Bulgaria

 

CLIMATE
 
Summer in Bulgaria is from May until September. The temperature rarely exceeds 30C. There are around 275-300 days of sunny days per each year.


LANGUAGE
 
The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian which is spoken by all the population. Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet as opposed to the Roman alphabet commonly used in Western Europe.
 
With EU membership it is a requirement that all public signage is displayed in the Roman alphabet as well as the local Cyrillic. Foreigners visiting Bulgaria will therefore experience limited problems navigating and interpreting signs.
 
In addition to Bulgarian, the younger generation in Bulgaria all learn English in school. Visitors to Bulgaria will therefore find the English language is widely spoken by the local population. In tourist areas almost all the local population will speak fluent English, additionally many menus, forms etc. will also be translated due to the number of visitors to these areas. Due to its history and similarity, Russian is widely understood and spoken by Bulgarians, particularly amongst the older generation. Other languages that are common include French; Greek, Serbian and Turkish

 
COST OF LIVING
 
The cost of living is quite low compared with other European countries is quite low.  For example some costs for breakfast & dinner can start around 10 leva. Which are around 3.00. Bulgaria is also renowned for the excellent quality of its wine and is a major exporter of wine to Europe. Beer is also lower in price & brewed in Bulgaria as well as imported.


TOURISM
 
Tourism is a key component in the Bulgarian economy with 3 million tourists visiting Bulgaria last year. The advantage of the low cost of living compared to with other big cities is a major point for attracting people to Bulgaria along with its lifestyle.
 
 
CURRENCY
 
The official currency of Bulgaria is the Lev. The Lev exchange is now fixed against the Euro as part of the EU membership process. After EU membership in 2007, Bulgaria will adopt the Euro currency   The process of the Lev being replaced by the Euro is expected to take place in 2009 or 2010. Since the fixed exchange rate was introduced, many more expensive items have been priced in the more widely recognised Euro Currency. This includes but is not limited to property, cars, white goods and even some salaries.