Greece
North Macedonia
Romania
Serbia
TürkiyeThe gold of Varna
People of the Varna culture buried their leaders with rich gold ornaments. The graves, dated to between about 4600 and 4200 BC, were found by chance in 1972 and hold what is often called the oldest gold treasure in the world.
Southeast Europe
Bulgaria
Rose valleys, painted monasteries and Black Sea beaches in the country where the Cyrillic alphabet was born.
Your trip to Bulgaria
Ready for the trip?
Explore Bulgaria
You have explored 0 of 9 parts. Scroll on to discover the rest.
Print the Bulgaria pack
A free large-print PDF. Choose what goes in: facts, map, history, dishes and recipes, phrases, fun facts, a quiz with or without answers. Made for clubs, care homes, libraries and family afternoons.
Overview
Bulgaria at a glance
Bulgaria lies in the east of the Balkan Peninsula, with the Danube river along most of its northern border and the Black Sea to the east. The Balkan Mountains cross the middle of the country from west to east. To the north lies the flat Danubian Plain, and to the south the warm Upper Thracian Plain and the high Rila, Pirin and Rhodope mountains. Musala in the Rila mountains is the highest peak in the whole Balkan Peninsula.
People have lived here for a very long time: the gold found in a cemetery at Varna is more than 6,000 years old. Thracians, Greeks and Romans followed, and in 681 the First Bulgarian Empire was founded. In the 890s scholars at its capital Preslav developed the Cyrillic alphabet, which today is also used for Russian, Serbian and many other languages. After almost five centuries of Ottoman rule, Bulgaria was reborn as a state in 1878 and declared full independence in 1908.
Today Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic of about 6.4 million people. It joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007, became a full member of the Schengen area on 1 January 2025, and adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, replacing the Bulgarian lev.
CapitalSofia
PopulationAbout 6.4 million
Official languageBulgarian, written in the Cyrillic alphabet
CurrencyEuro (€), since 1 January 2026. It replaced the Bulgarian lev
AreaAbout 111,000 km²
GovernmentParliamentary republic
Highest mountainMusala, 2,925 m, in the Rila mountains. It is also the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula
Longest river entirely in BulgariaThe Iskar, 368 km, flowing from the Rila mountains past Sofia to the Danube
NeighboursRomania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey by land, with the Black Sea coast to the east
Drives on theRight
Calling code+359
The story
A short history of Bulgaria
Bulgaria's story runs from what is often called the oldest worked gold in the world and the Thracians, through two medieval empires and almost five hundred years of Ottoman rule, to rebirth in 1878, communism, and today's place in the European Union.
4500 BC AD 681 The First Bulgarian Empire
Bulgars led by Khan Asparuh moved south of the Danube and defeated a Byzantine army. A peace treaty of 681 recognised their state, the beginning of Bulgaria.
AD 864 Boris I adopts Christianity
Khan Boris I was baptised and made Orthodox Christianity the religion of his state. A shared faith and, soon after, a written language helped join Bulgars and Slavs into one people.
AD 893 Simeon's golden age
Simeon the Great began his long reign, a golden age of Bulgarian culture. Scholars at the Preslav Literary School developed the Cyrillic alphabet in the 890s, and the empire reached its largest size.
1185 The Second Bulgarian Empire
After more than 150 years under Byzantine rule, the brothers Asen and Peter from Tarnovo led a revolt and restored the Bulgarian state, with Tarnovo as its capital.
1396 The Ottoman conquest
Tarnovo fell to the Ottomans in 1393 after a three-month siege, and in 1396, after a Christian crusade was defeated at Nicopolis, the Ottomans took Vidin, the last Bulgarian kingdom. Almost five centuries of Ottoman rule followed.
1762 Paisius writes his history
At the Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos, the monk Paisius of Hilendar finished his Slavonic-Bulgarian History. Copied by hand and passed around, it helped wake a new national pride.
