Tips for driving in Bulgaria as a foreign traveler
Even though Bulgaria’s capital Sofia is very well-served with public transportation, if you want freedom when traveling through the country, renting a car in Bulgaria may be the best option for you. On our recent trip, we have decided to do exactly that. In this post, we will share with you the tips we have learned about driving in Bulgaria during our trip and how our experience was.
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Need to rent a car in Bulgaria?
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Is driving in Bulgaria safe?
Let’s start this post by tackling the most asked question: How safe is driving in Bulgaria as a foreign traveler?
The truth is that we came across some slightly scary information online when we were researching this very topic before our trip, while we were still deciding whether we should rent a car or not.
Even though there are many websites out there that warn you about multiple different dangers and common scams, we had a great experience driving in Bulgaria during our trip. We have followed the main recommendation of sticking to the highways and main roads (which is something we now recommend as well) and have found Bulgarian drivers to obey the traffic rules and drive quite under the speed limit.
Now, we recognize our experience may have been an exception to the rule… but we can’t help but be honest about it.
In a nutshell – we do think it is quite safe to drive in Bulgaria as a foreigner. All you need to do is get familiar with the driving rules (at least the basic ones such as speed limits and parking) and take basic care. Stick to the main roads, park only where it is allowed, and respect the transit, and you will probably have no issues.
However, we do recommend getting travel insurance. Click on the button below to check the conditions and get a quote from our trusted affiliate.
Documents required for driving in Bulgaria
The basic documents every driver must have if pulled over by the police in Bulgaria is:
- Valid driving license
- Car registration
- Proof of car insurance
If you hold an EU driving license, you do not need to worry about having an international driving permit. However, if your driving license was issued by another country, it is a requirement to also have an international permit to be able to drive in Bulgaria.
That being said, the car rental companies are not obliged to check if you have an international permit or not when giving you the car. It is the driver’s responsibility to be in compliance with the rules, in case they are pulled over, etc.
Here at Mauka, we always recommend obtaining an international driving permit if you intend to rent a car abroad, such as for driving in Bulgaria.
As in most EU countries, you do not need an international driving permit to drive in Bulgaria with a UK driving license, even after Brexit. There are only two cases in which an IDP may be needed for UK citizens:
– If you hold a paper driving license
– If your license was issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, or the Isle of Man
If you fit into any of these cases, we recommend checking this information in detail with your government as it may vary for each case.
Where to rent a car in Bulgaria?
If you will be visiting Bulgaria for a few days only, renting a car may be the best option for you. Many of the major rental car companies have offices in Bulgaria, such as Sixt, Europcar, and Hertz.
If you will be arriving in Bulgaria through the Airport of Sofia, the easiest way to rent a car for your Bulgaria trip is to do it at the airport. All of these companies have offices at the arrival lounge, which makes everything very smooth.
Aside from the major companies, you will also find many deals offered by local car rental companies. The prices are usually much more affordable and quite some of them have very good online ratings.
We have rented our car through a company called Yes Rent a Car. Even though they did not have a physical office at the airport, everything was arranged easily. The car was brought to us within 10min of our arrival, the documents and car check were sorted out within 10min and we were on the road very quickly.
How expensive is it to rent a car in Bulgaria?
You have two options when renting a car in Bulgaria: to book it online in advance or get a last-minute deal in person once you arrive at the airport in Sofia. When booking online, we found prices starting at 11€ but ended up booking ours for 20€ a day. Prices go up depending on the type of car and rental company.
If you choose to rent your car at the airport, pay attention to the rental car offices once you get to the arrivals lounge. The companies usually display their best prices to attract customers. During our visit, they were advertising prices from 9€/day on.
Either way, we strongly recommend you to compare a bit the prices before your arrival to know the price range during your trip. Prices may vary depending on the season and how busy it is.
How does parking in Bulgaria work?
In the larger cities, you will most likely have to pay for parking on public streets. Public parking is marked with Blue and Green Zones. Each of them has specific rules and you need to pay a ticket in order to park legally.
How are the roads and highways in Bulgaria
Driving in big cities such as Sofia can be a bit tricky since traffic gets a little hectic with trams, buses, bikes, pedestrian zones, etc. If you will be staying only in the capital, we recommend not renting a car and just using public transport or walking everywhere.
Read our Sofia Travel Guide to learn more about getting around Sofia.
However, having a car is very useful if you intend to visit other cities in Bulgaria since the public transport between cities can be hard to rely on. If this is your case, we strongly recommend setting up your GPS to the shortest route as this means you will usually stick to the main roads.
The highways in Bulgaria will probably have the best condition possible compared to other roads. Driving through smaller local roads may end up costing you quite some time and safety since they often have poor conditions.
Another big plus of sticking to the main roads is the availability of petrol stations. You will see a gas station every few kilometers on the highways, so it is very easy and accessible to fuel your car. We recommend going for the major brands, such as OMV, Petrol, Shell, Eko, and Lukoil.
Do Bulgarian roads have tolls?
Bulgarian roads and highways have a no-toll system, but you are required to have a vignette sticker for driving on highways. The vignette can be purchased at post offices, ports, border points, gas stations, etc.
If you will be driving in Bulgaria as a traveler with a rental car, you will most likely not have to worry about this as the vehicles usually come with the vignette sticker already. To be on the safe side, you can double-check it yourself when getting the car. The vignette sticker should always be on the windshield.
Additional information and tips for driving in Bulgaria
We hope that by now you are already comfortable with the system and how driving in Bulgaria is. Here are a few additional pieces of information to know before you drive in Bulgaria during your trip:
- The speed limits in Bulgaria vary depending on the type of road and zone you are in. In general, in cities and built-up areas, the limit is 50km/h, but on highways, it may go up to 130-140km/h. In most cases, we have found the speed limits to be well-signaled.
- Be considerate of the time of year you intend to visit. If you will be driving in Bulgaria during winter, make sure you have proper winter tires. On top of that, you should also consider having snow chains if you intend on going up the mountains.
- Traffic police may pull you over even if you were not speeding as part of their regular checks. If this happens, you will be asked to provide your personal and vehicle documents.
- The emergency number is 112.
- The minimum age for renting a car in Bulgaria is usually 21 years old, even though this may differ depending on the provider.
- The blood alcohol content limit is 0.05%. You may be asked to do a breath test if pulled over.
- Honking is forbidden in cities between 22h and 6h, except in cases of immediate danger.
Do you still need to rent your car for your trip to Bulgaria?
Organizing your trip
To help you plan your trip to Bulgaria, we have put together our favorite planning resources:
- Flights: Get affordable flights to Bulgaria on Skyscanner.com.
- Travel insurance: Make sure you are protected during your trip. We use SafetyWing whenever we are traveling abroad.
- Renting a car: We always use Discover Cars to get the best car deals.
- Accommodation: Find the best hotels and apartments on Booking.com.
- Activities: Get fun ideas of what to do and buy unique activities with Get Your Guide.
- SIM Card: Stay connected during your trip with Airalo.
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