About Bulgaria

  General information:
­  Population: 7977646
­  Area: 110933 sq. km
­  Language: Bulgarian
­  Religion: Orthodox
­  Summer temperatures: 26° to 30°C
­  Winter temperatures: -5° to 5°C
­  Time zone: GMT +2 (April – September +3)
­  Capital – Sofia
­  Currency – Lev(BGN)
­  Exchange – 1 Euro / 1.95583 BGN

    Location and territory
  Bulgaria is located in South-Eastern Europe and occupies the North-eastern part of Balkan Peninsula. To the North, the country border on Romania via the Danube River, to    the East it touches the Black sea, its southern neighbours are Turkey and Greece, and the West it borders on the Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia and Serbia.

    To drive in Bulgaria
  you have to be at least 18 years old. You can use your national license, if it is issued by a country - signatory to the Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna 1968). To avoid   unnecessary problems it is useful also to have an international license. Remember always carry your driver’s license with you when you drive. If a representative of the traffic   police stops you, do not get out of the car and wait for the policeman to approach. You could be asked to present the vehicle’s documentation which consists in registration   card, technical support card and third party liability policy.

    Roads
  Roads in Bulgaria are bumpy and sometimes hard to drive, when we talk about the countryside. So – drive slowly and carefully. In and around the bigger towns and cities roads  are better and faster. Be careful on the motorways too – some of them are currently partially in repairs.
  Speed limit

  In the cities speed limit is 50km/h, outside city limits – 90km/h. On the high way 130km/h are allowed.

    Fines
  For violating speed restrictions you will be fined between 20 and 150 leva, which you could be asked to pay when leaving the country, at the customs. Remember – fasten   your seat belts. Otherwise you could pay a fine of 40 leva

    Car Parks
  Be careful where you park your car – in cities you could not only be fined but your car could be taken away, which will cost you stress and money! You can park for up to 2   hours in the city centre, in the designated blue zones. The fee for up to one hour parking is 1.00 leva. Some car parks are privately run and prices vary.

    Petrol stations
  The biggest petrol station chains in Bulgaria are OMV, Shell, Petrol and LUK Oil In this petrol stations you pay cash or with a credit card.

    Equipment
  You should always check the emergency equipment of your car because there are some things required by law: emergency medical box, fire extinguisher, triangle, spare tyre  with rim, jack screw and lug wrench.

  Emergency numbers
  150 – First aid
  160 – Fire Department
  166 – Closest police department
  165 – Traffic police