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Bulgaria: Getting There

Overview

One of the major considerations when buying a holiday home is the cost of getting to and from Bulgaria and the time it will take. You should find the answers to the following questions:

 How long will it take to get to my home in Bulgaria, taking into account journeys to and from airports, train and bus stations?

 How frequent are flights, ferries, buses or trains at the time(s) of year when I plan to travel?

 Are direct flights available?

 Is it feasible to get there by car?

 What’s the cost of travel from door to door?

 Are off-season discounts or inexpensive charter flights available?

If a long journey is involved, you should keep in mind that it may take a day or two to recover, especially if you’re crossing time zones (Bulgaria is two hours ahead of GMT). Obviously, your travelling time and costs will be greater if you plan to spend frequent weekends there, rather than a few long visits a year. When comparing costs between public transport and driving, take into account depreciation and wear and tear on your car, the cost of additional insurance and the price of motorway tolls and fuel.

Airline Services

Currently only British Airways and the national carrier Bulgaria Air (formerly Balkan Air) fly directly from the UK. Flight time direct from most UK airports is just over three hours. Most European carriers offer connecting flights to Sofia, usually via the airline’s hub (e.g. Lufthansa flights usually stop in Frankfurt); while these are often good value, they can involve long flight times, as stopovers can add four or five hours to your flight. If you are unlucky enough to have an overnight stopover, the cost of the flight rarely includes hotel accommodation or breakfast. If you’re flexible as to the times and dates you can travel, a good travel agent should be able to find routes that don’t sacrifice convenience for cost.

Bulgaria Air flies to major European destinations and has a fleet of nine aircraft, mostly Boeing 737s. Service is reasonable (although not at premium level) and fares are generally lower than their British Airways equivalents. Services from the UK include daily flights between London Gatwick and Sofia, flights from London Heathrow to Bourgas on Tuesdays and Fridays and flights between Gatwick and Varna on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. British Airways (BA) currently flies daily between London Heathrow and Sofia and four times a week from London Gatwick to Varna during the summer. Bulgarian airline Hemus Air offers direct flights between London Heathrow and Sofia four times a week, and Hungarian-based budget operator Wizz Air flies from London Luton to Sofia and Bourgas. While fares are substantially cheaper than those of other airlines, some Wizz Air flights stop in Budapest, which increases flying times.

Charter flights are operated by a number of companies, but these usually require you to book accommodation as part of a package. Some charter operators may have flight-only tickets but these are rarely advertised, so you will have to contact the operator directly.

Airports

There are four international airports in Bulgaria: at Bourgas, Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. Those at Bourgas and Varna are currently undergoing construction of new terminals, the former due to be completed in August 2006, the latter ... some time later. Plovdiv is mainly used for charter flights to the ski resort at Pamporovo. To reach a property in the far north-east of Bulgaria, it may be quicker to fly to Bucharest in neighbouring Romania.

Car hire is available at all major airports, although booking is recommended. You should also check with a car hire company what time the rental desk closes if you will be arriving on a late evening flight.

Driving

If you plan to drive to Bulgaria you will need an International Driving Permit (as well as your national licence) and an international Green Card from your insurance company. If you will be driving through the countries of the former Yugoslavia you will have to pay for a local insurance policy at the border.

Be aware of high motorway tolls in France and Switzerland; travelling via Germany is toll-free. If you don’t travel through Switzerland, there are no border checks or formalities until you reach Bulgaria. The recommended route from Vienna is via Budapest and Belgrade to Sofia. It will take around three days to drive the approximately 2,300km (1,400mi) from London to Sofia. A longer, but more enjoyable, journey is through Italy to catch a ferry to Greece, then drive on to Sofia. There are ferries throughout the year to Greek destinations departing from Venice, Ancona and Brindisi.

More pages

Page 1: Overview
Page 2: © Survival Books Limited 2006

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