1876 The April Uprising
Bulgarians rose up against Ottoman rule. The revolt was crushed, and up to 30,000 people were killed. The massacres shocked Europe and led to a new war the next year.
1878 Liberation
After the Russo-Turkish War, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed on 3 March 1878 and created a Bulgarian principality. 3 March is now Bulgaria's national holiday, Liberation Day.
1885 Unification with Eastern Rumelia
The Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, around Plovdiv, joined the Principality of Bulgaria. Bulgaria then defended the union in a short war with Serbia.
1908 Independence declared
On 5 October 1908 Prince Ferdinand proclaimed Bulgaria a fully independent kingdom at a church in the old capital, Tarnovo, and took the title of tsar.
1943 Deportations halted
Bulgaria was allied with Nazi Germany. In March 1943 it deported 11,343 Jews from the lands it occupied in Macedonia, Thrace and Pirot, and almost all of them were murdered. Protests by the deputy speaker of parliament Dimitar Peshev, other politicians and the Orthodox Church stopped the plans to deport the Jews of Bulgaria itself, who survived the war.
1946 Bulgaria becomes a republic
After communists took power in 1944, a referendum on 8 September 1946 ended the monarchy. The young Tsar Simeon II left the country, and a one-party people's republic followed.
1989 The fall of communism
On 10 November 1989 the long-time leader Todor Zhivkov was forced to resign. In February 1990 the Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power, free elections followed that June and a democratic constitution was adopted in 1991.
2007 Joining the EU
On 1 January 2007 Bulgaria joined the European Union, together with Romania. It had joined NATO in 2004.
2026 The euro arrives
On 1 January 2026 the euro replaced the Bulgarian lev after 146 years, making Bulgaria the 21st member of the euro area. A year earlier, on 1 January 2025, it had become a full member of the Schengen area.
At the table
What to eat in Bulgaria
Bulgarian food shares much with its Balkan neighbours, Turkey and Greece, and is rich in vegetables, yogurt and white cheese. A meal usually starts with a salad and a small glass of rakia, followed by a soup or a stew, grilled meat or a vegetable dish, and ends with something sweet. Breakfast is often a warm pastry with yogurt or boza.
SnackRecipe
Banitsa
banitsa (баница)
All of Bulgaria
A pie of thin filo pastry layered with a filling of whisked eggs, yogurt and crumbled white cheese, baked until golden. It is eaten for breakfast, hot or cold, with yogurt, ayran or boza.
On New Year's Eve, lucky charms such as coins, small dogwood twigs or wishes written on paper are baked into the banitsa.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g filo pastry sheets
- 4 eggs
- 250 g plain yogurt
- 300 g sirene or feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 100 g butter, melted, or 100 ml sunflower oil
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C and brush a round or square baking dish with butter.
- Stir the baking soda into the yogurt, then whisk in the eggs and the crumbled cheese.
- Lay 2 sheets of filo in the dish, brush with butter and spread a few spoonfuls of filling on top. Repeat, loosely crumpling the sheets if you like, until everything is used, ending with a sheet of filo.
- Brush the top with the rest of the butter and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden and set in the middle.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into pieces. Serve warm with a glass of yogurt or ayran.
StarterRecipe
Shopska salad
shopska salata (шопска салата)
All of Bulgaria, named after the Shopi people around Sofia
Bulgaria's best-known salad: chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and peppers under a thick snowy layer of grated sirene, a white brined cheese. It is often eaten as a starter with a glass of rakia.
Although it tastes of the village, the salad is fairly young: it is thought to have been created in the mid-1950s for the state tourism company Balkantourist.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber
- 2 green or red peppers, raw or roasted and peeled
- 1 small onion or 3 spring onions
- 200 g sirene or feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, a little red wine vinegar, salt and chopped parsley
Method
- Dice the tomatoes, cucumber and peppers and slice the onion finely.
- Put the vegetables in a bowl, season with salt and dress with the oil and a few drops of vinegar.
