Planning a trip to Bulgaria

Tips on Dining

Bulgarians are not very adventurous when it comes to dining, and restaurants -- be they upscale, traditional mehanas (taverns), informal diners, or sidewalk cafes -- tend to serve the same menu, with small regional differences, throughout the country. Food varies between good and incredibly delicious; location and price are not good predictors of quality or what arrives on the plate. A much better bet is to look for places that attract what clearly is a local clientele, despite the ubiquitous plastic chairs and/or lack of obvious ambience. In fact, the only bad meal you're likely to come across is in an upscale (and empty) restaurant featuring a fancy fusion menu.

One of the best things about Bulgarian restaurants is that they don't define lunch or dinner time -- most open at around 11am and you can order anything anytime after this. Note that plates are served as they are ready, so don't expect courses to arrive at the same time. Also, if you eat at a mehana, portions are often small; for a full meal, choose a few items. Service is sometimes atrocious, but don't take it personally and make sure you check the bill carefully. A 10% tip is expected, but a service charge is often included. Most places have an English translation of the menu, but descriptions are general, making the choice, given the enormous length of most menus, difficult. If lost, order any of the following stalwarts, featured on every menu across the land: Tarator (cold cucumber and yogurt soup, with chopped garlic, walnuts, and dill); shopska salad (cucumber, tomatoes, spring onion, and red pepper, topped with grated white cheese, not unlike feta in taste, and an olive); kebapche or kufte (respectively, finely spiced barbecued sausage or meatball, often cumin-dominated, and prepared over coals), ordered with "garnish" (potatoes or vegetables, and/or bread -- ask for the bread grilled), or try parlenka, the local pizza, or patatnik, a Rhodopean specialty in which the potatoes are grated and pan-baked with onions, egg, goat's cheese, and herbs); shopski cheese (a creamy cheese, tomato, onion, egg, and mild chili pepper bake); mish mash (a surprisingly delicious egg, cheese, and red-pepper mix); or burek (red peppers or zucchini stuffed with a feta-type cheese, spices, and egg). Other typical items on the menu include kavarma (individual casseroles of meat, at its best melt-in-the-mouth tender, baked with garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms in a traditional earthenware pot), sarmi (vine leaves stuffed with rice and tender spicy minced pork and covered in dill-infused strained or thick yogurt), and moussaka (a Greek dish of minced meat with eggplant). Bulgarian breakfast is comprised of banitsa -- a flaky pastry stuffed with salty white cheese -- and espresso or boza, made from fermented millet; the latter is an acquired taste.

Getting Around

By Car -- To see the real Bulgaria, you'll have to get off the beaten track, and this means hiring a car and driver because most directional and street signs are written in Cyrillic. If you have time to get lost, numerous car-rental companies are available (and presently all you'll need is your national driver's license). To get the best deal, surf around and compare the big-name global brands with the highly reputable www.avtorent.com (10-group cars from 14€-52€/$18-$66, including unlimited mileage and insurance), www.md-rent.com, and www.vickyrent.com. The speed limit in the country is 50 to 60kmph (31-37 mph) in populated areas, 80kmph (50 mph) on minor roads, and 120kmph (74 mph) on highways; note that you'll need to display a 5€ ($6.35) per week vignette/decal (from OMV or Shell gas stations).

To rent a car with a driver, contact Rent-Cars-With-Driver (tel. 359 02828/68 67 or 359 0888/68 48 48 (mobile); http://rentacarsdriver.dir.bg) or Alexander Tours (tel. 359 2 983 52 58; www.alexandertour.com), which is a Sofia-based full-service agency that provides air-conditioned cars and drivers who are also knowledgeable guides. You can book one of their standard tours (seacoast, UNESCO sites, and the like) or design your own itinerary. Contact Aneliya Gospodinova at office@alexandertours.com to book. Ask for the services of their superguide Toma Georgiev. If you use Plovdiv as your base, Toma, who lives in Plovdiv, is available for private day tours to Veliko Tarnovo, Rila Monastery, the Black Sea Coast, and many other destinations. The charge per day is 70€ ($89) plus 15€ ($19) per 100km (62 miles), and includes travel in an air-conditioned Ford Focus and guide services, plus return to Plovdiv or drop-off at your destination. Contact Toma directly at tel. 359-887-863-591 or at toma@ivelconsult.com.

