Difference between revisions of "Bulgaria"

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{{Infobox Country
 
{{Infobox Country
 
|country = Bulgaria
 
|country = Bulgaria
|map = <map lat='42.5' lng='25.5' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' />
+
|map = <map lat='42.5' lng='25.5' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' country='Bulgaria' />
 
|language = Bulgarian
 
|language = Bulgarian
 
|capital = [[Sofia]]
 
|capital = [[Sofia]]
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|hitch = {{very good}}
 
|hitch = {{very good}}
 
}}
 
}}
'''Bulgaria''' is a country in [[Eastern Europe]] bordering [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], [[Macedonia]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. It's a good country for hitchhikers since this was a common way of travelling in socialist times when few people had cars.
+
'''Bulgaria''' is a country in [[Eastern Europe]] bordering [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]], a member of the [[European Union]] but not yet the Schengen zone. It's a good country for hitchhikers since this was a common way of traveling in socialist times when few people had cars. There are hardly any roads where hitchhiking would be prohibited. Except for a few stretches of true motorway, it is possible to thumb directly on the road and stop passing cars.
  
The script is Cyrillic and it might be a good idea to be able to read it a little bit, for city and street signs and such.
+
Hitching is slightly easier from the east to the west or vice versa because the motorway [[Sofia]]-[[Plovdiv]] is a part of the main route from Western and Central Europe to [[Turkey]]. Hitchhiking between the north and south is somewhat slower
  
Hitching is slightly easier in the South because the highway Sofia - Plovdiv is a part of the main road from Europe to Istanbul. There are many TIR drivers regularly taking the road that are often willing to have some company. Do not be surprised if some of them – driving from Western Europe to Turkey for instance asks you to put your shoes off when you get in the cabin and/or shows you a photo of their family.
+
Quite a few drivers who would pick up hitchhikers are those who used to hitchhike themselves back in the socialist regime days. They will often feel nostalgic about the time they spent on the road, and will be happy to share their adventure stories with you, or let you tell them about your trip(s). Hitchhiking is highly popular in the summer and is so common along the seaside that you can find yourself competing with other hitchhikers. Hitchhiking is also practiced and known in Bulgarian mountainous areas, especially around the Rhodope Mountains (''Rodopi'', or ''Rodopa'') where there are very few cars but the ones that drive by usually stop.
  
The other most frequent stereotypical driver that would take a hitchhiker is somebody who used to hitchhike themselves when they were young back in the socialist regime days. They will often feel nostalgic about the time they spent on the road and will be happy to share their adventures with you, or let you tell them about your trip. However there are many other people willing to give you a ride.
+
There are usually many truck drivers on this road who are willing to have some company. Do not be surprised if some of them – driving long distances between Western Europe and [[Turkey]] – ask you to take off your shoes when you are in a driver's cabin, or show you photos of their family, etc. Note that in summer, on days when the temperature goes above 35 ℃, trucks must remain at a parking place between 1300 and 2100 (to avoid damaging the asphalt). So, in July and August it is best to start hitchhiking early in the morning if you want to depend on truck traffic.
 
 
Hitchhiking is particularly popular in the summer, and is so common along the seaside that you can find yourself competing with other hitchhikers. This makes it easier as well - drivers expect it.
 
 
 
It´s strongly recommended to try hitchhiking right on the highway. For people from west Europe it might feel strange but it´s most defintetly the fastest way to get a lift.
 
 
 
Hitchhiking is also popular activity in the mountain areas, especially in the Rhodopes (Rodopi, Rodopa), where the cars are less but almost everyone of them is stopping.
 
