicy and ripe seasonal fruits. We had the opportunity to try a wide variety of fruits, and they are always cheaper when you buy them at outdoor markets.

Supermarket “Mladost” – the cheapest shop in Nessebar

We bought almost all of our foodstuff from the supermarket “Maldost,” which is a popular place for locals too. The store is quite spacious, with a large selection of goods. Some events are even held there.

Beach food in Bulgaria

The closer to the beach,t he more expensive the food — and this situation occurs quite often in many Bulgarian resorts. After all, there will always be tourists who want something to munch on while soaking up under the sun.

Do not take food from home

The cost of products in Bulgaria is affordable and much cheaper compared to those from other European countries. The quality is at the same level. That’s why it makes no sense to bring lots of food from home. Even bottle mineral water in Bulgaria quite cheap.

Lunch on tour

When you choose guided tours or paid excursions, it helps to read the program thoroughly. It is very rare that the travel package includes free meals, so you have to pay for your own food or bring your own food.

Various excursions around Bulgaria and beyond

In Bulgaria itself you can visit many interesting and exciting places. In addition, tourists can visit the neighboring countries, such as: Turkey, Greece, Romania. We advise you to travel by seaside cities by buses or rented / your car. And in the inaccessible central parts of the country or in neighboring states – with organized excursions.