1. Architecture
2. Arts
3. Bars
4. Black Sea Coast
5. Climate
6. Credit Cards
7. Disco’s
8. Economy
9. Environment
10. Flag
11. Food
12. Geography
13. History
14. Holidays
15. Languages
16. Map
17. Mountains
18. News
19. Population
20. Provinces
21. Religion
22. Restaurants
23. Sport
24. Time difference
25. Useful Phone numbers
26. Visas and passports

Monuments in Bulgaria date back to the Thracian era: the Tomb of Sveshtari (third century BC) and the Tomb of Kazanlak (fourth century BC).

The Bulgarian town of Nessebar began as a Thracian settlement. Like the Thracian tombs, the town is on the World Heritage List. Evidence of Greek colonisation can be seen in the Acropolis and the Temple of Apollo. Other architecture of interest in Nessebar includes nineteenth century wooden houses.

Bulgarian religious buildings on the World Heritage List are Rila Monastery, Boyana Church, Sofia (dating from the tenth century), and the Christian churches of Ivanovo (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries).

There are a number of examples of Turkish architecture from the centuries of Ottoman occupation. Restoration has recently taken place on Ottoman architecture in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Shumen and Yambol.

Examples of sculpture and painting in Bulgaria date back to early times. A Thracian tomb decorated with sculptures and murals and a cliff carving of a knight fighting a lion (the Madara Rider) are on the World Heritage List.

Religious art can be seen in Bulgaria's churches. For example, the frescoes and medieval paintings in Boyana Church, Sofia.

Today, the Bulgarian artist Christo and his associate Jeanne Claude are famous for "wrapping" the German Reichstag building (1995).

Ivan Vazov (1850-1921) is perhaps Bulgaria's most famous writer. Vazov, a poet, novelist and playwright is most well known for his novel "Under the Yoke", set in the 1876 Uprising against the Turks.

3 Bars

Please go yo yhis link for information about Bars in Bulgaria: http://www.bar.bg.

4 Black Sea Coast

The Bulgarian Black Sea coast was inhabited centuries ago - the earliest records date from 5th century BC. Nowadays it is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians and foreign visitors every year. The welcoming climate from late May to late September with average sea temperatures of 25C, the beaches with fine golden sands, and the modern resorts not surprisingly attract more and more tourists. The Black Sea coast is also one of the best spa areas in the country where the combination of sea climate, mineral baths, hot springs, and curative mud adds to the possibilities of holiday enjoyment. The vast tourist complexes such as Sunny Beach and Golden Sands, newer resorts like Albena, and holiday villages such as Elenite and Dyuni compare favorably with villa settlements in the Mediterranean.

Albena seaside resort
Albena is located 35 km north of the city of Varna on a pretty bay on Black Sea's north coast. It has 5 km long and 150 m wide beach, lying in a picturesque bay surrounded by splendid green forests and the climate that invites to enjoy all outdoor sports. Albena has more than 100 catering establishments, ranging from top class restaurants to fast food outlets, small cosy spots right on the shore, bars and discos, taverns and folk-style places, Chinese and Indian cuisine, to suit any taste and pocket.

Duni seaside resort
This cozy holiday village is situated 40 km south of city of Burgas in a beautiful bay on Black Sea. You may walk hundreds of meters into the sea and still touch the sea bottom with your feet. The slope is gentle and free of slopes and the water is unpolluted and warm. The architecture of Duni is the first eye -catching feature. Lodgings in the complex include only suites (in total 2000 beds), divided in three zones - Zelenika, Marina and Pelikan and combine the convenience of modern life with the aura of old Bulgarian Revival period architecture. Duni has excellent sport facilities and experienced coaches that will satisfy every water sport fan.

St Konstantin & Elena
The picturesque resort of St. Konstantin is one of the oldest on the Black Sea coast. Situated in a fine old park with cypresses, lilies and fig trees, quiet bays, sand beaches and curative mineral springs, the resort offers comfortable hotels, villa-settlements and holiday houses, modern restaurants serving national and European cuisine, sports and entertainment for any age, excursions. The resort, named after the local monastery is a paradise for those who are fond of fishing and scuba diving. The climate is Mediterranean with high concentration of light negative ions.

