Regulations
- drive on the right; overtake on the left; give right of way to vehicles approaching from the right at crossroads and to buses in urban areas
- min age of a driver - 18 years
- children must be at least 12 years of age to sit in the front seat
- the use of seat belts is compulsory for front-seat passengers
- speed limits for cars are as follows: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside built-up areas, 130 km/h on motorways
- drinking and driving is prohibited - blood / alcohol limit is 0.5‰
- trams always have priority; pedestrians on banded cross walks have priority over all vehicles except trams
- on one-way streets, park on the right only
- beginning 01-01-2005 a vignette system has been introduced for private cars (including visitors, for use on ALL roads) and will be available at the border
- on-the-spot fines are in operation for speeding, drink-driving, not having the correct documents on you etc.; the police may stop you without a reason to check your documents; you can also be fined for refusing to show your documents, refusing to be tested for alchohol or allowing someone under the influence of alchohol or drugs to drive your car.
Between 1st of November till 1st of April lights should be on!
Tips
- the best way to explore Bulgaria is by car
- fuel stations are located in large towns and every 35 km or so along main roads; most stations operate from 24 hours; credit cards accepted for fuel payment at Shell and OMV stations
- signs are usually in the Cyrillic alphabet except for highways between major cities
- emergency phone numbers: Police - 166; Fire Service - 160; Ambulance - 150
- in some areas the EU 112 is available
- the Blue Zone system for parking operates in towns; park where the international P is displayed
- care should be taken when driving, particularly at night since many roads are in poor condition and road works are not always signposted; horse-driven carts, motorcycles and scooters can sometimes be found on major roads driving at night without lights
- jaywalking is frequent - be very careful while driving in cities and drive as slowly as possible
General guidelines
To be a foreigner and to travel by car all over Bulgaria is a guarantee for emotions. The country is very beautiful and picturesque. Within 4 to 5 hours the view changes over and over again - sea, planes, mountains, small villages, towns. In spring and autumn the palette of green, yellow and golden deserves the attention of the impressionists.
The roads may surprise the people who are used to European or North American road standards. The condition of the main roads, which connect the big cities as well as that of nearly 500 km. highways is relatively good. To a high degree it is due to the renewal projects financed by the EU. Nevertheless, especially when it's dark, it is recommended to drive very carefully - even the reconstructed areas may surprise you with pot-holes. Road aid vehicles belong to small private companies and are concentrated along the main roads and highways. In fact, the road aid in Bulgaria consists mainly in towing the crashed car to the nearest service-station. The price of such services is not determined, so the tourists have to negotiate following common sense - the price of the gas for the moment can serve as a basis.
There are plenty of gas stations along the roads and many of the companies that own them are Bulgarian, but there are also chains of foreign companies - Shell, OMV, Eco, Luk. The gas price is almost one and the same but the gas quality may be a surprise. That is why, the bigger gas stations are recommendable. Besides that, they have at the stations shops and fast food restaurants. There are also plenty of roadside restaurants, which offer Bulgarian national food, mainly grill. The parking lots are not guarded but they are relatively secure.
The security of the roads in Bulgarian is a question that cannot be given a simple answer. At least once a month the police announce that somewhere in the country tourists and their cars have been robbed. Rearly there are cases when the cars of foreign tourists have been stolen. The bandits do not hesitate to dress like police officers. That is why one should be very careful and ask for identification card, especially when it's dark and the region is far from a big city .
The road signs in Bulgaria are light-reflective with notices in Cyrillic and Latin and with sizes in compliance with European standards. A problem, however, is the fact that the notices along second-class roads are only in Cyrillic. This requires a thorough preparation and an elementary course in Cyrillic.
If you have to stop to look for help or advice from ordinary people, you'd find out that Bulgarians are kind and helpful, but just a few of them, mostly young people, speak English. On almost all main roads your mobile phone will be covered by one of the two Bulgarian mobile operators.
If you travel in the summer you'll see plenty of local countrymen along the road selling tomatoes, melons, grapes, peaches, cherries, etc. Stop and buy some - it's a guarantee that they are fresh, ecologically pure and with genuine taste. The old ladies, who usually offer them, are so nice and picturesque that the price will seem to you ridiculously low.
Bon Voyage
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