- Grate or finely crumble the cheese over the top so that it covers the salad completely.
- Scatter with parsley and serve at once, cold.
StarterRecipe
Tarator
tarator (таратор)
All of Bulgaria
A cold summer soup of yogurt thinned with water, with chopped cucumber, garlic, dill and a little sunflower or olive oil. It is served chilled on hot days.
Similar yogurt and cucumber dishes are eaten from Greece to Turkey and the Middle East, but in Bulgaria tarator is eaten as a soup.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g plain yogurt
- About 300 ml cold water
- 1 large cucumber, finely diced or grated
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- A small bunch of dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil and salt
Method
- Whisk the yogurt until smooth, then stir in the cold water until it is as thin as you like.
- Add the cucumber, garlic, dill and oil and season with salt.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes and serve very cold, with a few ice cubes on hot days.
StarterRecipe
Kyopolou
kyopolou (кьопоолу)
All of Bulgaria
A smoky spread of roasted aubergine and peppers, mashed with garlic and parsley. It is eaten with bread as part of a spread of starters.
Kyopolou can be mild and sweet or hot and peppery, depending on the peppers the cook adds.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large aubergines
- 2 red peppers
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- A handful of chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Roast the whole aubergines and peppers in a very hot oven at 220°C, or over a flame, turning them, until the skins are black and the insides soft, about 40 minutes.
- Put the peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then peel them and remove the seeds. Peel the aubergines.
- Chop the flesh finely or mash it with a fork. Do not use a blender: the spread should stay a little chunky.
- Stir in the garlic, parsley, oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and serve cool with bread.
Main courseRecipe
Mish-mash
mish-mash (миш-маш)
All of Bulgaria, a summer favourite
Peppers, tomatoes and onions stewed in oil, then mixed with eggs and crumbled white cheese until creamy, and finished with fresh parsley.
Every family has its own version: some add garlic, spring onions, aubergine or okra, and some leave out the cheese or the onion.
See the recipe
Ingredients
- 4 red or green peppers, raw or roasted and peeled, chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 eggs
- 200 g sirene or feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, a handful of chopped parsley and salt
Method
- Warm the oil in a wide pan and cook the onion and peppers gently for 10 minutes, until soft.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, until most of the juice has cooked away.
- Beat the eggs with the cheese, pour them into the pan and stir gently over low heat until the eggs are fully set. Anyone who is pregnant, elderly or unwell should make sure the eggs are cooked through.
- Taste for salt (the cheese is already salty), scatter with parsley and serve hot with bread.
Main course
Kebapche
kebapche (кебапче)
All of Bulgaria
A long, sausage-shaped stick of minced pork and beef seasoned with cumin, black pepper and salt, cooked on the grill. It is often served with chips covered in grated white cheese, lyutenitsa and a cold beer.
A classic order is 'troyka kebapcheta s garnitura': three kebapcheta with a side of chips or salad.
Main course
Sarmi
sarmi (сарми)
All of Bulgaria
Cabbage leaves or vine leaves rolled around a filling of rice and minced meat and simmered slowly. Cabbage sarmi are usually a winter dish and vine leaf sarmi a spring and summer one.
On Christmas Eve, when the meal is meatless, Bulgarians make vegetarian sarmi and stuffed peppers.
Side dish
Lyutenitsa
lyutenitsa (лютеница)
All of Bulgaria
A thick red relish of roasted peppers and tomatoes, often with carrots and garlic. It is spread on bread, sometimes topped with white cheese, and served with grilled meat.
The name comes from the word for 'spicy', but there are mild versions as well as hot ones.
Starter
Lukanka
lukanka (луканка)
Central Bulgaria, especially Panagyurishte, Karlovo and Smyadovo
A semi-dried salami of pork, veal, black pepper and cumin, dried for 40 to 50 days and pressed flat as it dries. It is sliced thin and served cold as a starter.
