Dobro utro (Добро утро)
DOH-broh OO-troh
Good morning
Greeting someone in the morning
Travel guide
Learn Bulgaria before you go
Rose valleys, painted monasteries and Black Sea beaches in the country where the Cyrillic alphabet was born.
CapitalSofia
CurrencyEuro (€), since 1 January 2026. It replaced the Bulgarian lev
Official languageBulgarian, written in the Cyrillic alphabet
Drives on theRight
Calling code+359
10 phrases to learn
In Bulgarian. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
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
At the table
- 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.
Local tips
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September 2026, Bulgaria uses the euro, which replaced the lev on 1 January 2026, so lev prices in older guidebooks are out of date.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.
Dishes to try
- Banitsa (banitsa (баница)): 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.
- Shopska salad (shopska salata (шопска салата)): 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.
- Tarator (tarator (таратор)): 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.
- Kyopolou (kyopolou (кьопоолу)): 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.
- Mish-mash (mish-mash (миш-маш)): Peppers, tomatoes and onions stewed in oil, then mixed with eggs and crumbled white cheese until creamy, and finished with fresh parsley.
- Kebapche (kebapche (кебапче)): 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.
- Sarmi (sarmi (сарми)): 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.
- Lyutenitsa (lyutenitsa (лютеница)): 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.
Cities to see
- Sofia (capital): The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Boyana Church on the city's edge, Hiking and skiing on Mount Vitosha.
- Plovdiv: The Roman theatre, The restored Old Town, Festivals such as Kapana Fest and Opera Open.
- Varna: The Gold of Varna in the Archaeological Museum, The Sea Garden park, Roman baths.
- Burgas: The Burgas Lakes, home to hundreds of bird species, The Sea Garden and sand sculptures, The pier at the central beach.
- Ruse: The Friendship Bridge to Romania, Birthplace of the Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti, The rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo nearby.
- Stara Zagora: The Neolithic Dwellings Museum, Roman ruins in the centre, Its ancient names, Beroe and Augusta Traiana.