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Bulgaria Lev
The official currency of Bulgaria is the lev. Each lev is further divided into 100 stotinka. The currency is issued by the Bulgarian National Bank and is in the form of both notes and coins. It is denoted on international markets, by the three letters BGN.
Coins are issued as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 stotinki and 1 lev and the notes are issued as 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva. (Leva is the plural of lev).
The word lev is derived from a very old Bulgarian word meaning lion.
History of the Lev
The lev was first introduced into Bulgaria in the year 1881 and at this stage it was equivalent in value to the French franc.
The lev continued in use until 1952, when the second lev was introduced. During the war and in the period immediately after the war, there was a significant increase in inflation. This led to the second lev being introduced as a means of making sure that the lev was effectively devalued.
In 1962 yet another devaluation was to take place, this time with the currency being devalued at a rate of 10 to 1. This time it worked and the lev was to remain fairly stable for the next thirty or so years. Only in the early 1990's, after the fall of the Communist regime, was Bulgaria to experience periods of real financial instability with the lev fluctuating quite wildly, but usually heading downwards in terms of value.
Thus in 1999 drastic action was taken and the lev was again devalued, this time at a rate of 1,000 to 1. The new lev was also pegged to the Deutsch Mark, so that it could become more stable. After the
Germans switched to using the euro, Bulgaria effectively followed suit and pegged to the euro instead of looking to the US dollar, as many had expected.
However, the future of the lev is not likely to be a long-lived one, since the lev will very likely be replaced by the euro in 2012. It joined the EU in 2007, having signed up to join in 2005 and part of its terms of joining was that it would use the euro and not its own currency. However, in order to be able to adopt the euro it needs to comply with some quite rigorous criteria as set down by the European Union. Some fear that it will not actually be ready to use the euro in 2012, but others are fairly confident that there will not be a problem. Ultimately, only time will tell.
Getting Leva
Bulgaria is a fairly advanced country that is quite geared up towards tourists, so it is very easy to get your hands on leva, throughout the country.
Until 10 years or so ago, there were relatively few ATM machines around, but they are now quite plentiful. Some of the ATM machines may only dispense 200 leva at a time, but you will find that you are paying extra exchange fees on these, so it is best to try and find one that will give you a maximum of 400 leva, then you only have one exchange fee to pay.
Often people on the street may offer you a rate that appears to be excellent value initially and it may be tempting to accept their rate. However, you should also be aware that this is illegal and you are more than likely to be ripped off and passed some of the older leva, which are only worth 1/000th of today's leva.
Travellers cheques can also be taken, but bear in mind that you will have to go to a bank to exchange these. Using an ATM will therefore give you greater flexibility. Also you can exchange cash, but the preferred currency is the euro.
Safety Issues
Bulgaria is a relatively safe country. There is little risk of terrorist attacks and there is also very little risk of violent crime. Obviously in some of the very touristy areas, there may be some gangs of pickpockets around, but generally there are very few, so simply be mindful of your possessions and do not carry around huge amounts of cash.
Some areas in Sofia and Burgas may be unsafe at night, so try to stick to the well populated streets and do not wander off on your own, but apart from these areas, the risks are actually quite minimal and you should simply enjoy a relaxing holiday.
Spending Leva
The tourist areas of Bulgaria tend to be much more expensive than the other areas. So if you have a meal in Sophia, you will find that if you go to one of the tourist areas, that it is much more expensive to eat almost the same meal.
There are also two distinct sides to Bulgaria. One is the side that is very tourist orientated, expensive and at times, quite depressing. The somewhat bizarrely named Sunny Beach, is an example of the days when the Communist enclave used to rush to Bulgaria for their annual holiday. The hotels are basically large and very brutal, concrete jungles. They are built very much in the Communist style and the emphasis was on squashing out any individuality or quirks to the buildings, so they were completely soulless and indeed some of them look as if they are almost derelict and yet they are still in operation.
