Dear traveller, there is just one question you have to ask yourself: Why travel to Bulgaria?
Find below the answers:
Reason 1. Compare with the rest of Europe, Bulgaria is still very cheap!
Reason 2. Bulgaria is very hospitable country with beautiful nature, still outfield for the rest of the world - virgin forests and wild beaches unspoiled by civilization; hidden villages and mysterious monasteries; original culture and traditions; ancient history - believe me, is like travelling to another planet!
Reason 3. Bulgaria is the perfect departure position for travelling around the Balkans. By car or by bus it will take you just a couple of hours to go to Turkey (Istambul), to Romania (Bucarest), to Macedonia, to Greece, to Serbia or to Ukraine (Odessa)! According to my customers these 3 reasons have been the main ones to make them travel to Bulgaria! If you want to to discover the other thousand - join me on my tours and You will see the real Bulgaria - as only a native can show you:))
LOCATION : The republic of Bulgaria is situated in the south-east part of Europe and more precisely in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula. On the north it has a common boundary with Romania and on the west with Yugoslavia. On the south-west it is conterminous with Macedonia while on the south-east it is contiguous to Turkey. On the east the country is bounded by the Black Sea. The total length of the Bulgarian border-line is 2245 km, 1181 of which are land frontier, 686 km river and 378 km sea-frontage.
 RELIEF:
The lowlands occupy 31%, the plains and the hilly terrains 41%, and the mountains 28% of the country's territory. The larger mountain ranges are the Balkan mountains (with its highest peak Botev - 2376 m), the Rhodopes (highest peak - Goliam Perrelick - 2191 m), Rila (highest peak - Moussala - 2925 m), Pirin (highest peak - Vihren - 2914m), Vitosha (highest peak - Cherni Vruh - 2290 m).
WATER RESOURCES :
On the east Bulgaria bordres on the Black Sea. The common length of the sea-frontage from the north (Romania) to the south (Turkey) is 378 km. The rivers in Bulgaria flow into the Black and the Aegean Seas. The biggest and the longest rivers take their sources from the Rila mountains. The larger rivers are: The Danube , Maritza , Ossum , Yantra , Kamtchya
CLIMATE :
Bulgaria's climate is temperate continental with some Mediterranean influence. There are four distinct seasons easy to predict – long and hot summers, mild and cool autumns, cold and snowy winters (except on the sea coast, where the winter is more windy, than snowy and definitely warmer) and passionate and green springs
The average annual temperature is 15.5 degrees centigrade. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 0 degrees centigrade. The average air temperature in the summer is 30 degrees c. (Sometimes exceed 40 degrees c.) and the average water temperature – 25 degrees c.
HISTORY:
The Bulgarian lands are ancient crossroads. It remembers many ancient civilizations and great leaders which wrote the pages of its turbulent history !
The Thracians leave us the famous tombs near Kazanluk and Sveshtari, the unique gold treasures from Panagyurishte and Rogozen. The Hellenes built the beautiful coastal towns of Apollonia, Anhialo and Messambria, and Romans - an cient Aescus, Nikopolis ad Istrum and Nove. Huns, Gothes and Averas later passes through these lands. Around the end-5 th century the Slavs came from the north across the Danube and reached as far as the Black Sea and the Adriatic. They were followed by the Bulgarians of Khan Asparouh ...
6000 BC Neolithic settlements on the territory of present-day Bulgaria
2000 BC Thracians settle in the region
46 AD Thrace becomes Roman province. The famous gladiator Spartacus was Thracian, said to be from the south of present Bulgarian lands!
681 AD Asparouh, one of the Bulgarian leaders establishes the First Bulgarian Kingdom, with its capital in Pliska . In fact, there were only three states in Europe in 681: The Western Roman Empire, Bulgaria , and The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium )
893 AD Simeon – The Great, conquers Serbia, part of Northern Greece, part of Romania and Turkey and expands the Bulgarian Empire on the entire Balkan Peninsula.
1018 Bulgaria is incorporated into the Byzantine Empire.
1218 The zenith of the 2 nd Bulgarian kingdom under the rule of Ivan Asen, with its capital in Veliko Turnovo, when it reaches the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
1393 Bulgaria becomes part of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years.
1762 Beginning of the Bulgarian resistance, known as National Revival.
3 rd of March, 1878 Liberation of Bulgaria, from Ottoman rule.
1912 First Balkan War – Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece against Turkey.
1913 Second Balkan War – Bulgaria is defeated by Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey and loses territory.
 1915 Bulgaria enters the World War One on the German side.
1919 Peace Treaty of Neuilly. Bulgaria loses territory in favor of its neighbors.
1941 Bulgaria joins the World War Two on the German side, again.
1944 The Red army invades Bulgaria and with their help, the partisans arrest the monarchy and the government. Bulgaria becomes a communist country for 45 years.
1989 End of the communist rule. Bulgaria takes the road to democracy and political independence.
TERRITORY : 111 000 square kilomiters
POPULATION : 7 800 000 (according to the census taken in 31.12.2003)
CAPITAL : Sofia, with 1 188 000 inhabitants
LARGER CITIES : Plovdiv , Varna , Bourgas , Stara Zagora , Rousse , Pleven
AIRPORTS : Sofia, Varna, Bourgas
HARBOURS : on the Black Sea - Varna, Bourgas, Balchick, Nessebur; on the Danube - Vidin, Lom, Oriakhovo, Nickopol, Svishtov, Rousse, Toutrackan, Sillistra
MONETARY UNIT : Lev 
1 Euro = 1.95 BGN (lev), 1 US Dollar = 1.50 BGN (fluctuating!), 1 Pound Sterling = 3.00 BGN
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE : Bulgarian - the oldest written Slavonic language . English, German, French , Russian and some Spanish are wide spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.
ALPHABET: Cyrillic. Signs along international motorways, in airports and resorts are also spelled in Roman letters.
RELIGION : Orthodox Christianity, Islam
STATE GOVERNMENT: Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic
VISAS: EU nationals as well as those of USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and some other countries, can spend up to 30 days in Bulgaria, visa free on a valid international passport. Anyway you shall check with the nearest Bulgarian embassy in order to receive the latest information. CUSTOMS AND EXCISE: you can freely import the following stuff when entering Bulgaria: 200 cigarettes, 1 liter of spirits or two 75l bottles of wine and up to 200 Euros of goods.
 COMMUNICATIONS: Postal – Post offices can be found anywhere in the country – villages, towns, tourist resorts; Public phone - calls can be made from Post offices as well as from public pay phones on the street. Cards for these can be acquired from any kiosk around; Mobile phone – Bulgaria currently has 2 GSM operators offering coverage across much of the country area. Both offer a prepaid card system; Internet – there are lots of Internet cafes around the larger cities offering connection on a very reasonable prices.
DRINKING WATER: Tap water is safe to drink.
ELECTRICITY: Bulgaria operates on 220V, two – pin plug system.
OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS:
January 1 - New Year
March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule - the National Day
Easter - one week after the Catholic Easter
May 1 - Labour Day
May 6 - Bulgarian Army Day
May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script
September 6 - Bulgaria's Unification
September 22 - Independance Day
December 25-26 - Christmas
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Police - 166, Fire Brigade - 160, Road Duty - 146, First Aid - 150
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