BULGARIA: A GUIDE FOR MOTORHOMERS 2008

Information selected from a range of sources including ADAC, Caravan Club, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide.

Updated July 2008

With a population of 8 million, the Republic of Bulgaria is situated in the south-eastern Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey - and 230 miles of Black Sea coast. Its area is 110,000 km² (UK = 244,000km²), 520 km E-W from the Black Sea to Serbia and 330 km N-S from Romania to Greece. Rolling farmland, forests and long sandy beaches (some of Europe's finest) are the main features of the country and Bulgaria's mountains, popular with skiers in the winter months, offer a wide variety of flora and fauna.

The Bulgars migrated from Central Asia in the late 7^th century, mingling with Slavs who arrived 200 years earlier. The alphabet is Cyrillic (like Russia) and the religion Orthodox Christianity (like Russia and Greece). The Ottoman Turks occupied the country for 500 years, being driven out by the Russians in 1878. In WWII, Bulgaria joined the Germans in 1941 and was occupied by the Russians from 1945 to 1989. It is now a parliamentary democracy with a President, and is a new member of NATO and the EU (joining in 2007). It is the EU's poorest country (behind Romania).

The capital, Sofia, dates back to the 4th century BC with a wealth of architecture of many styles including Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Turkish; wide avenues, giant squares and many parks. Plovdiv is the country's second largest town with a complex of narrow, cobbled streets of houses dating from the seventeenth century. A Roman amphitheatre was discovered there in 1977 and has recently been restored. To the north of Plovdiv is the Valley of Roses, where from late May to mid-June rose petals are gathered for the production of Attar of Roses.

Strangely, the Bulgarians nod their heads to say 'no' and shake them when they mean 'yes'.

Our experience was that Bulgaria is safe for motorhomers. Compared with other nearby former communist countries - Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia – it is much quieter, cheaper and less developed and the people are warmer and friendlier. We saw very few other campers in Bulgaria – and no British. The country's reputation as a place where even the police run scams with fake speeding fines (we once got pulled over riding our bicycles!) is now outdated and we had no hassle at all.

More information from the Bulgarian Embassy – write 186-188 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5HL. For general information, visit Tourism Bulgaria or Bulgaria Travel.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Climate: Bulgaria has a continental climate - hot, dry summers and cold, damp winters. Spring (April to mid-June) and September are the best times to visit. Most holidaymakers stay on the Black Sea coast which, like the Mediterranean, is tideless, but with half the salt content. It becomes crowded through mid-July and August. Snow lasts from December to April and winter sports are very popular. The peak ski season is around Christmas and New Year and from February to mid-March.

Costs: Despite a 'dual pricing' system by which Bulgarians often pay less than we do for tourist facilities, sometimes considerably less, Bulgaria remains pleasantly inexpensive for the visitor!

Currency: The Bulgarian Lev (plural Leva) is divided into 100 Stotinki. In July 2008 £1 = 2.5 Lv (€1 = 2 Lv). Check the latest rate here. You are not allowed to take Bulgarian currency in or out of the country. Foreign currency up to the value of 2,000 Lv may be taken in or out without declaration. Travellers' Cheques can only be cashed at banks or official exchange bureaus. ATM's are found in large towns outside banks. Few places accept credit cards; cash is preferred. Euros are often accepted.

Dining: A typical meal consisting of shopska salad (chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onions, peppers, grated white cheese), kebabche (kebabs), plus rice or chips and excellent beer, cost about £4 in a good restaurant. Also inexpensive in restaurants: quvech - meat stew with mixed vegetables; kebapcheta - kebabs of minced meat; tarator - yoghurt, thinly sliced cucumber and seasoning; moussaka; stuffed peppers. Bulgarian yoghurt is famous, fruit is plentiful in summer and the cakes, pastries and pancakes are excellent.

Food Shopping: We fill our lockers before leaving Alexandroupolis (Greece) or Edirne (Turkey), so we don't miss the supermarkets we can't find in most of Bulgaria. Small local grocery shops hold a limited range of food, including bread and milk, while fruit and vegetables are cheaply available at markets and roadside stalls. By 2008 large 'Kaufland' supermarkets had reached the larger towns, but other German, French or British retailers have yet to arrive. If coming from the other direction, stock up at Hungary's supermarkets (Tesco, etc) or at Romania's cash-and-carry warehouses (Selgros and Metro). Good local beer and wine are very inexpensive, as are cigarettes in this hop, vine and tobacco-growing country! Bulgaria is the world's fifth largest exporter of wine.

Health: UK citizens are eligible for free emergency treatment at hospitals but medicines have to be paid for. The European Health Insurance Card (which replaced the E111) operates here, though the FCO advice is to take out extra health insurance, as facilities are generally poor.

Internet: Even quite small towns have facilities for emailing for as little as 40p an hour. The equipment and price were very much better than Greece, our winter haunt.

Language: On a journey through 14 countries, we found Bulgarian one language too far! It's a Slavic language, akin to Russian and Serbo-Croat, well hidden behind its Cyrillic alphabet. For 'COФΝЯ' read 'SOFIA', the capital city, and 'КьМЛИНГУВаНе' points the way to a 'KAMPING GROUND'. We drove slowly past the few signposts we found and made good use of our hand-held Magellan GPS receiver. German is spoken in tourist areas but young people prefer English, now the first foreign language in schools. Whenever they could, young people were keen to talk to us about life in Bulgaria today and their hopes for a better future in the European Union.