In 2014 the European Union registered Panagyurska lukanka, from the town of Panagyurishte, as a traditional speciality.
Side dish
Bulgarian yogurt
kiselo mlyako (кисело мляко)
All of Bulgaria
Thick, tangy yogurt, whose Bulgarian name means 'sour milk'. It is eaten on its own, poured over pastries, stirred into soups and sauces, and made into the cold drink ayran.
One of the two bacteria that turn milk into yogurt is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus, after Bulgaria.
Starter
Sirene
sirene (сирене)
All of Bulgaria
A white brined cheese, similar to feta, made from cow's, sheep's, goat's or buffalo milk. It is crumbled into salads and pastries or served in slices with tomatoes.
In 2023 Bulgarian white brined cheese was registered as a protected designation of origin in the European Union.
Snack
Mekitsi
mekitsi (мекици)
All of Bulgaria
Flat rounds of soft dough made with yogurt, fried until puffed and golden. They are a breakfast treat, served with jam, honey, white cheese or icing sugar.
Nearly every region has its own recipe: some use yeast, others yogurt and baking soda, and one of the oldest uses only flour, yeast, salt, sugar and water.
Drink
Boza
boza (боза)
All of Bulgaria, and across the Balkans and Turkey
A thick, slightly sweet and sour drink made by fermenting grains. It has very little alcohol, about 1%, and is a classic partner for banitsa at breakfast.
Boza is one of the oldest drinks of the Turkic peoples, and today it is made from Turkey and the Balkans to North Africa.
Drink
Rakia
rakiya (ракия)
All of Bulgaria
A strong fruit brandy, most often made from grapes (grozdova) or plums, and also from apricots. It is sipped slowly from a small glass with the salad at the start of a meal. Anyone who does not drink alcohol can politely say no.
Inscriptions from the 14th century already mention rakia in Bulgaria, and as of 2026 twelve Bulgarian rakias have protected names in the European Union.
Bread
Kozunak
kozunak (козунак)
All of Bulgaria, above all at Easter
A sweet, soft yeast bread enriched with butter, milk and eggs, often with raisins and citrus peel. It is baked above all for Orthodox Easter.
Similar sweet Easter breads are baked in Romania, Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia.
Table manners
- When glasses are raised, people say 'Nazdrave!' (to your health).
- Salad and a small glass of rakia come first, and the main course follows later, so do not expect everything at once.
- Holidays have their own foods: vegetarian sarmi and stuffed peppers on Christmas Eve, fish on St. Nicholas' Day (6 December) and roast lamb on St. George's Day (6 May).
- At New Year, look out for a lucky charm hidden in your piece of banitsa, and bite carefully.
- Service is not added to the bill in restaurants. A tip of 5 to 10% is welcome if you were happy.
Cities
12 cities to know
Bulgaria's cities range from Sofia at the foot of Mount Vitosha and ancient Plovdiv on its hills, to Black Sea ports like Varna and Burgas, the Danube port of Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo, the old royal capital on its river bends.
Sofia Capital
Sofia City
The capital and largest city, home to about 1.3 million people. Known as Serdica in Roman times, it lies in a high valley at the foot of Mount Vitosha and has been the capital since 1879.
- The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Boyana Church on the city's edge
- Hiking and skiing on Mount Vitosha
Plovdiv
Plovdiv Province
The second-largest city, on the Upper Thracian Plain, often called the City of the Seven Hills. Philip II of Macedon gave it the name Philippopolis, and it has been lived in for thousands of years. It was a European Capital of Culture in 2019.
- The Roman theatre
- The restored Old Town
- Festivals such as Kapana Fest and Opera Open
Varna
Varna Province
The third-largest city and the biggest on the Black Sea coast, known in ancient times as the Greek colony of Odessos. It is called Bulgaria's maritime capital and is home to the Bulgarian Navy.