  
 +
[[File:Bulgaria-donkey-hitch.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] and his donkey hitching towards [[Istanbul]]]]
 
== Cities ==
 
== Cities ==
 +
* [[Balchik]]
 
* [[Burgas]]
 
* [[Burgas]]
 
* [[Hisarya]]
 
* [[Hisarya]]
 +
* [[Madara]]
 +
* [[Pavlikeni]]
 
* [[Plovdiv]]
 
* [[Plovdiv]]
* [[Sevlievo]], [[Sofia]]
+
* [[Ruse]]
* [[Varna]], [[Veliko Tarnovo]]
+
* [[Sevlievo]]
 +
* [[Sofia]]
 +
* [[Varna]]
 +
* [[Veliko Tarnovo]]
 +
 
 +
== Safety ==
 +
[[File:Dangerzone.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Danger!]]
 +
As friendly as they can be, Bulgarian drivers usually don't consider small violations of existing road regulations and speed limits in Bulgaria a big deal. Be careful and avoid standing in areas with a yellow triangle sign, with a filled black circle in the middle - these indicate places with increased concentration of road accidents and are a part of a governmental campaign to improve driving safety.
 +
 
 +
Be wary of thieves - particularly in rural areas, there are many people who see a lone hitchhiker as an opportunity to gain by foul means.
  
[http://bgmaps.com/ Map of Bulgaria]
+
== Border crossing ==
  
== Safety ==
+
Bulgaria is probably the most corrupt country in the EU, and you are most likely to notice this at the border crossings. However, if you carry a Western passport it is quite unlikely they will bother you.
[[Image:Dangerzone.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Danger!]]
+
 
As friendly as they can be, Bulgarian drivers tend not to care too much about road regulations and speed limits. Be careful and avoid standing in areas with a yellow triangle sign, with a filled black circle in the middle - these indicate places with increased concentration of road accidents and are a part of a campaign of the government to improve travel safety.
+
=== [[Turkey]] ===
 +
 
 +
* When going towards Turkey , the most used border checkpoint is the [[Kapitan Andreevo-Kapıkule border crossing]].
 +
 
 +
* The checkpoint near [[Malko Tarnovo]] can also be used if you're coming from [[Burgas]], although there is significantly less traffic there, either on the Turkish and on the Bulgarian side. The border checkpoint lies in a mountainous area so be sure you either have a direct ride to a city on the other side of the border or arrive early, because it could also be hard to find a spot to put up a tent. Traffic is very scarse, but when the border police goes to or from their shift at the border they might take you. It is recommended to cross the border in a personal car, since the truck queue is usually slow, and the Turks might not like you walking around looking for another ride - especially if you do it [[hitchhiking at night|at night]]. When coming from the Turkish side however, it is very easy and accepted to walk across this border - show your passport to the Turkish guards, they stamp it and you're allowed to walk into Bulgaria. On the Bulgarian side the passport controls tend to be very quickly if you're from a EU-country - they just take a look at your passport and you can go.
 +
'''Tip:''' when taking this bordercrossing when entering Bulgaria, it might be a good idea to start walking after you've crossed it, because many people won't stop for you when you're standing just behind the border office buildings. Even a few hundred meters will enlarge your changes of getting a ride to at least the next town, which is [[Malko Tarnovo]].There are enough options to set up a tent near this village, and there is a cheap but good hotel too, in the north-western part of the town.
 +
 
 +
=== [[Romania]] ===
 +
* [[Ruse-Giurgiu border crossing]], the main border crossing and the route used by trucks.
 +
* [[Calafat-Vidin border crossing]], a lesser-used border crossing .
 +
* [[Durankulak-Vama Veche border crossing|Durankulak-Vama Veche]], along the Black Sea, the least-used border crossing where waiting times can be long.
 +
 
 +
=== [[Serbia]] ===
  
Be wary of thieves - particularly in rural areas, there are many people who see a lone hitchhiker as an opportunity to gain by foul means
+
* [[Kalotina-Dimitrovgrad border crossing]], the main border crossing.
  
