The following travel tips have been gathered from many sources including personal experience. You should always apply common sense when travelling, whether at home or abroad.

Visitors from all Schengen-Treaty European countries travel to Bulgaria without a visa. A Bulgarian visa (entry or transit) may be obtained at any Bulgarian Embassy or Consular Office in the countries needing such a visa. Citizens of the United States and Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Israel, travelling on regular passports, are not required visas for stay in Bulgaria not exceeding 30 days. If planning to stay more than 30 days, or travelling on diplomatic or official passport, a visa is required and must be obtained in advance.

The number of foreign tourists in Bulgaria has gone up by 8.55% for the first nine months year of year 2002, according to the Tourism Department at the Economy Ministry. In September 2002, the number is up by 10.72%. The number of foreigners who have visited Bulgaria as tourists that year is 2,443,296 - almost 20% of them are German. The number of German tourists for the first nine months of the year is up by 27.5 %, British - by 64 %, and Swedish - by 14%. The Economy Ministry projected an increase in tourists of 9% for 2002 in comparison with the previous year. The number of Russian tourists has decreased by 25 %, due to introduction of the visa regime for Russians and by 45 % in the number of Ukrainian tourists. The Tourism Department announced that the government will allot 20 million BGL for promotion of the Bulgarian tourism abroad.

The peak time to visit Bulgaria is late spring, early summer. During this time-period the weather is very stable and warm; the days are long (over 12 hours), and rainfalls are far rarer than in the spring. Temperatures in late summer often reach 30°C (degrees Celsius) and sometimes even higher. Wear light clothes, T-shirts, shorts (more comfortable than long trousers), sandals, sunglasses, and those who wish could bring bathing suits also. To protect from the sun in the mountain elevations, always wear hats and a face cream with very high SPF. It is desirable to have a pair of comfortable walking shoes (again for the mountain areas) as well as a raincoat or a jacket in case of summer showers. Don’t forget a sweatshirt – to cover your shoulders on a colder night.

If you happen to be here in the heat of July and August, remember these points and you will find it is completely possible to be fresh and energetic, in spite of the heat:

• 36°C (degrees Celsius) is the ideal temperature of water if you want to have a shower when you are hot.

• Replace the usual daily cream with a liquid one, always with a medium or high sun-protection factor (SPF 30, 40 or even 60).

• Use deodorant in the morning, when your skin is clean – prefer the dry sticks rather than the sprays (which tend to irritate skin far more).

• Your clothes should be made of light and natural fabrics - linen, silk, cotton. They help reduce sweating.

• Put ice pieces on your face if you want to keep your complexion fresh (make-up should be removed in advance).

• After evening shower, apply a cool compress to your face for 3-4 minutes.

Bulgaria, as the rest of Europe, uses the metric system. Unfamiliarity can cause some confusion.

• You may find it helpful to remember that 82°F is close to 28°C, and 61°F is close to 16°C - the only two where you can reverse the digits and be close.

• If you want precise, 10°C is 50°F. 20°C is 68°F and 30°C is 86°F, easy to remember in combination. Also, 40°C is 104°F.

• Most restaurant menus in Bulgaria will show the weight of a menu item to help you gauge the size of their serving portions. Remember that 500 grams is a bit more than seventeen ounces (1.1023 US pounds). So if you see a menu item weight of 250 grams, consider this a "normal" serving.