Bulgaria

Getting there & away

If you are worried about the environmental impact of air travel, and don’t want to fly to Bulgaria, you can also reach the country by bus from many other European countries, although the sheer distances involved from Western Europe may put off all but the hardy few. You can also buy an InterRail ticket, hop on a train and make Bulgaria your final port of call on a European odyssey. For information on train travel in Bulgaria and elsewhere in Europe, visit www.seat61.com.

Most towns in Bulgaria are well served by cheap public transport, and you’ll probably find buses the quickest and most convenient way of getting around the country; trains tend to be slower, although the major cross-country lines do offer the faster ‘express’ trains. Unfortunately, city buses are often old and cause a good deal of pollution, though inter-city buses tend to be newer and more energy-efficient. Sofia also has trams and a metro system. Bicycles are not recommended for urban areas, but are a great mode of transport for exploring the open countryside in rural regions.

Travel documents

Passport

There are no restrictions on any foreign passport-holders entering Bulgaria, other than the length of time they are allowed to stay.

Tickets

It pays to shop around for your air tickets, and though they’re no substitute for the personal attention and advice you’ll get from a travel agent, you’re likely to find some of the better deals online, either through the websites of the airlines themselves, or through one of the growing number of dedicated internet flight shops. The following websites are worth a look:

Bargain Bucket (www.bargain-bucket.com) Useful links to many other online travel agencies.

Bulgaria Flights (www.bulgariaflights.com) Comprehensive dedicated site with cheap flights from many European cities to/from Sofia and Varna.

Cheap Flights (www.cheapflights.co.uk)

ebookers (www.ebookers.com)

Flights.com (www.flights.com, www.tiss.com)

Lonelyplanet.com (www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings) Book flights and rail passes through our recommended travel partners.

Travelocity (www.travelocity.com)

Full-time students and people under 26 years (under 30 in some countries) have access to better deals than other travellers. You have to show a document proving your date of birth, or a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC), when buying your ticket and boarding the plane.

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Land

Border crossings

There are several crossings into Romania, but if you’re driving, use the toll bridge at Ruse or a land border further east. For public transport, the quickest crossing is again at Ruse, but the crossing at Vidin is a more scenic place to enter Romania. You can also cross at Kardam–Negru Voda (accessible from Dobrich) and at Durankulak–Vama Veche (accessible from Varna), but there’s no public transport to these points.

The only crossings into Greece are at Kulata–Promahonas and at Svilengrad–Ormenion.

The main border crossing into Turkey is Malko Târnovo–Derekoy. From Kapitan–Andreevo, near Svilengrad, travellers can cross the Turkish border to Edirne.

For Macedonia, the main crossings are between Gyueshevo (near Kyustendil) and Deve Bair (just east of Kriva Palanka); Zlatarevo (west of Kulata) and Delčevo; and Stanke Lisichkovo (near Blagoevgrad) and Novo Selo.

Travelling into Serbia, the main crossings link Kalotina (near Dragoman) and Dimitrovgrad; Vrâshka Chuka (near Vidin) and Zajc; and Strezimirovtsi (near Pernik) and Klisura. Be careful when travelling overland by train because crime is not uncommon on services within Serbia.

Bus

Buses travel to Bulgaria from destinations all over Europe, offering a possibly ‘greener’ mode of transport than flying, although the sheer distances involved if you’re coming from Western Europe can be daunting. From Sofia, buses run as far as Berlin (170 lv), Paris (190 lv), Rome (180 lv) and even London (260 lv). German cities have especially good bus connections with Sofia. International buses also leave from Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and Haskovo. You will have to get off the bus at the border and walk through customs to present your passport. Long delays can be expected. When travelling out of Bulgaria by bus, the cost of entry visas for the countries concerned are not included in the prices of the bus tickets.

Car & motorcycle

Driving is a great way of getting around, but do note that foreign cars are prime targets for thieves. It’s probably better to hire a car inside the country.

Train

Bulgarian State Railways (BDZh; www.bdz-rila.com) operates all international train services.

Bus

The main departure/arrival points for buses to/from Greece are Sofia and Plovdiv. From Sofia, buses go to Athens (around 100 lv, 12 to 14 hours) and Thessaloniki (around 50 lv, eight to nine hours). Buses from Plovdiv also head to these cities; expect journey times of roughly 22 and 14 hours respectively, and prices of around 95 lv and 55 lv.

