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- Located in the Eastern Part of the Balkan Peninsula,
in South Eastern Europe. Bordered by the new states of former
Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, the Danube (the border with Romania)
and the Balck Sea.
- Population is about 7,700,000
- Area 70,000 square miles
- Capital: Sofia (1.1 mln), Major cities: Plovdiv,
Varna and Bourgas
- Distance: London/Sofia - 1,300 miles; Sofia/Vrana - 300
miles, Sofia/Bourgas - 250 miles.
- Highest Mountain: Rila Mountains, south of Sofia with
its peak Moussala - 9,500 ft.
- Important dates: First Bulgarian State Established -
AD 681. Creation of Cyrillic alphabet, now used in Bulgaria and
the new states of former USSR and Yugoslavia (Croatia, Montenegro,
Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia) - AD 865. Liberation from Ottoman empire
- 1878. Multi-party election held - 5 June, 1990.
| Resident Representatives
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| Contact details for your representative are shown on
your holiday itinerary. A Balkan Holidays appointed representative
will meet you at the airport on your arrival and introduce
you to your resort at Welcome Meeting soon after. A notice
board on the foyer of your hotel will give details of
the representative's visiting hours, information about
the resort and its facilities, sights of special interest
and your homewards journey. All excursion should be
booked through you representative, who can recommend
those of particular interest and value, and must be paid
for in cash or occasionally credit cards. We can accept
no responsibilities for excursions which are not booked
through you rep. |
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| Money,
Currency Exchange, Banks |
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The official monetary unit in Bulgaria is called "LEV"
(plural "LEVA"). The banknote denominations
include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 LEVA, as well as coins
- 1, 2, 5,10, 20, 50 called "stotinki" ("stotinka"
for singular).
Exchange rate is not fixed and fluctuates within
3-5%. Scottish notes are not accepted. Please, note that
old or marked notes and coins are not accepted. Travellers
cheques carry higher commission. Check the current exchange
rate on Yahoo!
Finance Converter.
Please, do not rely on credit cards for local purchases.
Access and Visa are not generally accepted. Cash machines
are available in bigger cities and resorts.
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| Meals
and Drinks |
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Your holiday invoice will state whether the arrangement
is based on accommodation only (AO), self catering (SC),
bed and breakfast (BB), half board (HB) or all inclusive
(AI).
Although there is some slight variation, meal times
are usually as follows:
- Breakfast - 07.30 to 10.00
- Dinner - 18.00 to 22.00
Bulgarian food is close to the traditional European
cuisine. Traditional Bulgarian menu includes bread,
yogurt and fresh milk, cheese, tomatoes, paprika, potatoes,
onions, beans and fruits, brandy and red or white wine.
Some typical Bulgarian specialties and meals:
- Shopska salad - prepared from diced tomatoes,
fresh cucumbers, green peppers, topped with feta cheese
and seasoned with olive oil and parsley
- Mlechna salad - prepared from strained yogurt
seasoned with olives, crashed walnuts, finely diced
garlic and parsley
- Tarator - cold served soup from yogurt, fresh
cucumbers, seasoned with walnuts, garlic and dill
- Sirene po Shopski - feta cheese, diced tomatoes
and onion topped with egg and cooked in pottery
- Kebapche - minced meat rolls seasoned with
traditional spices and fine herbs and barbequed
- Kuyfte - minced meat balls seasoned with
traditional spices and fine herbs and barbequed
- Shish Kebab - grilled skewered meat, onion
and paprika
- Banitsa - baked pumpkin pastry filled with
cheese or meet
- Creme Caramel - delicious dessert prepared
from fresh milk, eggs and caramelized sugar, similar
to the classic French creme brulee.
- Restaurants: Wide variety of cuisines is
offered. Along with traditional Bulgarian dishes,
many restaurants offer Italian, French, Greek, Chinese,
German, Arabian, Hungarian, Latin American, Indian
and Russian food.
- Drinks and prices: You can buy alcohol from
any local store or pavilion on the street. Some of
them work 24 hours.
Example prices...
Tea 20p; Coffee 30p; Lunch (simple 2 course meal) £3.00;
McDonalds Burger from 30p;
Sandwich 50p; Bottle of beer 50p; Bottle of wine £3.50;
Ice cream 40p; Soft drink 30p.