They also elicit two very strong feelings: one is that you really like them, with their cheap drinks, hot sun and typical seaside resort feel to them. The other feeling is that they are pretty grim and the whole place is depressing.
Some people staying in Sunny Beach have reported that their hotels seem to be used by prostitutes, so if you are planning to stay there, make sure that you try to go as 'upmarket' as you can, to avoid this.
But Bulgaria has one trick up its sleeve and that is that it is an exceptionally good value holiday. Although the tourist areas are much more expensive, than the rest of Bulgaria, they are still very cheap in comparison to other European countries.
Increasingly Bulgaria is also shedding its eastern European roots and is becoming more westernised, so it almost feels like a blend of east and west.
However, you will find it quite difficult to communicate outside of the major cities such as Burgas, Sophia and the tourist areas. If you speak
German or Russian, then you should have no problems, but English is not widely spoken in the more remote areas, however, communication can often be attempted successfully, through phrase books or miming, mainly because the Bulgarians are generally quite patient and they will try to communicate with you, even if you don't share a common language. Most younger people will communicate in at least broken English.
But eating, drinking and accommodation, even in the tourist areas, is still very good value for money and quite cheap by Western standards.
The public transport system is very good as well and taxis are cheap enough so that you can use them quite easily to go from town to town. But the bus system is quite comprehensive, as well as cheap, but you may find yourself sitting next to a chicken, with an owner that will simply smile benignly at you!
Although many people visit Bulgaria simply to soak up the sun in the Black Sea resorts or to go skiing in the winter, there is actually much more to Bulgaria than you may first think.
First of all to the south of Sofia, there is the outstandingly beautiful Rila monastery, which is often regarded as a 'must see' in Bulgaria. It is the biggest Eastern Orthodox monastery in the whole of Bulgaria and it is also very old, having been founded in the 10th Century. It is regarded as being one of the most spectacular monuments in Bulgaria so for this reason, it should not be missed.
The Valley of the Thracian Kings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Musuem here has some outstanding exhibits from about 12 tombs and they are truly awesome, given that they are over 2000 years old. And the entrance is free, so it is exceptional value for money!
For those who like their pastimes to be a little more up to date, shopping is also quite good in the towns and cities, with prices quite low and the quality of the goods on offer quite high. If clothes are you passion, you may not find absolute bargains to your taste. Although the designs of clothes have moved on from Communist days, they can still be a little conventional for some people, but recently designer boutiques have been opening up, with some good quality items for a lower price than can be found elsewhere in Europe.
Overview
Bulgaria is a really enchanting place and due to the fact that each year it has lots of visitors from Europe and from Russia, it feels quite cosmopolitan and vibrant, particularly now that it is looking towards the west so much.
The people are very warm and usually quite welcoming, although sometimes in the tourist areas, there can be a feeling of people being a little bit tired of the tourists, particularly in areas such as Sunny Beach, which to some extent, do not really reflect the true spirit of Bulgaria in any way. Service standards are often not very high and people are not necessarily welcomed as heartily as they are in other parts of Bulgaria.
It is a country that is not the wealthiest in the world, but it is quite a patriotic country and one that has a strong, family orientated culture and the people are quite relaxed about their Communist past and there is still strong links held with Russia and it is common place to see Russians sitting with Bulgarians, sharing some vodka, even at breakfast time!
Comment
Dear Sir
Icant believe,how negative you are with regards to Sunny Beach.My freind and i are visiting here for the third time this year Ihave to say the people we have met are so freindly the hotel we stay in is very clean the staff are extremely polite and nothing is a problem for them Your country is beautifull and you should be proud to live there Further more there are thugs,theifs prostitutes,and poverty in every country in the world Ihope that i will be able to visit Bulgaria for many more years to come and i do understand that you may not like the constant flow of tourists however we are not all bad if only they would realise they are only visitors in your country and should be respectfull to the surrounding and the people who live there .
— christine masterson · Apr 11, 06:54 PM · #