Car Hire in Bulgaria
A short guide to Driving in Bulgaria and Car Hire in Bulgaria.
Please enjoy your hire car in Bulgaria
Are you going on holiday to Bulgaria? To see as much as possible and to get the most out of Bulgaria, the best way of transport is certainly by car. But of course you will have to abide by Bulgaria's law of driving. Below you will find some useful information about driving in Bulgaria.
Documents you need when driving in Bulgaria
To drive a foreign registered car legally in Bulgaria you must have the following documents with you, which are a valid full Driving Licence and translation, minimum Third Party insurance certificate and Green Card.
Special rules you must follow
When driving in Bulgaria all vehicles must carry a Warning Triangle, a First Aid Kit and Fire Extinguisher. For all passengers it is compulsory to wear both front and rear seatbelts. The police are able to issue and collect 'on the spot fines' for not obeying these rules.
Minimum age
The minimum age of a driver in Bulgaria is 18 years. Children must be at least 12 years of age and must be seated in an approved child seat to sit in the front of a vehicle.
Parking
Parking in Bulgaria is similar to Britain with car parks and parking meters. A Blue Zone system operates in towns. When you are outside built-up areas, always park off the road. Park where the international P sign is displayed. On one-way streets, you must park on the right only. Blue Zone parking is in effect in many built-up areas where tickets are used instead of discs.
A few basic rules
In Bulgaria, they drive on the right hand side and overtake
on the left, pay full attention especially at roundabouts.
Beginning 01-01-2005 a vignette system will be introduced
for private cars which including visitors, for use on ALL
roads and will be available at the border. The system applicable
to trucks will begin 01-04-2004.
Give way to vehicles approaching from the right unless stated
otherwise.
Be aware of Trams as they have priority in all situations.
Use Dipped headlights in built-up areas if visibility is poor.
Only use fog lights in fog, rain or snow. Always use indicators
when exiting a roundabout, lastly when passing pedestrians,
leave a minimum of 1 metre gap.
Speed limits
Built-up areas: 60 kph (37 mph)
Major roads outside towns: 80 kph (50 mph)
Motorways: 120 kph (74 mph)
Road
In Bulgaria there is over 13,000km, which is 8000 miles of roads that link the major centres, their quality varies and some main roads have major potholes, also the driving standards are generally poor. Be aware as it is to be observed that car-theft is on the increase in Bulgaria, all cars should ideally be fitted with alarms and other visible security measures. You should also be aware as car jacking is also becoming more frequent, which usually occurs at night, some criminals are also impersonating traffic policeman in the process, so the beat time to drive is in daylight.
Bus
There is a good network of buses in Bulgaria, which are cheap and convenient but with erratic timetabling.
Taxi
Taxis are available in all towns and also for intercity journeys. Please note that vehicles may not be in top condition. All taxi vehicles are metered, unless they are privately owned. Be aware as some taxi meters could be rigged so that they can overcharge foreign passengers, therefore you should take great caution in determining the correct fare before travel. A small tip is appreciated.
Urban
There are buses, tramway and trolleybus services available, which operate in the capital city Sofia. A metro is also under construction. Flat fares are charged where tickets must be pre-purchased. There are buses and taxis that operate in all the main towns.
Travel times
The following chart below gives approximate travel times from Sofia (in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Bulgaria.
Road
Varna 8.00
Bourgas 7.00
Plovdiv 2.00
Ruse 9.00
Turnovo 3.30
Vitosha 0.30
Borovets 1.30
Pamporovo 3.30
Golden Sands *7.00
Albena *7.00
Sunny Beach **6.30
Please Note
*From Varna Airport. **From Bourgas Airport.
Driving in Bulgaria will be a pleasurable experience as long as you remember you are in their country and abide by their laws. Please remember it is not a good enough excuse to plead ignorance, as you are a foreigner, you are the driver and it's your responsibility to know the law.