A typical first trip here runs about $425 to $575 per person for 7 days at a mid-range style, before flights. Get your own number from the Budget Calculator.
- Shopska salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and grated sirene cheese
- Banitsa, flaky pastry with white cheese or spinach, eaten for breakfast
- Kavarma, slow-cooked meat and vegetable stew in a clay pot
- Rakia, fruit brandy (plum or grape) consumed at every social occasion
- Bulgarian yogurt is world-famous, a unique probiotic culture
- Rose Festival (Kazanlak, June), celebrating the Rose Valley harvest
- Liberation Day (March 3), commemorates independence from Ottoman rule
- Kukeri (January), ancient pagan ritual with elaborate monster costumes
- Nestinarstvo (fire dancing on hot coals), UNESCO ritual in village of Balgari
Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet. English is increasingly common especially among younger Bulgarians and in Sofia.
Note that Bulgarians shake heads sideways for "yes" and nod for "no", opposite to most cultures!
- Learn the head-gesture reversal: shaking = yes, nodding = no
- Bulgarians are warm and hospitable; always accept offered food
- Remove shoes when entering private homes
- Tipping: 10% in restaurants is standard and appreciated
Latest for Bulgaria
Updates for Bulgaria will appear here as they are published. Every update cites official sources, so you can plan on it.