Golden Sands
The Golden Sands resort is the largest one on the northern Black Sea coast. It is situated 18 km northeast of Varna at the foot of hills, covered with virgin forests descending into the prime attraction of the resort - its 4 km long soft, pale golden beach. Summer sea temperatures are only a few degrees below the 27C air temperature which together with the ever growing number of modern hotels and restaurants, make Golden Sands one of the most desirable destinations on the Black Sea. The resort also offers a wide range of bars, discos, a casino, outdoor pools, some of which mineral, and plenty of sports facilities and activities such as scuba diving, waterskiing and paraskiing.

Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach is the largest seaside resort on the Bulgarian Riviera located a couple of miles , north-west of Town of Nessebar. On the beach or in the quiet greenery of the specious park land, with a cottage settlements in orchards and vineyards, and a shady campsites you will find a place that suites style and budget. The estimated sun hours per day are 11 and 1700 for the period May to September. Conditions for water sports are excellent indeed. Hundreds of restaurants, taverns and entertainment places are open till early in the morning to satisfy any taste and preferences.

Sozopol
The city of Sozopol, originally named Apollonia is the oldest city on the Bulgarian cost of Black Sea. It was found from Miletus in 610 BC. Surrounded by sea on three sides and resembling pile of stones on a small piece of land, Sozopol brings together natural beauty and romantic antiquities. The architecture in Sozopol is extremely picturesque and intimate. Oriels jut out so much that the streets resemble tunnels where hospitality is offered in shop and taverns. It is the street architecture that gives Sozopol its unique charm. In the very beggining of every autumn, Sozopol is the site of the Apollonia arts festival. The rich local archeological museuim keeps some of Apollonia's magnificent heritage, which is also in the possession of the Louvre and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

Nessebar
Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Mesembria). At the beginning of the 6th century B.C., the city became a Greek colony. The city's remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

Balchik
Balchik is a 2600 years old town, a formerly Greek-Byzantine fortress Dionysopolis. It is a small but very romantic Bulgarian seaside town located on Black Sea coast. The town is attractive to tourists with its ancient atmosphere that has been preserved for centuries now. It is interesting to walk along and observe the Tatar Quarter with the pebbled streets and the houses made of stone and adobe. The old palace - built in 1924-1931 by the request of the Romanian queen Maria. The authors of the construction design are Italian architects.

The climate in Northern Bulgaria is moderate continental, while the climate in Southern Bulgaria is intermediate continental tending to Mediterranean. The climate in the regions with an altitude of 1900-2000 m above sea level is mountainous and along the Black Sea coast it is maritime. The climate of the seaside regions is milder in the winter and cooler in the summer than the climate of the interior of the country. The average annual temperature is 10,5°C, in winter about 0°C. The lowest temperature - 38,3°C - was measured in 1947.

Marked by four distinct seasons, Bulgaria enjoys a generally favorable climate that is one of the country's best features. Although located at the same latitude as southern New England, Bulgaria's climate is noticeably more temperate. Summers are typically hot and dry, but rarely oppressive, with moderate relative humidity. Winters are cold but not bitterly so. In the south and Black Sea coastal regions, Mediterranean influences temper the harsher continental climate of the interior. The country's half-dozen mountain groups also play a significant part in determining regional variances.

Weather forecast from Bulgarian National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology - www.meteo.bg

6 Credit Cards

The following credit cards are accepted in many hotels, restaurants and shops in Bulgaria: Diners Club, American Express, Mastercard, Carte Blanche, Balkanamericard, Visa, Eurocard, etc. They can be used for the payment of all standard services: hotel accommodation, restaurants, night spots, shopping, car rentals, plane tickets, etc.

7 Disco’s

Please go yo yhis link for information about Bars in Bulgaria: http://www.disco.bg.