- The Gold of Varna in the Archaeological Museum
- The Sea Garden park
- Roman baths
Burgas
Burgas Province
The fourth-largest city and the second largest on the Black Sea coast, surrounded by coastal lakes. It is a busy port and the gateway to the southern beaches.
- The Burgas Lakes, home to hundreds of bird species
- The Sea Garden and sand sculptures
- The pier at the central beach
Ruse
Ruse Province
Bulgaria's most important Danube port, facing the Romanian town of Giurgiu across the river. Its elegant 19th-century buildings earned it the nickname Little Vienna.
- The Friendship Bridge to Romania
- Birthplace of the Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti
- The rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo nearby
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora Province
A city on the Upper Thracian Plain that has had many names, among them Beroe and the Roman Augusta Traiana. In 1968 remains of Neolithic houses from about 5500 BC were found here.
- The Neolithic Dwellings Museum
- Roman ruins in the centre
- Its ancient names, Beroe and Augusta Traiana
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo Province
The City of the Tsars, built on three hills above the winding Yantra river. It was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the word 'Veliko', meaning great, was added to its name in 1965.
- Tsarevets fortress
- Houses stacked up the river cliffs
- The place where independence was proclaimed in 1908
Shumen
Shumen Province
A city in the north-east, close to Pliska and Preslav, the first two capitals of medieval Bulgaria, and to the Madara Rider. Shumensko beer has been brewed here since 1882.
- The Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria
- Shumen fortress
- Its beer
Kazanlak
Stara Zagora Province
A town in the Rose Valley at the foot of the Balkan Mountains and the centre of Bulgaria's rose oil industry. The valley around it is full of Thracian royal tombs.
- The Rose Festival every June
- The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
- The road up to the Shipka Pass
Nesebar
Burgas Province
The Pearl of the Black Sea: an old town on a small peninsula, joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Bulgarians all left their mark over more than 3,000 years.
- Medieval stone churches
- Wooden houses from the 19th century
- Sunny Beach resort next door
Bansko
Blagoevgrad Province
A small mountain town at the foot of the Pirin mountains. Once a town of herders and travelling merchants, it is now a busy resort for skiing in winter and hiking in summer.
- Skiing on Todorka peak
- Pirin National Park next to the town
- A base for hikes in the Pirin mountains in summer
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad Province
The main town of south-west Bulgaria, in the Struma valley at the foot of the Rila mountains, 101 km south of Sofia and close to North Macedonia.
- The American University in Bulgaria
- A lively student life
- Trips to the Rila Monastery
Landmarks
Places everyone should see once
Near Blagoevgrad
The Rila Monastery
Bulgaria's largest and most famous monastery, in a deep valley of the Rila mountains about 117 km south of Sofia. Tradition says it was founded in the 10th century by the hermit Saint John of Rila, whose name it bears. After a fire in 1833 it was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862 with money from Bulgarians all over the country.
UNESCO World Heritage
Sofia
Boyana Church
A small medieval church on the edge of Sofia, famous for its wall paintings from 1259. The lifelike portraits of its patrons, Kaloyan and Desislava, are among its most admired paintings.
UNESCO World Heritage
Sofia
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Sofia's great gold-domed cathedral, built mostly between 1904 and 1912 in honour of the Russian soldiers who died in the war that freed Bulgaria in 1877 and 1878. It can hold 5,000 people and is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world.
Nesebar
The Ancient City of Nessebar
The old town of Nesebar on its rocky peninsula, first a Thracian settlement and then the Greek colony of Mesembria. Its churches of brick and stone from the Middle Ages stand among old wooden houses.
UNESCO World Heritage
Kazanlak
The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
A small beehive-shaped tomb from the 4th century BC, painted inside with a Thracian couple at a funeral feast. Its wall paintings are the best preserved in Bulgaria from the Hellenistic period. Visitors see an exact copy next to it, to protect the original.
UNESCO World Heritage
Near Shumen
The Madara Rider
A horseman carved into a sheer cliff about 23 metres above the ground, east of Shumen, around the early 8th century. He spears a lion at his horse's feet while a dog runs behind. The rider also appears on Bulgaria's euro coins.
UNESCO World Heritage
Veliko Tarnovo
Tsarevets Fortress
The walled hill in Veliko Tarnovo that held the palace of the tsars and the patriarch's church of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It fell to the Ottomans in 1393 after a three-month siege.
Plovdiv
The Roman Theatre of Plovdiv
One of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world, built in the 1st century AD with 28 rows of marble seats. It lay buried until a landslide uncovered it in the early 1970s, and today it is used again for concerts and opera.
Near Bansko
Pirin National Park
A national park of high peaks above Bansko, with 118 glacial lakes and Baikushev's pine, one of the oldest trees in Bulgaria at about 1,300 years old. Its highest point, Vihren, 2,914 m, is Bulgaria's second-highest peak.
UNESCO World Heritage
Near Ruse
The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo
Churches and chapels cut into the cliffs above the Rusenski Lom river, about 20 km south of Ruse. Monks lived here from the 1220s, and some of the churches keep fine medieval wall paintings.
UNESCO World HeritageFun facts
Things you might not know
- 01
The Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the 890s at the Preslav Literary School in the First Bulgarian Empire, by followers of the brothers Cyril and Methodius. When Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, Cyrillic became the EU's third official alphabet.
- 02
Because of Bulgaria, the newer euro banknotes spell the word euro in three alphabets: Latin (EURO), Greek (ΕΥΡΩ) and Cyrillic (ЕВРО).
- 03
Bulgaria's euro coins show the Madara Rider and two saints, John of Rila and Paisius of Hilendar.
- 04
Traditionally, Bulgarians shake their heads from side to side to say yes and nod to say no. If an answer confuses you, ask again in words.
- 05
In 1905, in a laboratory in Geneva, the young Bulgarian doctor Stamen Grigorov discovered the bacterium behind yogurt. It is now called Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
- 06
The Rose Valley around Kazanlak has grown roses for centuries, and Bulgaria is one of the world's leading producers of rose oil for perfume. Kazanlak has held a Rose Festival since 1903, on the first weekend of June.
- 07
The gold found in 1972 in a prehistoric cemetery at Varna, from about 4600 to 4200 BC, is often called the oldest gold treasure in the world. It was found by chance by an excavator operator.
- 08
On 1 March, Baba Marta (Grandma March) Day, Bulgarians give each other martenitsi, little red and white tassels or dolls, and wear them until they see a stork, a swallow or a tree in blossom.
- 09
In Nestinarstvo, a fire-walking ritual kept up in a few villages in the south-east, dancers holding icons walk barefoot over glowing embers. It is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
- 10
Around New Year and before Lent, kukeri, men in huge animal masks and costumes with heavy bells on their belts, dance through villages to scare away evil spirits.
- 11
The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, known from the album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, won a Grammy Award in 1990 for its haunting folk singing.
- 12
The artist Christo, famous for wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin in 1995 with his wife Jeanne-Claude, was born in Bulgaria in 1935.
- 13
John Vincent Atanasoff, credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer in the 1930s in the United States, was the son of a Bulgarian immigrant.
- 14
The writer Elias Canetti, born in the Danube city of Ruse in 1905, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981.
Bulgarian words
20 words to start with
Pronunciation is written the way it sounds; the capital letters show where the stress goes. Audio is coming soon.
