About Bulgaria

Getting about
An airplane can take you to Burgas or Varna airports and we can offer you our transfer services or rent – a – car services.
Taxes are not recommended as you may get cheated. We recommend always to bargain for the price of the trip and never take a taxi, if you have not settled a price for the trip.

Currency
Bulgarian Lev (plural leva). Following currency reform in 1999, pre-1999 notes are no longer legal tender. Leva cannot be bought in the UK. You can only change your Travellers' Cheques into leva in Bulgarian banks. Take a small amount of sterling or dollars to change in your hotel. It is illegal for tour operators and foreign exchange bureaux to accept travellers' cheques. Do not be tempted by the rates offered by the various money exchange bureaux - you might only receive half the rate on display. Never exchange money with local residents in the street, as they will be offering worthless pre-1999 leva.
Good exchange rates you Can get from each bank or change desks “Crown” in Sunny beach.

Alphabet
Cyrillic. Signs along international motorways, in airports and resorts are also spelled in Roman letters.

Religion
86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch.

State government
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic.

Bulgaria
Book your holiday in Bulgaria this summer and you will soon be soaking up the sunshine of beaches of Sunny Beach. Take the chance to try some of the water sports that are on offer, enjoy a cruise along the coastline, or drive between different resorts, fishing villages and towns. For more sightseeing why not visit one of Bulgaria's beautiful monasteries, or head inland to the Balkan Mountains where there are traditional villages and fields filled with sunflowers. Bulgaria also bursts with colorful local customs, so try to catch a folk festival with music, singing and dancing, all in traditional costume. All these trips are offered from Property Management Group and you can subscribe for a day trip, when you visit us in our office or if you rent out an apartment through us. Once arriving, you will be able to meet our representative, who will kindly focus your attention to all the best of Bulgaria and your holiday.

Location
Bulgaria is situated in Southeast Europe and occupies the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the north it borders on Romania, to the west on the Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to the east on the Black Sea, to the south on Greece and to the southeast on Turkey's European part.
Bulgaria occupies a relatively small area - 111 000 sq. km, but is nevertheless distinguished by generous and varied nature - a sea with a 380 km. long coastal strip and golden beaches, 16 mountains with their own characteristic features, shelters valleys and high plateaus, over 550 curative mineral springs, dozen of unique natural phenomena and 2000 thrilling caves, a healthy climate and diverse flora and fauna.

Access
The country can be entered through any one of the many border checkpoints. Foreign driving licenses are valid on Bulgarian territory. Insurance is compulsory - it can either be taken out beforehand or on the Bulgarian border. The speed limit in the country is as follows: 60 km/h in populated areas, 80 km/h outside populated areas, and 120 km/h on motorways. Petrol stations are located at every 30 to 50 km.
The climate is temperate continental with clearly marked four seasons: the average annual temperature is 10.5°C, the average January temperature is around O°C. A Mediterranean influence is felt in the country's southern regions. The average summer temperatures rarely exceed 30°C.
Country relief is extremely varied: large plains and lowlands, low and high mountains, valleys and lovely gorges.
As a whole Bulgaria's vegetation can be ranked among the Central European forest region, but the influence of the South Russian and Asia Minor regions is also felt. The higher part of Bulgarian mountains is covered by sub -Arctic vegetation, among which juniper forests predominate. In fact, Bulgaria boasts 3000 higher plant varieties - almost twice as many as in England.
More than one quarter of the country's territory is covered with forests. The edelweiss is one of the rare plants growing in the country. It grows in places difficult of access, in the Pirin Mountains and the Balkan Range.
Bulgaria is famous for its oleaginous rose which blooms in the Valley of Roses. The Bulgarian fauna is no less interesting, with almost 13 000 animal species and subspecies, or about 14 percent of all European species.
Fishing is possible in lakes, dams, mountain brooks and sea, hunting - in special hunting grounds.
The official language is Bulgarian. With regards international tourism English, German, French and Russian is spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.

History
The Bulgarian lands are ancient crossroads. It remembers many ancient civilizations and great peoples which wrote the pages of its turbulent history: bronze and iron spears and arrows, ruins of palaces and cities, wise words carved on rocks and stone columns, written on parchment and leather.
One has to see the magnificent Thracian treasures, the monumental but beautiful work of the Greek and Roman cities in order to understand why Bulgaria became the cradle of Slav culture.
For thirteen centuries the Bulgarian has been creating literature, art and music. Bulgarian culture has given the world men of great achievements, unparalleled in history.
In the 9th century the brothers Cyril and Methodius, recognized as the patrons of Europe, upset the trilingual dogma and created the alphabet of the Slav peoples.
During the 14th century John Koukouzel - The Angel-voiced carried out a reform in Eastern Orthodox Church music. Unknown painters created masterpieces which have become part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage.