Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

BULGARIA 633

DOCUMENTATION

http://www.mfa.bg/en

EMBASSIES AND

CONSULATES

Canada

ul. Moskovska 9, Sofia.

Tel (02) 969 9710. http://www.

canadainternational.gc.ca

United States

ul. Kozyak 16, Sofia. Tel

(02) 937 5100. http://www.

bulgaria.usembassy.gov

United Kingdom

ul. Moskovska 9, Sofia. Tel

(02) 933 9222. http://www.

ukinbulgaria.fco.gov.uk

VISITOR

INFORMATION

Bulgarian Tourism

Authority

http://www.bulgariatravel.org

EMERGENCY

NUMBERS

Ambulance

Tel 150.

Fire

Tel 160.

Police

Tel 166.

ARRIVING BY AIR

British Airways

http://www.britishairways.com

Bulgaria Air

http://www.air.bg

easyJet

http://www.easyjet.com

Gatwick Airport

http://www.gatwickairport.com

Heathrow Airport

http://www.heathrowairport.bg

Sofia Airport

http://www.sofia-airport.bg

Wizzair

http://www.wizzair.com

RAIL TRAVEL

Bulgarian State

Railways

http://www.bdz.bg

Rail Europe

http://www.raileurope.com

Trainseurope

http://www.trainseurope.co.uk

TRAVELLING BY BUS

Sofia Central

Bus Station

http://www.centralnaavtogara.

bg

TRAVELLING BY CAR

Avis

Tel (02) 826 1100.

http://www.avis.bg

Budget

Tel (02) 870 0000.

http://www.budget.bg

Europcar

Tel (02) 981 4626.

http://www.europcar.bg

DIRECTORY

TRAVELLING BY CAR

Exploring Bulgaria by car is

an attractive option, as it gives

greater freedom and allows

visitors to explore more remote

areas of the country that may

not be well served by public

trans port. However, visitors

should bear in mind that motor-

ways are few, and that road

conditions often leave much

to be desired. Road signs on

main intercity trunk roads are

in Cyrillic and Roman scripts.

Cars can be hired from reliable

service pro viders such as Avis,

Budget and Europcar.

RAIL TRAVEL

The total cost of travelling to

Bulgaria by train is likely to be

higher than by air. It may also

be difficult to buy one ticket

all the way from Western

Europe to Bulgaria. From

Con tinental Europe, the main

routes to Bulgaria are from

Budapest to Sofia via Belgrade

or Bucharest. The country’s

rail network is operated by

the Bulgarian State Railways

(Bulgarska durzhavna

zheleznitsa, or BDZ). Train

tickets can be purchased at

station ticket offices. Reserva-

tions are advisable for visitors

travelling between Sofia and

the Black Sea coast during

summer. The best sources of

informa tion on train travel to

Bulgaria are Rail Europe

and Trainseurope.

ARRIVING BY AIR

Sofia is well served by direct
flights from other European
countries. Bulgaria Air, the
national carrier, has daily
scheduled flights to Sofia from
Gatwick Airport in London,
Amsterdam, Paris and other
European capitals. British
Airways also provides sched-
uled flights to Sofia from
Heathrow Airport in London.
The low-cost airlines easyJet
and Wizzair offer flights to
Sofia, Varna and Burgas from
the UK and parts of Central
Europe. Direct flights to
Bulgaria from North America
and other non-European
countries are rare. Most inter-
continental routes involve

COMMUNICATIONS

Bulgaria’s national telephone
and postal systems, are
reason ably effi cient, although
the postal service is a little
slower than in some Western
European countries. Visitors
will have no trouble finding
an Internet café, even in
small towns.
Visitors can avoid high call
charges by buying a pre-paid
SIM card from a Bulgarian
mobile phone operator, enab-
ling them to make calls to
local numbers at Bulgarian
rates during their stay.

flying to either London,

Amsterdam or Frankfurt,

then taking a connect ing

flight to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria’s largest airport is

Sofia Airport, which serves the

capital. It has conven ient trans-

port connec tions with the city

centre, which is about 10 km

(6 miles) to the west. Much

of western and central Bulgaria

is easily accessible from Sofia.

For visitors heading for the

Black Sea coast, there are bud-

get flights to Varna and Burgas.

TRAVELLING BY BUS

Bus services in Bulgaria are

operated by several national

and regional bus companies.

Most towns and villages are

accessible by bus. Intercity

bus routes connecting Sofia

with major towns and cites

depart several times a day.

Buses on these routes are

modern, with comfortable

seats and air conditioning.

Tickets can be bought from

counters at bus stations, but

not on the buses them selves.

On intercity routes, advance

reservations are advisable.

Tickets and infor mation

on bus travel throughout

Bulgaria is avail able from

Sofia Central Bus Station.