Basics
- da (да)DAHyes
- ne (не)NEHno
- blagodarya (благодаря)blah-goh-dah-RYAHthank you
- molya (моля)MOH-lyahplease, or you're welcome
- zdravey (здравей)zdrah-VAYhello (informal)
Food and drink
- hlyab (хляб)HLYAHPbread
- voda (вода)voh-DAHwater
- vino (вино)VEE-nohwine
- bira (бира)BEE-rahbeer
- sirene (сирене)SEE-reh-nehcheese
- kafe (кафе)kah-FEHcoffee
- smetka (сметка)SMEHT-kahbill, check
Getting around
- vlak (влак)VLAHKtrain
- avtobus (автобус)ahf-toh-BOOSbus
- nalyavo (наляво)nah-LYAH-vohto the left
- nadyasno (надясно)nah-DYAHS-nohto the right
Shopping
- evtino (евтино)EHF-tee-nohcheap
- skapo (скъпо)SKUH-pohexpensive
Time
- dnes (днес)DNEHStoday
- utre (утре)OO-trehtomorrow
Say it like a local
Useful phrases
Dobro utro (Добро утро)
DOH-broh OO-troh
Good morning
Greeting someone in the morning
Dobar den (Добър ден)
DOH-bur DEHN
Good day, hello
The polite greeting for most of the day, in shops and with strangers
Dobar vecher (Добър вечер)
DOH-bur VEH-chehr
Good evening
Greeting someone in the evening
Leka nosht (Лека нощ)
LEH-kah NOSHT
Good night
Saying goodbye late at night or before bed
Zdraveyte (Здравейте)
zdrah-VAY-teh
Hello (polite)
Greeting older people, strangers or a group
Dovizhdane (Довиждане)
doh-VEEZH-dah-neh
Goodbye
Leaving a shop, a restaurant or people you don't know well
Kak ste? (Как сте?)
KAHK steh
How are you? (polite)
Asking an older person or a stranger how they are
Dobre, blagodarya (Добре, благодаря)
doh-BREH, blah-goh-dah-RYAH
Fine, thank you
Answering 'How are you?'
Priyatno mi e da se zapoznaem (Приятно ми е да се запознаем)
pree-YAHT-noh mee eh dah seh zah-poz-NAH-ehm
Nice to meet you
Meeting someone for the first time
Izvinete (Извинете)
eez-vee-NEH-teh
Excuse me
Getting someone's attention, or getting past people
Sazhalyavam (Съжалявам)
suh-zhah-LYAH-vahm
I'm sorry
Apologising
Govorite li angliyski? (Говорите ли английски?)
goh-VOH-ree-teh lee ahn-GLEEY-skee
Do you speak English? (polite)
Before asking for help
Ne razbiram (Не разбирам)
neh rahz-BEE-rahm
I don't understand
When you can't follow what someone says
Kolko e tova? (Колко е това?)
KOHL-koh eh toh-VAH
How much is this?
Shopping at a market or in a shop
Kade e toaletnata? (Къде е тоалетната?)
kuh-DEH eh toh-ah-LEHT-nah-tah
Where is the toilet?
In a café, museum or station
Nazdrave! (Наздраве!)
nahz-DRAH-veh
Cheers! To your health!
Raising a glass for a toast
Beshe vkusno (Беше вкусно)
BEH-sheh VKOOS-noh
It was delicious
Thanking the cook or the waiter
Smetkata, molya (Сметката, моля)
SMEHT-kah-tah, MOH-lyah
The bill, please
Asking for the bill in a restaurant or café
Pomosht! (Помощ!)
POH-mosht
Help!
In an emergency
Local tips
Before you go
Euros now, not leva
As of September 2026, Bulgaria uses the euro, which replaced the lev on 1 January 2026, so lev prices in older guidebooks are out of date. Old lev notes and coins can still be changed for euros free of charge at the Bulgarian National Bank, with no end date.
Yes and no
Traditionally, a shake of the head means yes and a nod means no. If you are unsure, ask for a spoken 'da' (yes) or 'ne' (no).
Learn a few Cyrillic letters
Signs, bus timetables and station names outside Sofia and the coast are often written only in Cyrillic. The alphabet is phonetic and easy to learn well enough to read place names, which makes travel much easier.
Choose taxis carefully
Use licensed taxis with a meter and the prices shown on a sticker in the window, ordered by phone or app or taken from the official stand at the airport. Avoid drivers who approach you at arrivals or wait outside hotels and tourist spots.
