Bulgaria Travel Notes

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Forget your lingering doubts from Bulgaria´s Communist past and you will be surprised and excited by the modern holiday attractions Bulgaria now has to offer.

Nestling on the banks of the Black Sea, with Romania to the north and Greece and Turkey to the south, and with its ancient historical connections with Russia, Bulgaria comprises an eclectic mix of all these nations, making it a rich and diverse cosmopolitan country with a strong cultural heritage.

Although not yet as visited as its Greek and Turkish neighbours, Bulgaria boasts stunningly untouched landscapes, beautiful, safe sandy beaches and a multitude of tourist attractions ranging from sports to history and culture. This, combined with great value for money and welcoming people, completes the most peoples’ formula for a perfect holiday destination.

Bulgaria has received heavy investment from the World Bank to modernize its entire infrastructure, which has vastly improved tourist facilities here - it is small wonder that tourism in Bulgaria have increased by some 50% in the past four years.
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Investing in real estate is regarded as probably the safest and most consistent way to increase your capital. Worldwide property investment is no longer the preserve of the super rich or readily connected but with the event of the internet and a simplified banking system, is open to all of us.

Massive fortunes are built and grown through property investment and the sheer size of the global market offers the chance to build a property portfolio with even if you have the smallest budget.

Emerging markets and the ready availability of cheap investments, can be you’re your pension plan and a source of regular income. The key is identifying the fastest appreciating areas with affordable property that will offer consistent growth and huge capital returns.

Currently, in the European market, Bulgaria is the current hotspot with an average growth rate of 30% with the cheapest property prices in the EU. There are several other countries in the EU, which attract foreign investment for a variety of reasons. None, however, can rival the sheer number of factors, which makes Bulgaria an irresistible, safe and compelling location for your investment capital:
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The following guide to car rental in Bulgaria offers information on six large rental firms. It’s worth bearing in mind that:

• Bulgarian provision for visitors is growing rapidly, and there are many local car hire firms

• The data included here refers to winter 2005-6, and seasonal variations are inevitable

• Though Bulgaria uses the cyrillic alphabet (it’s like Russian lettering), street signs in the major cities are also printed in Roman letters (ie, using our alphabet)

This guide gives a brief overview of the big international hire franchises, and introduces one or two of the smaller operators. It will be a matter of personal choice for you: staying with the big boys is probably safer and more reliable – you know what you’re getting. On the other hand, the smaller outfits are generally cheaper, and can provide many more service points – certainly inland.

WHERE TO PICK UP YOUR HIRE CAR

1. Airports

Bulgaria has three sizeable international airports, SOFIA, the capital city, VARNA and BOURGAS, which both serve the Black Sea Coast. All three are obvious and convenient pick-up points. Hertz and Europcar have rental desks at all three airports, Avis does not offer Bourgas. Moto Roads and Sixt have pick up/drop off facilities at Sofia and Bourgas.
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If you are planning to visit and hire a car in Bulgaria, prepare yourself. Anyone who has ever driven there will agree that the Bulgarian road system is still very underdeveloped. Due to a combination of poor driving habits, old cars and badly damaged roads, driving can be extremely dangerous.

Drivers tend to be aggressive and there has been a recent increase in “road rage” led accidents. Such drivers in outdated, unsafe cars contribute to the country’s high fatality rates on the road. Further caution should be exercised at night as drivers often drive with missing headlights.

You really should know where you are going as many roads lack markings, lights and road signs. Similarly, you should be aware of the other type of aggressive drivers in flashier modern BMW’s and Mercs who can be equally as dangerous.

The use of seat belts is compulsory in Bulgaria for all passengers, except pregnant women. Children less than 12 years of age may ride in the front seat but only if seated in a child car seat. However, if you look into the cars of fellow drivers it can be seen that these laws are often broken.
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Now, when your Christmas plans are done, it’s just the time to begin thinking about your summer vacations. Let me introduce Bulgaria – one the most pleasant but not expensive resort destination on the Black Sea shore. From May till late September its beaches are overcrowded by the tourists, mainly from Germany and Russia. Depending on your preferences you have a choice of the several good resorts – Golden Sands, Albena, Kranevo, St. Constantine and Hellena, Sunny Beach.