8 Economy

Since the political changes at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, Bulgaria has worked towards the privatisation of business. Bulgaria aims to join the EU although it was not ready for the wave of memberships in 2004.

The agricultural sector accounts for just over a quarter of the labour force. Agricultural products include fruit, vegetables, wheat, barley, sugar beet, sunflowers and roses (attar of roses is used in perfume). Cattle, sheep and pigs are kept. Other primary products are fish and timber.

Just under one third of the labour force work in industry. Main industries are nuclear fuel, electricity, gas, coke, refined petroleum, chemicals, fertilisers, metals, construction, machinery and equipment, food, drinks (including red and white wine) and tobacco.

The service sector accounts for employment of just over forty percent of the labour force. Tourism is a major source of employment with eight million visitors a year. The Black Sea resorts and the mountains are both popular destinations for tourists. Spa tourism is also an important part of Bulgaria's tourist industry.

9 Environment

Bulgaria is mountainous with over four thousand mapped caves. Thirty-eight percent of Bulgaria consists of forests and woodlands; there are many rivers, waterfalls, lakes and mineral springs.

Protected areas include Pirin National Park, Sinite Kamani National Park, the Bourgas Wetlands, Steneto Reserve and Parangalitza Reserve. The Srebarna Nature Reserve, a World Heritage site, is home to over a hundred species of indigenous and migrating birds.

10 Flag

The Bulgaria flag was officially adopted on November 22, 1990
The red and white colors of the flag were taken from the Pan Slavic colors. The green replaced the blue of the Russian Tricolor, and before 1990, the white stripe contained the Bulgarian coat of arms.

11 Food

Bulgaria's cuisine is influenced by neighbouring Balkan countries (Yugoslavia, Greece and northern Turkey).

Traditional food includes bread, pickled vegetables, salads, soups, stews, casseroles, stuffed vegetables, kebabs, spicy sausages and cheese dishes. Yoghurt is very popular and eaten most days. In fact, Bulgaria is said to be the home of yoghurt and Bulgarian yoghurt is thought to have curative properties.

Meat (pork, chicken, lamb and beef), fish and vegetarian dishes are served with staple foods such as rice and bulgar wheat. Vegetables include aubergines, beans, cabbage, carrots, corn, courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and olives.

Favourite desserts are pancakes, baklava, baked apples and fruit: apricots, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes, melons, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, pears, plums and quinces.

Traditional alcoholic drinks are "rakiya" (a fruit brandy, often plum), wine and "boza" (a type of beer made with grain, usually millet). Non-alcoholic drinks include coffee, tea, juices, buttermilk and mineral water.

12 Geography

The Republic of Bulgaria is in South Eastern Europe and is bordered by Turkey, Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Romania and the Black Sea.

Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria. Other important cities are Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Pleven, Dobrich, Sliven and Shumen.

Bulgaria's climate is temperate with cold snowy winters and hot summers..

13 Holidays

New Year, Christmas and Easter are holidays. Other days celebrated are National Day (3 March), International Labour Day (1 May), Day of the Slavonic Script and Bulgarian Culture (24 May), Unification Day (6 September) and Independence Day (22 September)..

14 History

Bulgaria has been inhabited since the Stone Age. In the Bronze Age people known as Thracians lived in the region. The Thracian civilization eventually became part of the Roman Empire.

By the middle of the fourth century waves of barbarian tribes were moving into Europe gravely damaging the Roman Empire. People known as "Bulgars" eventually settled in Bulgaria.

Over the centuries the Bulgarians built up a powerful empire controlling much of the Balkans. However, between the early eleventh century and the end of the twelfth century, Bulgaria came under Byzantine rule. (The Byzantine Empire was founded when the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred to Constantinople in 324).

The Bulgarian State was restored in 1185 by Ivan Asen and, later, under the rule of Ivan Asen II (1218-1241), the Bulgarian Empire consolidated its power.

