Britons living in Bulgaria. Guide to Bulgaria, Sofia and Varna

BanskoBanya Project | Why Bulgaria


A quality beer will cost 25p!Quality of life Firsttime visitors to Bulgaria are surprised by its diversity and itsstunning natural beauty. As a result,Bulgaria is ecologically one of the purest countries in Europe, withexceptionally clear air and water resources. Awonderful meal for 2, made from locally grown and organically pureproducts, including wine will rarely exceed around 7.00 GBP. Borovets is theperfect place to relax and provides many other recreationalopportunities throughout the year. For years a real effort has been made topreserve the country's rich and unspoilt flora and fauna. Furthermore, Bansko enjoys plentiful snowand therefore the season stretches from early December through to May!The longest season of any Bulgarian resort! It has themost modern ski facilities in the country and is a well-establisheddestination for winter sport enthusiasts from all around the world. It is situated on scenic northern slopes of theMousala Ridge in the east of the panoramic Rila Mountains. Many of them have been awarded prestigious Blue Flag status.The region enjoys average summer temperatures of between 25-30 degrees.The season extends from April to October. Many restaurantsare clustered around the well appointed and superbly equipped majorhotels, making dining a real pleasure with an endless array ofcontemporary and traditional eating places available. Next year three new major UK tour operators will also beoffering summer holidays in Bulgaria.The Bulgarian winter resorts (Map)ModernBorovets is one of the largest and increasingly popular winter resortsin the Balkan region. Only Greece and Italy have a greater number of historicalmonuments. Seven sites have achieved a coveted place on the UNESCOworld heritage list.What is the cost of living in Bulgaria?Bulgariais said to have one of the lowest costs of living in Europe. So fast growing in fact that last year demands for tourist bedsoutstripped supply by 20%!Bulgaria is said to be the fastestgrowing holiday destination for 2004 and at least 200,000 Britons werelikely to visit the summer resorts this year - nearly double lastyear's total. The climate is considered to behealthy, enjoying beautifully clean air, mild winter temperatures andof course mountains of snow! The costof a 10 minute journey in a taxi will only be about 1.00 GBP.Cigarettes cost just 40p per packet and a day out in a museum or thetheatre will cost just a couple of pounds. The country is home to 160monasteries, 36 cultural centres and 40,000 listed archaeologicalmonuments. There are 7 nationalparks, more than 3000 protected natural sites and 17 bio-sphericalreserves (the greatest recorded number in Europe). There are also 419protected animal species and 63 protected types of plant.The Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria (Map)The380 kilometres of beaches are amongst some of Europe's cleanest andsafest. There is a regular bus transport into Samokov every 30 minutesand excellent links from there to the capital.Bansko isconsidered by many to be Bulgaria's number one ski resort. Throughout the country you will find ancient Greek sites,Roman amphitheatres and Byzantine churches. Usually the slopes at Borovets are coveredin snow from mid December through to April.Borovets is alsoeasy accessible- 12 minutes of first class road connects it withSamokov, the most sizeable town in the area.