Bulgaria in 2026 joined Schengen and started using the euro.

We arrived in Sofia by bus from Skopje. Sofia is the main business and commercial city in Bulgaria and a huge contrast to Skopje.

The city center was organized and bustling with the energy of tourists and locals alike. Our biggest surprise was the high quality of food in the restaurants. Fresh vegetables and meat were well seasoned and tastefully prepared. 

The landscape were similar to Greece and North Macedonia however Bulgaria also has ski slopes and beaches on the Black Sea. We travelled across the country to one of the Black Sea resorts. It was extremely crowded with tourists from Serbia, Romania and Ukraine. We were informed that the resort towns are summer only, and are completely empty for the rest of the year.

Bulgaria has cities and settlement from the Roman period and earlier. Plovdiv has an active Roman amphiteather and many interesting buildings. Sophia is home to several magnificent Orthodox churches. Nesebar on the Black Sea has buildings dating from the 5th century and Byzantine eras.

One of the main export of Bulgaria is rose products so naturally we encountered many things from food to perfume that incorporate rose essence.

Tips

1. Driving requires maximum attention. We witnessed several rear- end accidents in the highway.
2. Sophia is a walkable city, with train access to the airport and reliable taxi service.
3. Many locals speak English very well.
4. Sophia is a city with a rich nightlife.