== [[Border crossing]] ==
+
=== [[North Macedonia]] ===
Bulgaria is the most corrupted country of the EU and you will probably notice this at the border crossings. However, with an EU passport it's quite unlikely they will bother you.
+
* [[Kriva Palanka-Kyustendil border crossing|Kriva Palanka-Kyustendil]], in the north
 +
* [[Delchevo-Blagoevgrad border crossing|Delchevo-Blagoevgrad]], in the south.
  
* Towards [[Turkey]], the most-used checkpoint is [[Capitan Andrevo]]. Check the [[Edirne]] article for more information. The checkpoint near [[Malko Tarnovo]] can also be used if you're coming from [[Burgas]], but it's not that good frequented with vehicles.  If you're in a truck, try to hitch a normal car before the border, the Turks might not like you walking around, especially [[at night]].
+
=== [[Greece]] ===
* Towards [[Romania]], a highly frequented checkpoint is at [[Ruse]]. Many trucks here, try to hitch over the border by car, otherwise you need to take a walk for around 40min over the Danube towards the next passport checkpoint. That sucks!
 
  
 
== Phrasebook ==
 
== Phrasebook ==
 
'''Vocabulary'''
 
'''Vocabulary'''
 
* Hitchhiking - автостоп [av-to-stop]
 
* Hitchhiking - автостоп [av-to-stop]
* High-way - магистрала [ma-gee-stra-la]
+
* Motorway - магистрала [ma-gee-stra-la]
 
* Petrol station - бензиностанция [ben-zee-no-stan-tsee-ya]
 
* Petrol station - бензиностанция [ben-zee-no-stan-tsee-ya]
 
* Ring road - околовръстно (шосе) [o-ko-lo-vrast-no (sho-sse)]
 
* Ring road - околовръстно (шосе) [o-ko-lo-vrast-no (sho-sse)]
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== License plates ==
 
== License plates ==
You can use the cars' license plates to help you figure out where a driver might be heading.
+
Car license plates can help you to figure out where the driver might be heading to. The registration code consists of two letters followed by four digits and then two more letters. The first two letters indicate the region where the car is registered. By recent regulations, the letters have been limited only to those that are found both within Cyrillic and Latin alphabet - this should make it easier for foreigners who have troubles of reading and understanding Cyrillic.
The registration code consists of two letters, followed by four digits and then two more letters. The first two letters indicate the region where the car is registered. By recent law, the letters have been limited only to those that the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet have in common, so this should make it easier for foreigners, not reading Cyrillic.
 
  
 
<table border="0"><tr><td>
 
<table border="0"><tr><td>
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* BP [[Vratza]]
 
* BP [[Vratza]]
 
* BT [[Veliko Tarnovo]]
 
* BT [[Veliko Tarnovo]]
* C, CA [[Sofia]] (City)
+
* C, CA [[Sofia]] (city)
 
* CC [[Silistra]]
 
* CC [[Silistra]]
 
* CH [[Sliven]]
 
* CH [[Sliven]]
 
* CM [[Smolyan]]
 
* CM [[Smolyan]]
* CO [[Sofia]] (Province)
+
* CO [[Sofia]] (province)
 
* CT [[Stara Zagora]]
 
* CT [[Stara Zagora]]
 
* E [[Blagoevgrad]]
 
* E [[Blagoevgrad]]
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* K [[Kardzhali]]
 
* K [[Kardzhali]]
 
* KH [[Kyustendil]]
 
* KH [[Kyustendil]]
* M [[Montana]]
+
* M [[Montana (Bulgaria)|Montana]]
 
* OB [[Lovech]]
 
* OB [[Lovech]]
 
* P [[Ruse]]
 
* P [[Ruse]]
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</td></tr></table>
 
</td></tr></table>
  
It should be noted also that this is not a 100% reliable method, it's just for orientation. It is common that cars registered in Sofia belong to people living in Burgas for example - because they bought the car and are still paying leasing, or because they moved to live somewhere else.
+
It should also be noted that this is not a 100% reliable method to get to know everything about the destination of the car, etc. It is common, for example, that cars registered in Sofia belong to people living in Burgas (or elsewhere). Also many drivers from [[Romania]] have Bulgarian licence plates as it's cheaper to register a car in Bulgaria.
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
* [http://stopbg.com/ stopbg.comThe site of BG hitch-hikers] – The site of BG hitch-hikers (forum , tips and etc.)
+
* [http://stopbg.com/ The site of BG hitch-hikers] (forum, tips, etc.)
  