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| Hotel and Resort
Facilities |
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| All hotel and resort facilities which are open to the
general public (swimming pools, discos, nightclubs health
centres, saunas, etc.) are chargeable on the spot - even
for residents of the hotel - unless otherwise specified
in the brochure/web site. There is also a small charge
for the use of all public toilets, even in hotels. |
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| Voltage |
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| For electric razors, etc. 220-240 AC is the local voltage,
and a continental adapter is required. |
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| Religious Information |
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| 86.6% of the population are Orthodox Christians, 13%
are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed
by a Patriarch. |
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| Bus Service |
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| There are regular bus services between Albena,
Drouzhba, Golden Sands, St. Konstantine and Varna, and
between Elenite, Sunny Beach, Nessebur, Ravda, Sozopol,
Primorsko and Bourgas. Tickets are purchased at a kiosk
by the bus stop or onboard the bus by the driver. In bigger
cities like Bourgas, Varna, Plovdiv or Sofia tickets has
to be clipped by passengers on entering the bus. Please
retain the ticket during your journey. It is an easy system
and fares are quite low - journey between Bourgas and
Sunny Beach (~40km) costs about 1.5-2.00 BGN. |
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| Medical Attention |
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| There is a polyclinic in each resort where tourists
can receive medical attention. There is a charge for
these services which varies from resort to resort, but
costs are generally low. Please, keep all receipt for
insurance claims, but be aware that most policies have
an excess. You must always contact your Insurance company
DIRECT on your return. |
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| Car Hire |
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| There are Car hire office in Sofia, Plovdiv,
Varna, Bourgas, and some major resorts such as Sunny Beach,
Nessebur, Golden Sands, Albena and St. Konstantine. |
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| Safety
Deposit Boxes |
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| Most hotels have the facilities to hold
small valuable items at the reception or in the room, for
you during your holiday. Usually this service is paid
locally and costs 2-4 BGN per day. In some hotels the
use of SDB can be free of charge and this will be mention
in the hotel's description. |
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| Postal
Service |
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| Stamps can be bought at the hotel reception,
and the correct rate will be advised by your representative.
Please remember that postal services (even air mail) take
an average of one week, and we would not recommend holidaymakers
having mail forwarded to them during their stay for this
reason. |
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| Linen
Change |
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| In the hotels, bed linen is normally changed
weekly and towels every 3-4 days. Please inform your rep
if linen change is less frequent. |
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| Cot
hire & Baby supplies |
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| Cots can be hired from hotels reception
from approximately £2.00 per day, subject to availability.
We strongly recommend that parents take supply of baby
food, powdered milk and nappies with them as it is sometimes
difficult to obtain these locally. |
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| Skiing,
Skis and Lift Passes |
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The minimum age for joining the ski school and hiring
equipment varies from resort to resort (generally 13+
years).
Skis (either hired or your own) should not be left
unattended at any time.
Ski-lift passes must be looked after very carefully.
If they are lost, they can not be re-issued locally
except at a much higher price then the first cost. Although
covered by insurance, bear in mind that there is at
least a £35.00 excess on most insurance policies,
so try not to loose your pass.
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| Important
Telephone Numbers |
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- Emergency medical aid - 150
- Fire - 160
- Police - 166
- Road assistance - 146
- Telephone information - 144
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| Formalities |
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| For clients holding full 10 year British passport
and entering Bulgaria on pre-booked arrangements and staying
one month or less it is not necessary to obtain a visa. (If
you hold travel documents or passports of other nationalities,
you should check with the respective consulates whether a visa
is required). For more information please visit the Bulgarian Embassy website. For any further travel advise please check with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. |
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| Any problems should be reported to our representatives
in the holiday centres immideately so that they can be dealt
with whenever possible on the spot. There is a number on your
itinerary that can be reached 24 hours a day (answerphone),
or your hotel will have list of times when your representative
will be available in person. |
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| If you are booked on a flight only basis it is essential
that you confirm your return flight with your Balkan Holidays
representative twenty-four hours before your return flight. A contact number is provided on your confirmation email when you book online. |
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 Country
details |
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42 years of experience
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