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Useful Information
Population: 7 385 367 people
Capital: Sofia 1 377 531 people
Other large cities:
• Plovdiv: 338 200 people
• Varna: 312 300 people
• Bourgas: 192 000 people
• Rousse: 161 000 people
• Veliko Tyrnovo: 283 600 people
Official language: Bulgarian
Alphabet: Cyrillic
Ethnic groups:
• Bulgarians 83.9%
• Turks 9.4%
• Roma 4.7%
Religion:
• East Orthodox 86%
• Muslim 13 %
• Other 1%
Electricity:
• 220 V
• standard two-pin plug
National currency:
Bulgarian lev (plural - leva) (lv or BGN)
• One lev = 100 stotinki
• Bulgarian coins are 1,2,5,10,20,50 stotinki & 1 lev
• Bulgarian notes are 2,5,10,20,50,100 & 500 leva
Money exchange:
The exchange rates are fluctuating on a daily basis, but the following exchange rates
can be considered:
• 1 Euro=1.95583 BGN
• 1 US dollar=1.50 BGN
Credit cards: Master Card and Visa
are commonly accepted. Some points of sale
do not have terminals, so
a small amount of cash is recommended.
Mobile operators: 3 mobile
operators
• Vivatel
• Globul
• Mtel
Foreign media:
International radio stations
• BBS World Service – 91.0 – MHz FM
• Deutsche Welle – 95.7 MHz FM
• Radio France Interationale – 103.6 MHz FM
Press:
• The Sofia echo – the only English-language newspaper
• Bulgarisches Wirtschaftsblatt – a monthly German-language newspaper
Internet:
www.sofiaecho.com - The Sofia Echo daily news
www.bta.bg - Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) - English-language pages
www.novinite.com - Novinite - English-language news site
Tipping: Tipping is widely spread as
it expresses satisfaction in the service provided. It is customary to
leave around 10% of the bill although some
restaurants, cafes or bars have
a service charge included in the bill.
Taxis: There are a number of credible companies:
• OK SUPERTRANS 973 2121
• YES-YELLOW 91 119
• S-Express 9 1280
Tariffs that can be considered:
Daytime (6AM – 10PM) – 0.49 BGN per km
Night (10PM- 6 AM) – 0.55 BGN pre km
Initial rate – 0.50 BGN
Waiting rate – 0.15 BGN per min
Most of the taxi companies in Sofia have relatively
the same tariffs. The tariffs are usually shown on the windscreen and on
the side windows. Do check
them first before going in the cab. |