As time went on discord between Bulgarian nobles led to division of the country. In its weakened state Bulgaria succumbed to an offensive by the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks ruled Bulgaria from the middle of the fourteenth century for five centuries.

In 1876 an uprising against the Turks led to the massacre of many Bulgarians. The massacre focused European attention on the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria and Turkey was finally defeated in the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation (1877-1878). Alexander of Battenburg, a German prince, became Prince of Bulgaria and was succeeded by Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1887) who was King of Bulgaria from 1908 to 1918.

The Russo-Turkish War resulted in loss of Bulgarian territory to Turkey. In 1912 Bulgaria and other Balkan states attacked Turkey winning land from the Turks. A quarrel ensued between the Balkan states over the division of land leading to the Second Balkan War in 1913.

During the First and Second World Wars, Bulgaria allied itself with Germany. After the Second World War (1939-45) Bulgaria became a People's Republic coming under the USSR's sphere of influence.

1985 saw Mikhail Gorbachev's accession to power in Soviet Russia. Gorbachev introduced extensive political and economic reforms (Perestroika) and promoted greater openness (Glasnost) between nations.

The end of 1989 saw political changes in Bulgaria and the communist government came to an end in 1990.

15 Languages

Bulgarian is the official language.

16 Map

17 Mountains

Sredna Gora mountains
The Sredna Gora or "Central Highlands" stretch from the Pancherevo defile outside Sofia as far as Yambol on the Thracian plain, south of the the Balkan Range and the Valley of the Roses. With its forests of oak and beech and numerous caves and hot springs, the region was inhabited by humans as early as the 5th millennium BC. The Thracians left a hoard of gold treasure at Panagurishte, and the Romans a crop of ruins at Hisar, but for Bulgarians, the Sredna Gora is best known as the "land of the April Uprising", which started in Koprivshtitsa. For tourists too, these towns are the region's highlights and starting points for mountain hiking.

Rhodope mountains
The Rhodope mountains, the most lyrical Bulgarian mountains, is located in the most southern part of the country. The Rhodope mountains are one of the oldest mountains in Bulgaria - the land where panpipes, Orpheus and the Orphic Cult originated, a region rich in gems and ores, mild oval forms and rounded wooded peaks, picturesque villages and hospitable people. Very interesting are the karst areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms. What is typical for the Rhodope mountains is that they are the most populated mountains in Bulgaria which together with the mild climate and the numerous mineral springs, provides essential advantages for the development of tourism. The best conifer woods in Bulgaria can be found here, as well as 15 natural reserves, some of which protected under UNESCO. The highest peak is Golyam Perelik at an altitude of 2191m.

Rila mountains
Rila is the highest mountain in Bulgaria and on the whole Balkan Peninsula. It is a part of the Rila-Rhodope Massif and occupies its north-east end. Rila seems to be a piece of the Alps thrown into the heart of the Balkans with its 130 Alpine peaks above 2000m, glacial valleys and lakes. The snow cover on the parts of average altitude and the Alpine parts often exceeds 2m. Eastern Rila is the highest part of the mountain where one can visit Rila's highest mount-Moussala (2925m) and the 10 top peaks, and the highest lake in Rila-the Glacial lake (2709m). Northwestern Rila is the home to some of the symbols of Bulgarian alpinism and mountaineering-Malyovitsa and Kupenite peaks, and the biggest and significant lake groups, the most famous and scenic of all - the 7 Rila lakes. The most of the chalets and high mountain shelters are in this part of the mountain. Many marked tourist hiking trails and high-mountain rock climbing tours originate from here.

