Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2 Planning Your Trip to Bulgaria
VISITOR INFO
With limited funds and a (somewhat understandable) suspicion of any centralized
bureau, a state-funded tourism body for Bulgaria does not at present exist, nor a
tourism-oriented ethos. There are however a number of websites professing to be inde-
pendent travel advisors; of these www.discover-bulgaria.com is the best for general
information. Sofia-based
Zig Zag
(p. 72) is an excellent independent advice bureau
and offers a range of services. If you're particularly interested in monasteries, Alder Travel
specializes in tours to these (www.alder-travel.com or www.bulgarianmonasteries.
com); other recommended tour operators offering general information on their web-
sites are www.study-tours.org, www.andantetravels.co, and www.boroinvest.com. For
up-to-date background on the political and economic scene, check out www.sofiaecho.
com, Bulgaria's English-language weekly newspaper, staffed by a group of young
enthusiastic expats and opinionated Bulgarians. Once there you will struggle to get
useful information from “official” bureaus—assuming there is one, and it is open
(most offices are understaffed and don't stick to advertised hours). Your best source of
information lies with upmarket hotels and, of course, this chapter.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. may visit visa-
free for 30 days in any 6-month period, as long as your passport is valid for 3 months
beyond your stay. Travelers can import an unlimited amount of cash, but if it exceeds
4,000
€
the sum must be declared, as you may not export more than imported. The
quotas for duty-free import and export of goods for noncommercial use are generally
the same as in E.U. countries; note that valuable antiques, artworks, or coins need a
permit issued by the Ministry of Culture.
Upon arrival visitors are supposed to register with the local police within 5 days—
most hotels will do this paperwork for you, providing you with a registration slip,
which you should keep with your passport for when you depart. Officially you are
liable to be fined should the authorities demand to see this before you leave the coun-
try, but as a short-term visitor you are unlikely to encounter any problems, and there
is talk of phasing this out.
MONEY
Regardless of what the tourist literature may tell you about credit cards being widely
accepted, please note that outside of Sofia, they certainly are not. Simply put, always
carry cash. The local currency is known as the lev or leva (BGN). One lev is made up of
100 stotinki (in denominations of 10, 20, and 50). As the national currency is currently
Tour Guides on Call
With English-speaking guides and useful leaflets rather thin on the ground,
there is a welcome new initiative launched by local cellphone operator Globul
last year. Look out for large brown signboards at popular sites headed with
“Call and Learn More About . . . “; dial the number and a recorded voice pro-
vides you with background information about the site. Cost of call is 1.20lev
($1.50/40p), 30% of which goes toward upkeep of the site viewed; information
lasts about 3 minutes.