Alternatively, Surprise Tours is a one-man company run by the charming Svetlio (tel. 088/7485174; svelte@mail.bg). Svetlio charges 70€ ($89) per day and 8€ ($10) per 100km (62 miles) to drive you anywhere in his (non-air-conditioned) Passat. While not an official guide, he is knowledgeable and he is at your beck and call 24 hours. If you want an air-conditioned or 4*4 vehicle, there is an additional fee. Day trips to Rila, Koprivshtitsa, Melnik, Plovdiv, and Veliko Tarnovo cost 80€ to 85€ ($102-$108). A tip is welcome (and usually earned), but not expected.

By Bus -- This is the best way to get around if you have decided against hiring a car, as the proliferation of private companies like ETAP and Grup (www.etapgroup.com) and Biomet (www.biomet-bg.com) has meant that buses are smart, clean, reliable, and user-friendly. This is particularly true if you are traveling and making all your bookings from Sofia. The recently renovated Central Bus Station (http://tis.centralnaavtogara.bg) has an information desk staffed by helpful English speakers, and also boasts an easy-to-use self-help computer system, providing timetables and exact prices charged. There are regular buses (almost hourly) to Plovdiv, Varna, and Veliko Tarnovo; getting to smaller towns like Bansko and Koprivshtitsa will require advance planning.

By Train -- Train travel is not recommended at present. Not only is infrastructure old, leading to potential delays, but cars are often grimy and fellow passengers, usually heavy smokers, are plucked from Sartre's depiction of hell. Bus travel is by comparison well organized, relatively comfortable, and faster. That said, national train carrier Bulgarian State Railways (BDZh) connects most towns in Bulgaria (with the exception of those located in mountainous Rhodopes and Pirin) and hosts a friendly website, so travelers use the rail system relatively easily (though note that outside of Sofia you'll still have to deal with signboards in Cyrillic, and no on-board indication that you've arrived at your destination); for timetables check http://bdz.creato.biz/en or www.bdz.bg. For information contact Sofia's Central Railway Station at tel. 02/932-3333.

By Plane -- Air travel is a tad indulgent, given that Bulgaria is relatively small (it takes 4-5 hr. to drive from Sofia to the coast), but if you need to get from one side of the country to the other fast, a few airlines connect Sofia with the coast.

Tips on Shopping

Bulgarians are gifted artisans. Low prices only add to the temptation, so make sure you arrive with plenty of space in your suitcase. Crafts worth buying include the uniquely painted earthenware table- and cookware; wooden carvings; spices (chubritsa in particular); rakia (the grape- or plum-based brandy, enjoyed as an aperitif with salad); red wine (even when it's dirt cheap it's good, but if you're after something special look out for anything produced by Damianitza, particularly Red Ark and No Man's Land); carpets; and embroidered clothing and tablecloths (the traditional red tablecloths you find in almost every restaurant are as cheerful as gingham). Icons are sold on every street corner and in churches, but most are prints pasted on to timber blocks. For a beautifully painted icon you're best off purchasing direct from a master, like the two working out of Etura. Clothing produced locally is very cheap but looks it; better bargains are imported from Turkey. Shops tend to close on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays. Most important (again!), bear in mind that outside of Sofia, shops usually don't accept credit cards. Of those that do, MasterCard and Visa are more widely accepted. A useful website if you're looking for something specific is www.need.bg/en, a comprehensive Bulgarian business catalog.

Getting There

By Plane -- Bulgaria has three international airports: Sofia, Varna, and Bourgas, but most visitors arrive at Sofia, currently served by 17 airlines from 47 European and Middle Eastern cities, with a brand-new terminal that opened in 2006. At present travelers from North America cannot fly directly to Bulgaria; the most frequent connections are usually through London or Frankfurt. Tip: Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) offers flights from most destinations across Europe into Bulgaria, but a round-trip flight from London's Luton Airport to Sofia can cost as much as 385£ ($622) including taxes. In addition, charter flights into Varna and Bourgas usually are available during the peak summer season; others fly into Plovdiv to coincide with the skiing season, but beware of the taxes and fuel add-ons on any carrier that calls itself a "low-cost" airline.