Train

The Trans-Balkan Express (trains 460 and 461) runs between Bucharest in Romania and Thessaloniki in Greece, passing through Ruse, Pleven, Sofia, Blagoevgrad and Sandanski. From Sofia, the journey time to Thessaloniki is roughly 15 hours.

The Sofia–Thessaloniki service (trains 361 and 362) links the two cities every day in summer (15 June to 30 September), taking about nine to 10 hours. Seats start at around 30 lv.Trains also travel between Svilengrad and Thessaloniki (nine to 10 hours).

Macedonia

Buses to Macedonia leave from Sofia, Blagoevgrad and Kyustendil. Buses from Sofia go to Skopje (24 lv, six hours) and Ohrid (40 lv, nine hours); buses from Kyustendil also go to Skopje (20 lv, five hours), while from Blagoevgrad, a daily service runs to Bitola (30 lv, around eight hours).

No trains travel directly between Bulgaria and Macedonia. The only way to Skopje by train from Sofia is to get a connection in Niš.

Bulgaria Air has three flights a week between Sofia and Skopje (one-way/return around €90/165).

Bus

There are four daily minibuses running between Ruse and Bucharest (one-way/return 20/30 lv).

Car & motorcycle

Crossing the bridge from Giurgiu in Romania into Ruse will incur a toll of €6 per car and €2 per motorbike or bicycle. A compulsory €10 ecological tax is also levied by the Bulgarian authorities. You are not permitted to cross at Giurgiu without transport.

Train

Most visitors travel to/from Romania by train and either start from or go through Ruse.

The Bulgaria Express runs between Sofia and Moscow, via Bucharest and Kiev, daily. The journey from Sofia to Bucharest takes around 12 hours.

Every day in summer, a train from Burgas and another from Varna connects with a train leaving Ruse for Bucharest (15 hours), which carries on towards Prague.

Also, every day in summer the Sofia–Saratov service travels to Bucharest. It departs from Sofia at 3.20pm and travels via Pleven, Gorna Oryakhovitsa and Ruse, before arriving at Bucharest about 13 hours later. It departs from Bucharest at 1.40pm.

Fares from Sofia to Bucharest are around 45 lv one way.

The Trans-Balkan Express travels daily between Thessaloniki and Bucharest, with onward connections to Budapest, via Sandanski, Sofia, Pleven and Ruse.

The Bosfor (trains 498 and 499) links Istanbul with the Romanian capital, passing through Stara Zagora, Veliko Târnovo and Ruse. The train leaves Istanbul at 10pm, Stara Zagora at 7.40am and Ruse at 1.30pm, reaching Bucharest at 4.30pm.

Serbia

Buses to Serbia leave from Sofia. There are frequent services to/from Belgrade, which cost about 40 lv and take eight hours.

The Balkan Express leaves Sofia and travels through Niš to Belgrade. It takes about nine hours from Sofia and a one-way ticket costs about 55 lv. The Sofia–Belgrade service (trains 292 and 293) also links the two capitals.

Bulgaria Air has a regular service between Sofia and Belgrade.

Bus

Several companies operate bus services to/from Turkey, departing from Sofia (Istanbul 45 lv, 18 hours), Burgas (Istanbul 35 lv, seven hours) and Varna (Istanbul 40 lv, 10 hours). From Plovdiv and Haskovo, expect to pay around 25 lv for a bus to Istanbul, with journey times of around eight to 10 hours.

Train

The daily Bosfor (trains 498 and 499) between Istanbul and Bucharest also crosses through Bulgaria year-round. It leaves Ruse for Istanbul passing through Gorna Oryakhovitsa and Stara Zagora, and takes around 16 hours.

The Balkan Express (trains 490 and 491) travels daily between Istanbul and Belgrade, with onward connections to Zagreb and Venice, via Bulgaria. It passes through Plovdiv and Sofia. The journey from Sofia to Istanbul takes about 15 to 17 hours and costs roughly 50 lv.

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Entering the destination

Entering the country

Now that Bulgaria is inside the EU, citizens of other EU nations, at least, will face minimal border formalities. Officially, there is still a fairly vague bureaucratic requirement that foreigners register with the police within 48 hours of arrival, but nobody really bothers with this communist-era leftover any more. At hotels, hostels, camping grounds and, sometimes, private homes, staff normally take details from your passport, fill out the registration form (in Cyrillic) and give you a copy. Theoretically, you must then show these forms to immigration officials when you leave. However, you’re unlikely to be asked to produce these forms when you leave, but keep hold of a couple, just in case.

