State system: Republic

Population: about 7.5 mil people

Capital city: Sofia (1.2 mil inhabitants)

Official language: Bulgarian, Alphabet: Cyrillic

Religion: Orthodox (85%), Muslim (8%), other (7%)

Time zone: GMT (London) + 2 hours, East-European time (Germany) + 1 hour

Climate: Continental to Mediterranean in the South parts of the country.

Electricity: 220 V, 50 Hz

Entrance in the country: Most of the foreign citizens entering Bulgaria don’t need visa but they must carry their valid international passport. The list of the countries which citizens need visa, when entering Bulgaria, can be found at www.mfa.government.bg


Official holidays:

January 1st - New Year's Holiday
March 3rd - National Holiday
Easter, and the first Monday after Easter
May 1st - Labour Day
May 6th - Gergyovden (Saint George's Day), and the Day of the Bulgarian Army
May 24th - Cyril and Methodius Day
September 6th - Unification Day
September 22d - Independence Day
November 1st - National Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders
December 24th ,25th, and 26th - Christmas Days

Money exchange: You may exchange money in banks and in any of the numerous exchange offices. Some of those offices are opened during the holidays. Euro-checks may be cashed on a lot of banks.

Credit cards: Visa, Master Card, American Express are accepted in most of the cities, hotels and resorts. Eurocard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, VISA Election are also accepted. Visa and Master Card can change through ATM.

Most of the shops work on weekends and holidays. :)

Important phones:

Dialling code for Bulgaria from abroad +359
International emergency number: 112
Fire-brigade: 160
First aid: 150
Police: 166
Road assistance: 146
Telephone information: (0)118 00