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 01-01-2024 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.