Emergency number: 112
The number for police, ambulance and fire in Bulgaria is 112. The older numbers 166 (police), 150 (ambulance) and 160 (fire) also work.
Driving rules
Drive on the right with dipped headlights or side lights on, even in daytime. To use motorways and main roads outside towns you need a digital vignette, a road toll you buy online before the journey.
Tipping
Service is not added to the bill. Leave 5 to 10% in a restaurant if you were happy with the service.
Borders and passports
Since 1 January 2025 Bulgaria has been a full member of the Schengen area, so there are no routine checks on flights from other Schengen countries. Still carry your passport: border guards may check it at the land borders with Greece and Romania.
Sources (82)
- Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Adoption of the euro in Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Bulgarian lev (Wikipedia)
- European Commission: Bulgaria and the euro
- European Central Bank: Bulgaria joins the euro area
- Schengen Area (Wikipedia)
- Musala (Wikipedia)
- Iskar (river) (Wikipedia)
- Telephone numbers in Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- History of Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Varna Necropolis (Wikipedia)
- First Bulgarian Empire (Wikipedia)
- Boris I of Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Simeon I of Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Second Bulgarian Empire (Wikipedia)
- Paisius of Hilendar (Wikipedia)
- April Uprising (Wikipedia)
- Treaty of San Stefano (Wikipedia)
- Unification of Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Bulgarian Declaration of Independence (Wikipedia)
- History of the Jews in Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- 1946 Bulgarian republic referendum (Wikipedia)
- Todor Zhivkov (Wikipedia)
- Bulgarian cuisine (Wikipedia)
- Banitsa (Wikipedia)
- Shopska salad (Wikipedia)
- Tzatziki, or tarator (Wikipedia)
- Kyopolou (Wikipedia)
- Lyutenitsa (Wikipedia)
- Mish-mash (Wikipedia)
- Kebapche (Wikipedia)
- Stuffed leaves, or sarma (Wikipedia)
- Lukanka (Wikipedia)
- Yogurt (Wikipedia)
- Sirene (Wikipedia)
- Mekitsa (Wikipedia)
- Boza (Wikipedia)
- Rakia (Wikipedia)
- Cozonac, or kozunak (Wikipedia)
- Sofia (Wikipedia)
- Plovdiv (Wikipedia)
- Varna, Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Burgas (Wikipedia)
- Ruse, Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Stara Zagora (Wikipedia)
- Veliko Tarnovo (Wikipedia)
- Shumen (Wikipedia)
- Kazanlak (Wikipedia)
- Nesebar (Wikipedia)
- Bansko (Wikipedia)
- Blagoevgrad (Wikipedia)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Bulgaria
- Rila Monastery (Wikipedia)
- Boyana Church (Wikipedia)
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia (Wikipedia)
- Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (Wikipedia)
- Madara Rider (Wikipedia)
- Tsarevets (fortress) (Wikipedia)
- Plovdiv Roman theatre (Wikipedia)
- Pirin National Park (Wikipedia)
- Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo (Wikipedia)
- Cyrillic script (Wikipedia)
- Head shake (Wikipedia)
- Stamen Grigorov (Wikipedia)
- Rose Valley, Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Martenitsa (Wikipedia)
- Anastenaria, or Nestinarstvo (Wikipedia)
- Kukeri (Wikipedia)
- Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (Wikipedia)
- Christo and Jeanne-Claude (Wikipedia)
- John Vincent Atanasoff (Wikipedia)
- Bulgarian language (Wikipedia)
- Bulgarian phrasebook (Wikivoyage)
- наздраве (Wiktionary)
- Bulgaria (Wikivoyage)
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Bulgaria, safety and security
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Bulgaria, entry requirements
- Beer in Bulgaria (Wikipedia)
- Dimitar Peshev (Wikipedia)
- Tsardom of Vidin (Wikipedia)
- Baikushev's pine (Wikipedia)
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Bulgaria, getting help
