Fast Facts

• Capital : Sofia
• Country Code : + 359
• Population : 7,322,858
• Time : GMT + 2

Culture

Bulgarian culture is rural in tradition. Each region has a variation on a music and dance style that could very much be deemed folk-influenced. There are many annual festivals including Pirin Sings and Rozhen Sings and they draw a huge crowd over 100,000 local and international visitors are entertained by performers to learn more about Bulgarian folklore traditions.

In the larger town and cities a contemporary western culture has a huge influence on people, especially on young people. This influence can be seen in the number of new and trendy clothes shops, cafés and bars run by younger generation of Bulgarians. Bulgaria has experienced these changes changing from a Communist country to a democratic country.

Climate

Bulgaria has the perfect climate for those who like snow sports and love to soak up the Mediterranean sun. The hot summers of +35c are perfect for swimming in the beautiful Black Sea Coast and the chilly winters in the Rila mountains are perfect for spending your winters on the pistes. Bulgaria’s warm summers and chilly winters make it the year round destination for beach and snow sports lovers. In the south-western valley of the Rhodope Mountains the winters are more humid and still perfect for skiing down the slopes. In the northern limits of the climatic zone are the Balkan Mountains, where minus degree celsius temperatures are commonplace for several months of the year.

Language

Bulgarian is the principle language and English is widely spoken.

Money

Lev (plural leva), often written as Lv or BGN.

£1 = 2.82 Lev

1 Euro = 1.99 Lev

There are plenty of ATMs in the larger cities, they are usually attached to the banks. Debit and credit cards are widely accepted, and changing money is easy to do at the banks. You may be required to show your passport so make sure you take it to the bank with you.

Visas

Visit of up to 30 days

Holders of UK passports do not require a visa in order to visit Bulgaria for a period of up to 30 days within each period of six months.

For those people looking to relocate permanently to Bulgaria it is easy to apply for a visa. In this case you will need to obtain a type ‘D’ visa which can be obtained from the Bulgarian Consular service in London. This visa is for foreign nationals who intend to apply for a long-term or permanent residence in Bulgaria. The processing can take up to 30 days and the cost is approximately £44.00. Foreign nationals can obtain long-term or permanent residence in Bulgaria on several grounds.
For more information on visas look at the website www.bulgarianembassy.org.uk

Religion

Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)