Bulgaria Country Guide

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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:

Sofia International
http://www.sofia-airport.bg
+359 279 3211

Bourgas Airport
http://www.bourgas-airport.com
+359 56 870 260

Varna Airport
http://www.varna-airport.bg
+359 52 500 834

Plovdiv Airport
http://www.plovdivairport.com
+359 32 601127

Gorna Orjahovitsa +359 618 6 04 10

Auto Travel – Auto Rental
The following companies offer car hire from Sofia International Airport

Autojet
+359 (2) 979 0505
Avis
+359 (2) 945 9224
Budget
+359 (2) 937 3388
Hertz
+359 (2) 945 9217
Moto Roads
+359 (3) 616 2109
Tany Rent
+359 (2) 937 3329
Sixt
+359 (2) 945 9276
RentaCarBulgaria.com
+359 899 989 469

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 information 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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