Delays are common at border crossings, and customs officials are generally an unfriendly and suspicious lot; expect to be questioned on what business you have coming to Bulgaria and where you intend staying.

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Tours

Most tourists visit Bulgaria on package tours, the vast majority either based on the Black Sea coast or in the skiing resorts, while others come on tours specialising in bird-watching or hiking. For details about tour operators in Bulgaria.

One of the few foreign companies that offers organised sightseeing holidays to and around Bulgaria is the London-based Exodus (0845-863 9600; www.exodus.co.uk). Its nine-day ‘Rodopi Mountains’ tour costs around £600 per person, including flights from London. Check the website for exact prices, which vary through the year, and for other tours.

Balkan Holidays (www.balkanholidays.co.uk) is a leading specialist company offering package skiing and beach holidays in Bulgaria. A week in Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasâtsi) in July costs from around £300 per person, including the flight from London.

Inghams (020-8780 4433; www.inghams.co.uk) sells skiing breaks, offering a week in Bansko in January, including flights from the UK, from around £270 per person.

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Air

Airports & airlines

The Bulgarian national carrier is Bulgaria Air (airline code FB; 02-937 3370; www.air.bg), operating out of Sofia airport. It has only been in existence since the end of 2002 and has an unblemished safety record. In 2007 it merged with Hemus Air.

The main international airport is Sofia airport (02-937 2211; www.sofia-airport.bg), though some airlines also fly to/from Varna (www.varna-airport.bg) and, in summer, to Burgas (www.bourgas-airport.com). Plovdiv airport is only used by occasional charter flights, for example bringing some package holidaymakers to the ski resorts.

Airlines flying to/from bulgaria

Major airlines flying to/from Bulgaria include the following. All offices are in Sofia.

Aeroflot (airline code SU; 943 4489; www.aeroflot.ru) Hub: Moscow airport.

Aerosvit (airline code AEW; 980 7880; www.aerosvit.com) Hub: Kiev airport.

Air France (airline code AF; 939 7010; www.airfrance.com) Hub: Paris airport.

Alitalia (airline code AZ; 981 6702; www.alitalia.it) Hub: Rome Fiumicino airport.

Austrian Airlines (airline code OS; 980 2323; www.aua.com) Hub: Vienna airport.

British Airways (airline code BA; 954 7000; www.britishairways.com) Hub: London Heathrow airport.

Czech Airlines (airline code OK; 981 5408; www.csa.cz) Hub: Prague airport.

easyJet (airline code EZY; www.easyjet.com) Hub: London Gatwick airport.

LOT Polish Airlines (airline code LO; 987 4562; www.lot.com) Hub: Warsaw airport.

Lufthansa Airlines (airline code LH; 930 4242; www.lufthansa.com) Hub: Frankfurt airport.

Malev-Hungarian Airlines (airline code MA; 981 5091; www.malev.hu) Hub: Budapest airport.

Olympic Airlines (airline code OA; 981 4545; www.olympicairlines.com) Hub: Athens airport.

Turkish Airlines (airline code TK; 988 3596; www.turkishairlines.com) Hub: Ankara airport.

Wizz Air (airline code WZZ; 960 3888; www.wizzair.com) Hub: Budapest airport.

Australia

There are no airlines that offer direct flights to Bulgaria from Australia, so you’ll have to travel via one or more stopovers in Europe, such as London, Moscow or Frankfurt. Prices vary considerably, depending on the time of year you’re travelling and the airline you choose to fly with.

STA Travel (134 782; www.statravel.com.au) offers cheap tickets, and has offices in all major cities and on many university campuses. Flight Centre (13 31 33; www.flightcentre.com.au) also has dozens of offices throughout Australia. Student Flights (1800 046 462; www.studentflights.com.au) is an excellent source for discounted flights, including round-the-world options.

Canada

Again, there are no direct flights between any Canadian airports and Bulgaria; instead you will need to fly to, say, London, Frankfurt or Rome, and pick up a connection there. Travel CUTS (toll-free 1-866 246 9762; www.travelcuts.com) is Canada’s national student travel agency and has offices in all major cities. Online, try Travelocity (toll-free 877-282 2925; www.travelocity.ca).