Pirin mountain
Pirin mountain is the second highest in Bulgaria after Rila mountain. It is situated in the southwest part of the country in a rather extended shape to the northwest and southeast between the rivers Struma and Mesta. Pirin mountain, a glorious glacial landscape of peaks and lakes, offers some of the finest walking in Europe. Pirin has acquired an Alpine relief - rocky marble or granite peaks and cliffs, deep cirques, well shaped glacier valleys and numerous lakes. However, because of the well-expressed Mediterranean influence through the valleys of the Struma and Mesta rivers, it is the mountain with the greatest number of sunny days throughout the year and annual average temperature in the area of Vihren chalet (2000m) of -3.7C. Northern Pirin is the home of the highest peak, Vihren (2914m), of 60 others above 2500m, and of all glacial lakes (140-150 in number). It is also the place where one can find most of the region's ski resorts and hiking centers, as well as 12 chalets and 4 huts which are open for mountaineers the year-round. Because of its unique nature, in 1983 UNESCO decided to include the Pirin National Park in the list of the world's cultural and natural heritage.

The Balkan Range
The Balkan Range cuts right across the country - from the border with Serbia to the Black Sea coast, a forbidding mountain known to the Bulgarians as Stara Planina or the "Old Mountains". The 550km-long granite Balkan Range has become emblematic of Bulgaria - a birthplace of the Bulgarian nation-state and a place where Bulgarian traditions and culture have been preserved during the Ottoman occupation. It is also a climatic barrier between north and south Bulgaria with more snowfalls on its northern slopes than on the southern. Average temperature around Mount Botev, the highest peak (2376m), are -8.9C in January, and 7.6 in July. Its 29 peaks above 2000m, some of which definitely Alpine, are of great interest to tourists and climbers. The numerous alpine formations in the western part of the mountain-caves, rocks, gorges, attract extreme climbers and mountaineers. The Central Balkan range is the highest with the most tourist chalets and high-mountain huts. Hundreds of tracks have been marked, most of them leading to important historic and cultural places. A landmark is the National Park "Central Balkan" with 10 biosphere reserves under the protection of UNESCO.

18 News

Please go to this link for News about Bulgaria: http://www.novinite.com

19 Population

Bulgaria's population was estimated at 7,450,349 in 2005.

20 Provinces

Bulgaria has 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast);
Blagoevgrad,
Burgas,
Dobrich,
Gabrovo,
Khaskovo,
Kurdzhali,
Kyustendil,
Lovech,
Montana,
Pazardzhik,
Pernik,
Pleven,
Plovdiv,
Razgrad,
Ruse,
Shumen,
Silistra,
Sliven,
Smolyan,
Sofia,
Sofia-Grad,
Stara Zagora,
Turgovishte,
Varna,
Veliko Turnovo,
Vidin,
Vratsa,
Yambol

21 Religion

The main religion in Bulgaria is Bulgarian Orthodox. Thirteen percent of the people are Muslim. Minority religions include Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish.

22 Restaurants

Please go yo yhis link for information about Bars in Bulgaria: http://www.restaurant.bg

23 Sport

Popular team sports in Bulgaria are football, basketball and volleyball.

Bulgarians are well known for gymnastics, athletics, tennis and weight-lifting. Other sports include swimming, rowing and skiing.

24 Time difference

Bulgaria's time zone lies two hours ahead of Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT). Along with most of Europe, however, Bulgaria institutes its Summer Time. Summer Time is three hours ahead of GMT and is instituted from the last Sunday in May to the Saturday before the last Sunday in September

0123 - operator for international calls (if no direct phone call is possible)
1286, 983 308 - Road Assistance
75 361 - Institute for Treatment of Foreign Citizens
798 035 - Sofia Airport - International Flights
722 414 - Sofia Airport - Domestic Flights
121 - operator for long-distance calls within the country
140 - sending of telegrams
144 - telephone information service for office phone numbers
145 - telephone information service for home numbers
146 - Emergency Road Service
150 - Emergency Medical Aid
166 - Police/Road patrols
175 - weather forecast
180 - exact time ("speaking" clock)

26 Visas and passports

In order to travel to and within Bulgaria the nationals of all countries need a passport valid until at least six months after the date of departure. You do not have to produce a return ticket on arrival. On arrival, however, all visitors have to register at the hotel or guesthouse they are staying at, or, when visiting friends or camping, at the nearest police station.