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Getting
to Bulgaria
Air
Travel
Bulgaria and Sofia are part of the international
flight network, and there are direct flights to Sofia from
most capitals of Europe.
The national carrier Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, private Bulgarian
airline companies, as well as many foreign airlines link the
country to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America.
There
are five airports in Bulgaria
Auto
Travel – Auto Rental
The following companies offer car
hire from Sofia International Airport
NB
: RentaCarBulgaria.com is the largest reservation
system for car rental in Bulgaria.
Avis, Budget, Hertz, Sixt and Tany Rent have offices in the
Arrivals Hall at the International Airport. Other companies
listed will deliver to Sofia International Airport. Tany Rent
and Autojet offer the cheapest rates but their cars tend to
be older, higher mileage vehicles. Both have an excellent
recovery service staffed by English speakers.
Check
to see that you have chains and winter tyres (when weather
dictates), as well as a warning triangle, fire extinguisher
and emergency first aid kit.
Bus
Travel
Central Bus Station : Sofia – for nformation and schedules.
Private
Bus Stations: Most privately-run domestic and international
buses depart from two large staging areas near the central
train station in Sofia or from the central bus stations in
major Bulgarian cities. Mitsubishi and Mercedes luxury coaches
featuring air-conditioning and video are some of the vehicles
used.
State
Bus Stations: For national destinations in Sofia: North Tel.
# 38 31 9; South Tel. # 72 00 63, East Tel. # 955 5362, Bansko
- 3 hours - 7 leva single trip, Blagoevgrad - under 2 hours
- 5 leva; Sandanski - 3 hours - 6 leva
Train
Travel
Bulgarian State Railways : Telephone: + 359 2 981 11 10
Bulgarian State Railways can get you to most towns, although
trains are very slow by Western standards and delays are common
on the longer routes. Intercity and express services only
operate on the main trunk routes, but on everything except
the humblest branch lines you'll find so-called rapid trains.
Use these rather than the snail-like "passenger train"
services unless you're planning to get off at some particularly
insignificant destination.
Driving
in Bulgaria
Crossing countries: It is recommended to use the route Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Sofia
when crossing the former Yugoslavia. The roads are first class,
most of them highways.
Insurance
has to be taken out in advance or paid for at the border.
Cars (self-drive and chauffeur driven) may be rented at the
border checkpoints and in all tourist offices throughout the
country.
Foreigners may drive in Bulgaria using their national driving
license (though, should you stay longer than six months, it
must be translated and legalised), but most of the neighboring
countries require an international license.
It is
required to have third-party insurance plus a "Green"
or "Blue" card – the latter can be bought
at the frontier.
Entering
Bulgaria: your vehicle will be registered with a special "visa
tag" or carnet de passage which must be presented on
leaving.
Upon
arrival in Bulgaria, an entrance fee is payable on all motor
vehicles (car/van US$10; minibus seating 8 or more US$60),
plus a disinfection fee (car US$2; van/minibus US$4) - though
EU citizens are exempt from the former charge.
Bulgarian
Speed Limits: 50 km/h in populated areas, 90 km/h outside
populated areas, 120 km/h on highways.
Road
signs follow international standards. If you want to explore
Bulgaria take a dual language map because most of the small
town signs are only in Cyrillic.
Be very
alert when driving at night. Bear in mind that horse-drawn
carts, motorcycles and scooters can sometimes be encountered
on major roads driving at night without lights.
DO
NOT drink and drive: For tested levels in excess
of 1.2 per 1,000, there is a maximum prison sentence of one
year in addition to a licence suspension for up to four years.
Road
Assistance Service: Provides 24-hour technical assistance
on the road. In case of malfunction or accident, call 146
(or cellular (+359) (0)48 146). The Central Dispatch Office
is located at 3 Pozitano St. in Sofia, Tel. (+359) 2 980 33
08 and is open 24 hours a day.
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