Bulgaria - What you will find there

As Bulgaria continues to attract more and more visitors, the list of activities available continues to grow.

We have therefore listed some of the more popular types of pursuits for visitors to Bulgaria. Bulgaria has no less than four different mountain ranges, the Stara Planina, the Rhodope, the Rila and the Pirin mountains.

After receiving major investment from the EU Bulgaria now boasts three international quality ski resorts, Pamporovo, Borovets and Bansko. These resorts offer piste up to 2715m above ski level with ski runs totalling up to 75km. In summer the mountains continue to attract a large number of visitors with some of the best hiking in Europe available. Mountain bikers and horse riders are also beginning to discover the attractions of Bulgaria.

The area around Sopot in the Stara Planina also boats some of the best hangliding and paragliding conditions in Europe. With a coastline of 354km along the Black Sea, Bulgaria attracts many hundreds of thousands of holiday makers every summer. The commercial season runs from May through to October every year with most beach resorts remaining shut outside of this main holiday period.

The coastline boasts a number of world class beaches offering deep, fine golden sand. The area of the Black Sea around Bulgaria also has sea temperatures in the summer months that are actually higher than the Mediterranean. With little or no tide and very small waves, swimming in the Black Sea is very safe for both young and old. In the coastal regions many areas offer special mud treatments from the coastal lakes. These have become famous for their healing and youth giving qualities attracting many tourists all year around.

In the mountain regions, Bulgaria has literally hundreds of natural mineral water springs. A great many of these are thermal with temperatures up to 60 degrees and with a wide variety of mineralisations. Towns such as Bania (near Bansko) and Velingrad offer traditional spas (some dating back to Roman times) where bathing and other health treatments are available. As with most activities in Bulgaria, these health spas cost around 20-30% of the price of similar locations in Western Europe.

For the first time ever Bulgaria was included in the catalogue for golf tourism with the Association of British Travel Agents ABTA for 2007.

A lot of companies have expressed sound interest in the possibilities for constructions of golf courses in Bulgaria. Bulgaria has all the chances to attract the interest of golf lovers from all countries as the climate and the Bulgarian nature are just marvellous.

The golf season lasts from 8 to 10 months a year. In this respect, Bulgaria is a tough competitor to Spain, Cyprus and Turkey, where the grass becomes brownish in the summer and the temperatures are too high for playing.

Bulgaria has a rich history. Many visitors find time to journey to many of the cultural sites dotted throughout Bulgaria. Some of the most important archaeological sites in Europe are located within Bulgaria's borders with new discoveries still being made. Combined with the rich religious heritage of the region, there is no shortage of sites to visit. In recognition of the importance and unique nature of many of these locations, some have now been given UNESCO World Heritage status

Unlike many other parts of the world, Bulgaria has retained a great number of traditional folk and religious celebrations. Almost every week in Bulgaria there is a celebration taking place in one of its many regions. From the orthodox Easter to the Valley of the Roses celebrations, visitors should find the time to explore at least some of these events. For a full guide to the locations and events we recommend purchasing a detailed guidebook.

Bulgaria - Language & Money

The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian which is spoken by all the population. Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet as opposed to the Roman alphabet commonly used in Western Europe. The written Bulgarian language therefore loosely resembles the more commonly known Russian language although there are significant differences between the two languages. With EU membership it is a requirement that all public signage is displayed in the Roman alphabet as well as the local Cyrillic. Foreigners visiting Bulgaria will
therefore experience limited problems navigating and interpreting signs.

In addition to Bulgarian, the younger generation in Bulgaria all learn English in school. Visitors to Bulgaria will therefore find the English language is widely spoken by the local population. In tourist areas almost all the local population will speak fluent English, additionally
many menus, forms etc. will also be translated due to the number of visitors to these areas. Due to its history and similarity, Russian is widely understood and spoken by Bulgarians particularly amongst the older generation. Other languages that are common include French, Greek, Serbian and Turkish.

Currency

The official currency of Bulgaria is the Lev. The Lev exchange is now fixed against the Euro as part of the EU membership process. After EU membership in 2007, Bulgaria adopted the Euro currency and the Bulgarian Lev will be phased out completely, this process is expected to take place in 2009 or 2010. Since the fixed exchange rate was introduced, many more expensive items have been priced in the more widely recognised Euro currency. This includes but is not limited to property, cars, white goods and even some salaries.