Golden Sands and Sunny Beach are the biggest ones, but those who like to rest in calm and quite atmosphere (and pay less money) prefer Kranevo or St. Constantine and Hellena. If you have chosen Sunny Beach you will arrive to Bourgas Airport. In all other cases you will land in Varna.
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Land Lines

Only around 38% of the population in Bulgaria has a land based telephone line, although these figures are increasing drastically despite the quality of the phone service still being substandard. The call completion rate is still only a frustrating 45 %.

Telephone lines are sometimes still insulated with paper and many areas are still using obsolete switching technology.

Dialing Out

The telecommunications system allows a direct dialing service to 58 countries, although it all can seem outdated by our standards:

If you wish to dial to a country not within the list of 58, you will need to call through the operator by dialing 0123.
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By: Manjeet Singh

In addition to seeking out a Bulgarian property for sale for personal or family use, there are a number of people who are interested in finding a Bulgaria house for sale for investment purposes. In other words, these people want to purchase a Bulgarian property for sale, hold on to the property for a moderate amount of time (perhaps leasing it out during the period of ownership) and then they desire to sell the residence for a profit.

In point of fact, some people are able to make good money through the process of making the purchase of a Bulgarian property and then reselling the property after the passage of a reasonable period of time.

The overall Bulgarian real estate market has become increasingly attractive for investors in all sectors — industrial, commercial and residential. Indeed, when it comes to a Bulgarian property for sale, housing prices on average in the country are rising at a rate of about twenty to twenty-five percent per year. Therefore, if a person were to make the purchase of a Bulgarian property with the intention of holding for ultimate resell, he or she likely will make tidy profit in a short amount of time.
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The Bulgarian currency is lev (BGL), or plural leva, and is divided into 100 stotinki (st). However, due to inflation, the stotinki coins have been eliminated.

Leva coins are for 2, 5 and 10 leva and notes are in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000.

The lev has a fixed rate of exchange against the Euro: € 1 = 1.95 lev.

After the fall of Communism in 1989, new versions of the leva notes were printed and all notes dated prior to 1977 were declared worthless. So be sure to check for the Bulgarian lion watermark to ensure you are not cheated!

The deregulation of the lev in the foreign exchange market has increased the popularity of other currencies, in particular the US dollar..
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Bulgaria is a sunshine haven for fresh, mountain or sea air, open spaces and mineral spa treatments. For many, it is ideal location for a relaxed and healthy lifestyle.

It is no wonder that Bulgaria’s tourism figures are increasing at a level never seen before (50% in the past 4 years). Bulgaria’s recent government initiatives have invested heavily in its leisure industries and in turn they are creating some highly desirable tourist resorts.

Black Sea Resorts

Bulgaria is best known for its budget holiday resorts on the Black Sea. Here you can enjoy great health and leisure activities at a fraction of the cost of most other tourist destinations.

Warm sunshine with pleasant temperatures (around 26°C in summer) comfortable hotels, white, non-tidal beaches, water sports are but some of the attractions to the area. There is also plenty of entertainment laid on by the hotels, including night life at all the resorts. In addition, within minutes you can find yourself in picturesque mountains, ski resorts and golf courses.
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By: Gordon Warre

Whether for investment, second home or rental, homes in Bulgaria have found their niche in the overseas property market. The residential markets in Sofia and Varna account for the bulk of luxury homes in Bulgaria while occasional listings in other cities are the exception rather than the rule, says a market overview commissioned to local analytical outfit Industry Watch by Lux Imoti, a local real estate agency specialising in upmarket properties.

The potential for obtaining a holiday home or retirement property is outstanding, said Paul talking at an investors evening focusing on off plan developments, and retirement homes in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria continues to grow.

Bulgaria topped the table for house price growth in 2007. Bulgarian property market ’still has potential’ There is still growth to be seen in the Bulgarian market, according to a property expert. Bulgaria is a beautiful country now emerging from dormancy. Bulgaria has worked diligently, through its government and through the private sector, to attract tourists and tourism money into that country over the course of the part five to ten years.
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