By Train -- Rail travel is very time-consuming (traveling from Budapest via Serbia takes 17-24 hr.; via Romania, it's closer to 60), and trains and infrastructure in Bulgaria are not well maintained. There is also the wearing potential of a trip ruined by thieves or hustlers. Should you still favor the romance of rail, you will at least (assuming you're a citizen of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the U.K.) not need a transit visa through Serbia or Romania. For information on a Eurail Selectpass, which allows travel between three to five Eastern European countries, check out www.eurail.net, though note that these passes seldom end up being real value for the money. Popular routes are the Trans-Balkan, which connects Budapest with Thessalonniki, stopping in Sofia (there's also a stop near Veliko Tarnovo), and the Bulgaria Express, which connects Sofia with Moscow; and the daily Sofia-Belgrade line. In summer you can travel from Bucharest, Budapest, Bratislava, and Prague to Varna and Bourgas.

By Bus -- Buses are generally newer and cleaner than trains, and most major cities in Germany, as well as Budapest, Prague, and Vienna, have regular bus service to Sofia. However, due to distances and poor roads (and occasionally tedious and lengthy delays at border crossings), this can be a time-consuming way to travel. Most of the bus journeys from western Europe pass through Serbia; as above, no transit visa is required. For information about bus service from Sofia's relatively slick International Railway Station, call tel. 02/952-5004.

By Car & Ferry -- Visitors traveling from western Europe by car either will take a ferry from Italy to Greece, then head due north; pass through Serbia, where special car insurance is required; or traverse Romania, where road conditions are poor. The ferry crosses the Danube from Vidin. Insurance is compulsory: It either can be taken out beforehand or on the Bulgarian border.

Fast Facts

Addresses -- Note that streets in Bulgaria are called ulitsa; squares are ploshtad; and a boulevard is bulevard. Sveta, usually prefacing a church, means Saint, and some places have no address at all.

Area Code -- The area code is 359.

Banks -- You'll find banks and ATMs almost everywhere in the city centers and on the main roads running through most towns. Cash is still the most widely used form of payment; make sure you've withdrawn from these before visiting small villages in the mountains.

Business Hours -- Shops usually open weekdays 9 or 10am to 7pm, and Saturdays 9am to 1pm. On Sundays, most shops are closed. Banks, shops, and sites in rural towns often take a midday break between 12:30 or 1pm and 2pm, and close at 5pm. Most museums are closed on Mondays.

Climate -- Summers have a mean maximum temperature of 86° to 95°F (30°-35°C), while winters range between mean maximum of 50° and 59°F (10°-15°C). Hottest months are July and August. For local weather forecast call tel. 175.

Directory Assistance -- For telephone numbers call tel. 144 or 02/987-3131; information on long-distance calls can be obtained at tel. 0123.

Drugstores -- While these are found in most towns, most are staffed by people who do not understand English. If you do not have a prescription in Bulgarian or a guide, ask your concierge or host to assist you.

Electricity -- Local current is 220 volts. Outlets take plugs with two round prongs, typical to continental Europe.

Emergencies -- Ambulance tel. 150; fire tel. 160; police tel. 166; traffic police tel. 165; roadside assistance 91 146; crime hot line tel. 02/982-2212.

Hospitals -- If you are involved in an accident in Sofia, ask to be taken to Hospital Vita (www.vita.bg), located at 9 Dragovitza St. (tel. 02/943-4398 or 02/846-5376). For nonsurgical procedures, head for IMC Medical Centre, located at 28 Gogol St., where staff is on call 24 hours (tel. 02/944-9326 or 0886 532 551; imc@gbg.bg).

Internet Access -- Bulgaria has good Internet services in major cities; outside that, cybercafes are sparse. If it's important, choose a hotel that offers Internet connection.

Newspapers & Books -- You can pick up the Sofia Echo, the weekly English-language paper, at most newspaper stands in Sofia. English books outside the capital tend to be the schlock crime genre or highbrow classics catering to the student population. When in Sofia, head for the Book Market on ploshtad Slaveikov (open daily, weather permitting) for used novels, or pop into nearby Dom na Knigata, on ul Graf Ignatieve (tel. 02/981 7898; Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-6pm).

Police -- While corruption and Mafiosi-style crime makes headlines, you're unlikely to become a victim. Politsia can be contacted at tel. 166.

Post Office -- Post offices are located throughout the country, and usually are open from 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Saturday, but opening hours can be unpredictable in small towns. The main post office is in Sofia, at 6 Gen Gurko St. (tel. 02/9496442/46). There is also an Internet cafe here.

Restrooms -- Public restrooms are generally not great, and many charge a small fee for their use and for toilet paper despite the fact that they are often Turkish-style "squat pots." Better to head into the nearest restaurant.

