Go, but pay attention.

Active notices

• • Global Measles

Tap water safe to drink: No — bottled/filtered only

Vaccines

Required: Yellow Fever

Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies, Tick-borne Encephalitis

LGBT+ travellers

Same-sex sexual activity is not illegal, but public attitudes are less tolerant than in the UK and the LGBT+ community generally keeps a low profile. There are a few gay bars and clubs in Sofia. The city also holds the annual Sofia Pride. Sofia Pride is growing in popularity and was attended in recent years by over 10,000 people. However, it attracts some negative attention locally and is held with a heightened police presence and security measures. If you want to join the parade, read the organisers’ Sofia Pride safety rules . In recent years, some verbal abuse and threatening behaviour was directed at people attending events related to Sofia Pride, including foreign visitors. You can report any hate crime to the organisers and the local police. Attitudes outside Sofia tend to be more conservative. There have been isolated cases of hostility towards people perceived to be from LGBT+ communities reported in Burgas and Plovdiv. You can find local information on LGBT+ issues in Bulgaria

Staying safe

• •Emergency phone numbers: Bulgaria uses the pan-European standard number 112 for all emergency calls. If you can not connect to 112, dial 166 for police, 150 for ambulance and 160 for the fire department.
• •Driving conditions: Driving can be a chaotic, stressful experience.
• •The use of seat belts is mandatory, except for pregnant women, though in practice, these rules are often disregarded.
• •Take extra care when crossing streets, as drivers in this country tend to be impatient and will likely not stop for you.
• •Bulgaria has a rather harsh stance against driving under the influence.
• •Crime: Bulgaria is generally a safe country, and people are quite friendly.

Staying healthy

• •Smoking: Smoking is the national pastime, and evading the fumes of cigarettes is even more difficult than evading exhaust fumes in the streets.
• •Eating and drinking: Most food is quite safe to eat.
• •Tap water varies greatly in quality and taste.
• •Hospitals: Conditions in Bulgarian hospitals vary, from clean with all the latest technological utilities, to the downright drab, dark and cold.
• •Citizens of the European Union are covered by Bulgaria's National Healthcare System as long as they carry a Eurocard (or European Health Insurance Card), obtainable from their own national healthcare authority.
• •Dental procedures in private clinics in Bulgaria are of excellent quality.

Cash vs. Card

Bulgaria adopted the euro as its national currency on 1 January 2026, replacing the lev (лев, plural: leva), which had been the national currency since 1880 and denoted by the symbol "лв". The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) will continue to exchange free of charge any remaining lev banknotes and coins indefinitely.