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Travel and Tourism in Bulgaria
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Bulgaria.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
- Time Difference
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 1.802
- Climate
- The climate is usually designated as "continental, with many micro-climates." From May to November, the climate is pleasantly warm and sunny. Sofia is on the same latitude as Rome, but is 1,500 feet higher in elevation and has a climate similar to the Intermountain West of the United States. Plants, flowers, and fruits common to Britain and France grow well here, but the climate is too cold for citrus. November through April are snowy and cold, with temperatures ranging between -5°F to 50°F in Sofia. Summer temperatures may reach 105°F on occasion but tend to hover around 70°-75°F, and humidity is moderate to low. During July, the mean temperature is 68.7°F (20.4°C); during January, 30.6°F (8°C). Mildew and insects are not significant factors. Sofia's main climatic problem is winter smog, which is caused by industrial air pollution, soft-coal smoke, vehicle exhaust emissions, fog, and surrounding mountains that keep winds from blowing the smog away. Gray-brown dirt or coal dust and sand are scattered on Sofia's snow-covered streets in winter. Winters may often be gray but are quite beautiful in the nearby mountains. Mount Vitosha (altitude 2,290 m.), with its ski resorts and runs and walking paths, overlooks the city. Trees and flowers make Sofia a more colorful city the rest of the year. Rainfall is moderate, averaging 25 inches a year.
- Language(s) Spoken
- The official language is Bulgarian, and nearly all inhabitants speak it. About half of the Turkish population speaks Turkish as its mother tongue. Bulgarian is a Slavic language that uses an alphabet first developed in the ninth century by Cyril and Methodise. English is now the most popular language for children to study, followed by German and French.
- Ethnic Groups
- Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian)
- National Holiday
- Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 43 00 N, 25 00 E
- Location
- Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
- Airports
- 212
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Plovdiv: The Eternal City of Seven Hills
Plovdiv presents its visitors with an embarrassment of historical and cultural riches concentrated in a relatively compact area, making it one of the most rewarding small cities in Europe for the traveler who values depth of experience over breadth of coverage. The city's claim to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban settlements in Europe, if not indeed in the world, is supported by archaeological evidence of human habitation on the rocky hills above the Maritsa River reaching back seven thousand years, making it roughly contemporary with the ancient cities of the Near East and among the oldest urban sites in the Western world. The city has been known by many names across the centuries: Eumolpia to the Thracians, Philippopolis to the Macedonians after Philip II of Macedon who captured and rebuilt it in 342 BCE, Trimontium to the Romans who made it the capital of the province of Thrace, and finally Plovdiv in the Bulgarian tradition.
The Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis is the most spectacular individual monument in Plovdiv and one of the most atmospheric ancient sites in Bulgaria. Built in the late first or early second century CE, the theatre was capable of seating approximately 7,000 spectators and commands a magnificent panoramic view south over the Rhodope Mountains from its position on the south slope of one of the central hills of ancient Philippopolis.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Bulgarian physicians are trained to a very high standard, but most hospitals and clinics, especially in village areas, are generally not equipped or maintained to U.S. or Western European standards. Basic medical supplies and over-the-counter and prescription medications are widely available, but highly specialized treatment may be unavailable. Pediatric facilities are underfunded and lack sufficient equipment. Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States may cost thousands of dollars.
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