Republic of Bulgaria is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east. Its location has made it a historical crossroad for various civilisations and as such it is the home of some of the earliest metalworking, religious and other cultural artifacts in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria
Language: The official language is Bulgarian, belonging to the group of the Slavonic languages.
Time: Time is + 2 hours compared to Greenwich, and +1 hour to the Central European time.
Monetary unit: Bulgarian currency (BGN) is LEV, which consists in 100 stotinkas. All payments are due in national currency or in EUR. The banknotes are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 50, and 100 levs, and the coins – of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 stotinkas and 1 lev. We recommend currency exchange to be carried out only in bank offices or in licensed exchange bureaus.
Credit cards: In retail outlets, hotels, restaurants and service centres payments with international credit cards are accepted. Information on the specific type of cards are accepted you can obtain from the stickers on the shop windows.
Electricity: The voltage is 220 V, and the frequency 50 Hz.
Driving: The road traffic is on the right, overtaking – on the left. The speed restrictions in residential areas are 50 кm/hour and 120 кm/hour on highways.
Tipping: In most restaurants and catering outlets for servicing, additional payment is not charged, but 5 – 10% of the value of the order/service is deemed acceptable. In some catering establishments, the extent of the tip is indicated on the menu and is included in the final bill. You can always leave a tip if you are satisfied with the service.
Climate: You can enjoy four lovely seasons in Bulgaria. Beautiful blooming spring, dry and hot summer, long and pleasant autumn, and mild winter with lots of opportunity for skiing. Always lit by the sun Bulgaria has between 2200 and 2500 hours of sunlight per year. Average temperature (April - September): + 23 °C. The average yearly temperature is 14.7 °C. The climate in South tends to Mediterranean, and summer season starts from May and continues till end of September.
The climate is exceptionally favourable for growing vines, fruit and vegetables, and oil yielding rose for which Bulgaria has been renowned in Europe for centuries.
Highest temperature in summer reaches 40 °С, lowest in winter – about -10-15° С.
Important telephone numbers:
- Emergency - 112
- Police – 166
- Emergency medical aid – 150
- Road traffic aid – 146
- Fire-brigade – 160
- Telephone directory – 144
- Telephone code of Bulgaria from abroad - ++ 359