General information

Capital:  Sofia
Area:  110,912 km² (42,823 sq miles)
Population:  7,800,000
Official language:  Bulgarian

Government:  Parliamentary democracy

Founded:  681 AD
Accession to EU: January 1, 2007

Currency:   Lev, pegged to the Euro at 1.95583:1

Location

Bulgaria boasts a strategic geographic position as a bridge between Europe and Asia, bordering with Turkey to the southeast, Greece to the southwest, Serbia and FYROM to the west, Romania to the north with the Danube River as a natural border, and the Black Sea to the east.

Geography

Considering its small size, Bulgaria has a great diversity of picturesque and contrasting landscapes of plains, plateaus, hills, mountains, bays, beaches, basins, gorges, and deep river valleys.

Climate

Bulgaria enjoys a generally favourable continental Mediterranean climate with four distinct seasons. The annual temperature ranges between 2°C and 28 °C. Snow lasts for an average of over 200 days in the mountains, offering ideal conditions for both summer and winter holidaymakers.

Traveling to Bulgaria

There are four international airports in Bulgaria: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Bourgas. They are linked with direct flights to most major European destinations. Plovdiv Airport currently receives mainly charter flights during high tourist season.

British Airways and Bulgaria Air have daily flights to and from the UK. Budget airline Wizz Air also operates regular flights to Sofia and Bourgas.