Balkans

Bulgaria Air has five flights a week to Bucharest (one-way/return around €165/260). Olympic Airlines departs regularly from Athens and Bulgaria Air flies five times a week to the Greek capital. Bulgaria Air has one weekly flight to Tirana. Also, Turkish Airlines has regular flights to Sofia from Ankara and Istanbul, with prices from around €200 one way, and Bulgaria Air flies from Sofia to Istanbul.

France

Bulgaria Air and Air France both fly between Sofia and Paris daily. Voyages Wasteels (01-55 82 32 33; www.wasteels.fr) has 65 branches across France. For online flight deals, try the website www.opodo.fr.

Germany

There are more flights to Bulgaria from Germany than from any other European country. Bulgaria Air flies five times a week from Sofia to Berlin and daily to Frankfurt. Lufthansa Airlines flies daily from Frankfurt and Munich. Wizz Air flies twice weekly to Sofia from Dortmund.

STA Travel (069-743 032 92; www.statravel.de) has branches in major cities across the country. For online offers, visit www.opodo.de.

Elsewhere in Europe

Numerous flights to Sofia are available from elsewhere in Europe. Prices vary widely, so shop around for the best deal. From Rome, Bulgaria Air flies five times a week. Alitalia also flies regularly from Milan and Rome. Both Austrian Airlines and Bulgaria Air connect Vienna with Sofia at least three times a week. Austrian Airlines also flies daily from Vienna to Varna and three times a week to Burgas.

Bulgaria Air runs daily flights between Sofia and Amsterdam; it also flies six times a week to Brussels, three times a week to Prague, three times a week to Zurich, six times a week to Madrid and three times a week to Barcelona. In summer it also operates weekly services to Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Alicante.

Czech Airlines flies from Prague to Sofia five days a week. From Poland, LOT Polish Airlines departs daily from Warsaw, while Wizz Air flies from Katowice and Warsaw to Burgas; Wizz also flies from Budapest to both Varna and Burgas. Malev-Hungarian Airlines has regular flights to Sofia and Varna from Budapest. Both Aeroflot and Bulgaria Air travel regularly between Sofia and Moscow all year, and both fly at least once a week between Varna and Moscow. Aerosvit has a regular service to/from Kiev and Sofia.

Further afield, Bulgaria Air also flies to Larnaca and Paphos (in Cyprus), Beirut, Tripoli and Tel Aviv.

New Zealand

As with Australia, you’ll need to fly via another European country to get to Bulgaria from New Zealand. Flight Centre (toll-free 0800 243 544; www.flightcentre.co.nz) has branches throughout the country, and STA Travel (toll-free 0800 474 400; www.statravel.co.nz) also has offices in the major cities.

UK

Both British Airways and Bulgaria Air fly daily between London and Sofia. Bulgaria Air is normally the cheaper of the two, with oneway/return flights costing around £120/165. Bulgaria Air also flies to Manchester three times weekly and connects London with Varna three times a week in summer. Budget airline Wizz Air flies three or four times a week between London Luton and Sofia, and in summer also flies to Burgas. Another budget carrier, easyJet, flies regularly between London Gatwick and Sofia.

STA Travel (0871 230 0040; www.statravel.co.uk) has offices across the UK. It sells tickets to all travellers, but caters especially to students and travellers under 26 years. Student Flights (0870 499 4004; www.studentflights.co.uk) and Global Village Travel (0844 844 2541; www.globalvillage-travel.com) are also worth a look. Online ticket agencies such as www.opodo.co.uk and www.expedia.co.uk often have competitive prices.

USA

There are no direct flights between Bulgaria and anywhere in the USA. You can take a British Airways flight to London, and another on to Sofia, or fly to any major European city, such as Rome, Frankfurt or Paris, and catch a regular flight to Sofia. Prices are subject to change, so check around for the best deals available at the time you wish to travel.

Discount travel agents in the USA and Canada are known as consolidators. San Francisco is the ticket-consolidator capital of America, though some good deals can also be found in most major cities. Cheap Tickets Inc (www.cheaptickets.com) is an air consolidator offering discounts of up to 25%. Also worth checking out is the International Association of Air Travel Couriers (IAATC; www.courier.org).

STA Travel (toll-free 800-781 4040; www.statravel.com) has offices in most major cities. For online quotes, try Airbrokers (www.airbrokers.com).

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