Laundry: Do-it-yourself hand-washing is the usual option.

Local time: GMT + 2. Summer time (GMT + 3) comes into effect from the end of March until the end of October.

Personal Documents: For a stay of max 3 months, a passport is sufficient (children under 16 can be entered in a parent's passport). Documents should be valid for at least 6 months beyond the length of the stay.

Pets: Need an official vet's certificate of health, not more than 14 days old, as well as a rabies vaccination certificate, at least 30 days and max 12 months old (6 months for cats), both entered in the international vaccination passport.

Telephone: Code for Bulgaria 00359 (then omit the first 0 from the local number). Public telephones work on cards and can be used for national and international calls. UK mobile phone companies have roaming agreements with the extensive local networks (eg Vodafone link with Mobitel).

Toilets: Most are the 'sit-down' type, although the standard of public toilets can be abominable! Private toilets are sometimes available for a small fee which is well worth it!

TV: The standard is PAL B/G (common throughout Europe but not the UK) and many US and British films and documentaries are shown with subtitles. This gives the chance to catch up on old favourites and an opportunity to learn something of the language.

FOR THE DRIVER

Alcohol Tolerance: 0.05%.

Breakdown Service: The Bulgarian Automobile Club (UAB) has a road service. AIT Credit Coupons are recognised.

Customs: Prior to Bulgaria joining the EU, an entry fee (€18 in 2003) was levied at the border and a fee of €5 was paid for driving through a trough of disinfectant! These charges no longer apply, but a windscreen sticker must be bought to drive on any road (not just motorways). See Vignette below.

Emergency Numbers: Medical rescue 150; police 166; Fire 160. International help112.

Fines: The police can impose on-the-spot fines for offences against traffic regulations. Fines amount to a maximum of 2,000 leva. Ask for a receipt. If in doubt, ask to go to the police station to pay - but not in their vehicle! Holding a camera or tape recorder may also dissuade possible scams.

Fuel: Diesel at 2.55 Leva/litre, 95 petrol 2.34 Leva/litre and 98 petrol 2.51 Leva/litre (2008 prices) are considerably cheaper than Turkey, a little less than Greece, and about the same as Romania. LPG is widely available at 1.26 Leva/litre. 2 Leva = 1 Euro = about 80 pence and rising at the time of writing.

Maps and Guides: For overall planning, we used a 1:800,000 map of Romania and Bulgaria in the Kummerley and Frey series: more detailed maps are available locally. The Lonely Planet Guide to Eastern Europe gave us excellent value for money with its coverage of 19 countries! There are also Lonely Planet or Rough Guide books covering Turkey in depth.

Roads: Bulgarian roads, quiet even in high summer, are often narrow, rutted and potholed; sometimes made of rough concrete sections and sometimes cobbled. However, EU money is transforming some of the through routes into wider carriageways, with a good coating of bitumen.

Special traffic regulations: Every accident must be reported to the traffic police (tel 165) and to the state insurance company, BULSTRAD. About 100 people die on the roads each month.

Speed limits: Motorways 120, Main Roads 80, Country Roads 80, Town 60 km/hr.

Tolls: Motorways and long-distance routes have a small toll.

Vignette: Ask for a Vignette (windscreen sticker) at the border, where you will probably be sold the minimum: €5 for 7 days. Vignettes for one month or one year are sold at major Post Offices or at filling stations. Make sure you get one, if necessary, to avoid spot fines. 

FOR THE CAMPER

Compared with neighbouring Romania, you will be somewhat disappointed in the number and quality of campsites (to say the least). Own sanitation is generally recommended.

The German ADAC Guide gives a good summary of the situation: 'Very few places are prepared for foreign tourists with caravans or motorhomes. Any trouble taken is concentrated on the many bungalows or huts available, while investment in actual camping facilities, such as sanitary buildings, is a rare exception. Bulgarian campsites are officially divided into 3 categories for quality, but if you plan your camping holiday around these assessments you will get many surprises – and seldom nice ones!' We couldn't have put it better ourselves.

The only British-run site we know is the excellent new Sakar Hills, near Harmanli, and about 20 miles from the Turkish and Greek frontiers at Svilengrad. Visit: www.sakar-hills.com.

In addition, we use motel and hotel car parks (usually free, especially if eating in their restaurant), TIR lorry parks for a small charge (particularly on the main transit route to and from Turkey), or a cheap campsite hut with parking alongside.  

There are estimated to be about 120 organised campsites. These sites are situated near the E80 international road, in mountain resorts, near tourist sites and along the coast. Campsites are open from May/June to September/October. The main region for camping is the Black Sea coast where there are many summer holiday resorts, but they are extremely busy in July/August.

A Camping Card International is not essential but may entitle the holder to a 10% reduction. All foreign campers must show their passports (don't leave them at Reception!) and complete a form.

The electricity supply is 220 volts using round 2-pin (Continental) plugs. Calor gas and International Camping Gaz are not available in Bulgaria and you should ensure that you have sufficient supplies for your stay. LPG (called 'Auto Gas') is widely available for the vehicle, or to refill bottles or tanks.

Overnighting outside of campsites, on the streets, parking or rest places, as well as on private ground, is generally not allowed without permission.