Telephone -- Calling home from Bulgaria can be costly. Hotels often quadruple phone charges. Pay phones demand a prepaid phone card, typically sold in small kiosks by a person not likely to speak English (though some hotels stock them). Intrafonica Bulgaria offers easy-to-use GSM cellphone rentals; review the packages on the Net (www.intrafonica.com), make your choice, and fax the order form and copy of your passport. They will provide you with a local GSM cellphone number within 48 hours, then deliver the phone to your hotel on the first night of arrival. Bulgaria's code is tel. 359.

Tipping -- Leave 10% to 15% for all good restaurant and bar service.

Safety & Crime -- Bulgaria is one of Europe's safest countries, with a below-average crime rate; all you need to guard against is pickpockets and petty theft.

Time Zone -- Bulgaria is 2 hours ahead of GMT.

Water -- Bulgaria's tap water is not only potable but delicious.

Tips on Accommodations

Unless you're staying in one of the few five-star hotels in Bulgaria, do not expect western standards of service. In small towns you probably will be better off dealing with a family proprietor, but there you'll often struggle to find someone who speaks English. Bulgaria's star ratings are misleading; take one off from most establishments and you'll have a much better idea of what you're in for. Decor trends are firmly stuck in the last century (only a handful of hotels across the country could be described as modern boutique), and rooms generally are bare, with cheap prefab pine furniture and laminate flooring. Note that Bulgarian hotel descriptions often refer to suites as "apartments," but do not assume that this means a kitchenette or dining area. Bathrooms are usually tiny shower rooms: a large cubicle with a toilet and basin with shower overhead, sans doors or shower curtain but with a drain in the middle of the floor. If you're lucky, the toilet paper will remain dry.

On the bright side, places are almost always impeccably clean and incredibly cheap (hoteliers are no longer allowed to charge foreigners a higher price than locals). Websites worth investigating are www.hotelsbulgaria.com and www.hotels-in-bulgaria.com, though neither features opinionated reviews. If you're more interested in B&B/guesthouses/family hotels, the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism (BAAT), offers a fabulous booklet with a single photograph and brief description of each entry, along with useful advice on how to plan your trip. To find out where to get a booklet, check www.baat.org. Tip: In small towns you may have problems making a booking, particularly if you want a particular room, as so few people speak English; use Surprise Tours booking service -- send your entire Bulgaria itinerary to svelte@mail.bg and all your bookings will be made for a one-time fee of 20€ ($25).

Regions in Brief

The Lay of the Land

Bulgaria is in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, sandwiched between Greece and Turkey to the south and the Danube River (which denotes most of its border with Romania) to the north. Macedonia and Serbia lie to the west, the Black Sea to the east. More than half the country is mountainous, with the Sredna Gora and Balkan ranges slicing the country in half, and the southcentral plains (Valley of the Kings) flanked by the Pirin, Rila, and Rhodope mountain ranges.

The Regions in Brief

Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, is by far the country's most populous area, with 1.2 million citizens. But the southern mountain ranges 90 minutes away are where the country really starts to strut its stuff. The eternally snowcapped and majestic Rila and Pirin peaks dominate the region, stopping just short of 3,000m (9,840 ft.). These mountains are home to the country's most popular hikes and skiing opportunities as well as the hottest mineral spring in Europe -- a scalding 216°F (102°C). East of the Rila and Pirin lies the Rhodope range, with gorges and valleys covered in virgin forest and dotted with mountain villages. Touring this region by car is a must for any traveler serious about seeing the "real" Bulgaria.

Sredna Gora and the Balkan mountain ranges east of Sofia run through central Bulgaria, creating the Danubian plains of the north, while their southern slopes drop into the evocative-sounding Valley of the Kings (aka Valley of Roses after the rose farms there that produce some of the world's best-quality attar). Kazanluk is the unofficial capital of the region, but Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-most populous city (pop. 340,000), has a gorgeous historic center and makes a far better base for exploring.

Veliko Tarnovo is a short drive north from Plovdiv and just as captivating. Once Bulgaria's medieval capital, it is in the central Balkan range and a good stopover on your way to Varna, Bulgaria's third largest city (pop. 300,000, but larger during summer). Varna marks the beginning of a highly commercialized concrete ribbon of resorts that line the 380km (236-mile) Black Sea coastline, broken by the UNESCO-listed village of Nessebar, with its numerous Byzantine-influenced churches, and laid-back Sozopol.