Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Major Festivals in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian calendar features numerous festivals throughout the year, par-
ticularly in the rural areas, but the following are worth making a note of: The
Kukeri Festival
is visually arresting: villagers don terrifying outfits to ward of
the demons that stalk the earth. It is celebrated in the southwest on
New Year's
Eve, January 1
or
14
(and sometimes in Mar; see box “Scary Monsters: Freddy
Eat Your Heart Out” on p. 88).
Velikden
(Easter) is the most important holiday
in the Orthodox Church, and services with huge attendances are deeply mov-
ing—the main service takes place on Saturday night when priests emerge from
behind the iconostasis with blazing candelabra and the congregation follows
as they perambulate the church three times in celebration of the resurrection.
The hugely popular but overrated
Festival of Roses
is celebrated in
early June
in the town of Kazanlak. The
Sofia Music Weeks
usually take place
late May
to
early June
and are a must for classical music lovers, as is the symphonic musical
festival held in Plovdiv in
mid-June
. Jazz is added to the line up for the
Varna
Summer Festival
(
mid-June to mid-Aug
) and Sozopol's
Appollonia Festival
(
early Sept)
.
€
tied to the euro at a fixed rate of almost 2lev = 1
, euros are almost universally accepted;
the dollar, being a less stable rate, is less popular (conversions here are worked at a 1
=
$1.27 rate). Banks are the best place to exchange other currency, or draw money on your
cards (exchange bureaus charges are usually higher). There are plenty of functioning
ATMs in cities and medium-size towns. As credit cards are usually not accepted outside
of the big cities (and even where they are, its worth knowing that MasterCard and Visa
are more widely so), it is probably ideal to carry a combination of euro traveler's checks
and card(s) to make periodic ATM transactions—look out for the latest FNB machines,
as these now allow a 400lev ($254/£88) withdrawal in one go (and three in succession).
At press time, the exchange rates for 10lev roughly equaled $6.50 or £2. Many hotels
list rates in euros—in those instances, we only list euro and U.S. dollar amounts at an
exchange of 1
€
to $1.27.
WHEN TO GO
With four clearly defined seasons, what you do depends on what time of the year you
decide to visit, and—given altitude ranges from sea level to 2,000m (6,560 ft.)—
exactly where in Bulgaria you're heading. The best time to visit from a scenic and cui-
sine point of view is June, when the markets are full of fresh produce, or during
September for the fall colors. July and August tend to be hot, sometimes uncomfort-
ably so (average is around 86°F/30°C, but it can be in excess of 104°F/40°C); this is
when people traditionally flee Sofia and Plovdiv, seeking respite in the cooler moun-
tain villages and crowded coast. It's not worth visiting in winter unless you're here for
the snow; Bulgaria's skiing season runs from December to March.
HOLIDAYS
January 1 (New Year's Day), March 3 (Liberation of Bulgaria), Easter Sunday and
Easter Monday, May 1 (Labor Day), May 6 (St. George's Day), May 24 (Saints Cyril
and Methodius Day, aka Day of Slavonic Education and Culture), September 6 (Uni-
fication Day); September 22 (Independence Day) December 24, 25, and 26 (Christ-
mas). Shops, museums, and banks are closed on all holidays.
€