  
 
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
 
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
 +
[[wikipedia:Bulgaria]]
 +
 +
__NOTOC__
 +
 +
{{IsIn|Balkans}}
 +
[[trash:Bulgaria]]
  
 
[[Category:Bulgaria| ]]
 
[[Category:Bulgaria| ]]
 
[[Category:Eastern Europe]]
 
[[Category:Eastern Europe]]
 +
[[Category:East Route from North Cape to Cape of Good Hope]]
  
__NOTOC__
+
[[bg:България]]
 
 
 
[[de:Bulgarien]]
 
[[de:Bulgarien]]
 
[[es:Bulgaria]]
 
[[es:Bulgaria]]
{{IsIn|Balkans}}
+
[[fr:Bulgarie]]
 +
[[pl:Bułgaria]]
 +
[[tr:Bulgaristan]]
 +
[[ru:Болгария]]

Revision as of 15:01, 10 July 2019

Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Information
Language: Bulgarian
Capital: Sofia
Population: 7,322,856
Currency: Lev (BGN)
Hitchability: Verygood.png (very good)
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots
<map lat='42.5' lng='25.5' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' country='Bulgaria' />

Bulgaria is a country in Eastern Europe bordering Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey, a member of the European Union but not yet the Schengen zone. It's a good country for hitchhikers since this was a common way of traveling in socialist times when few people had cars. There are hardly any roads where hitchhiking would be prohibited. Except for a few stretches of true motorway, it is possible to thumb directly on the road and stop passing cars.

Hitching is slightly easier from the east to the west or vice versa because the motorway Sofia-Plovdiv is a part of the main route from Western and Central Europe to Turkey. Hitchhiking between the north and south is somewhat slower

Quite a few drivers who would pick up hitchhikers are those who used to hitchhike themselves back in the socialist regime days. They will often feel nostalgic about the time they spent on the road, and will be happy to share their adventure stories with you, or let you tell them about your trip(s). Hitchhiking is highly popular in the summer and is so common along the seaside that you can find yourself competing with other hitchhikers. Hitchhiking is also practiced and known in Bulgarian mountainous areas, especially around the Rhodope Mountains (Rodopi, or Rodopa) where there are very few cars but the ones that drive by usually stop.

There are usually many truck drivers on this road who are willing to have some company. Do not be surprised if some of them – driving long distances between Western Europe and Turkey – ask you to take off your shoes when you are in a driver's cabin, or show you photos of their family, etc. Note that in summer, on days when the temperature goes above 35 ℃, trucks must remain at a parking place between 1300 and 2100 (to avoid damaging the asphalt). So, in July and August it is best to start hitchhiking early in the morning if you want to depend on truck traffic.

File:Bulgaria-donkey-hitch.jpg
guaka and his donkey hitching towards Istanbul

Cities

Safety

Danger!

As friendly as they can be, Bulgarian drivers usually don't consider small violations of existing road regulations and speed limits in Bulgaria a big deal. Be careful and avoid standing in areas with a yellow triangle sign, with a filled black circle in the middle - these indicate places with increased concentration of road accidents and are a part of a governmental campaign to improve driving safety.

Be wary of thieves - particularly in rural areas, there are many people who see a lone hitchhiker as an opportunity to gain by foul means.

Border crossing

Bulgaria is probably the most corrupt country in the EU, and you are most likely to notice this at the border crossings. However, if you carry a Western passport it is quite unlikely they will bother you.

Turkey

  • The checkpoint near Malko Tarnovo can also be used if you're coming from Burgas, although there is significantly less traffic there, either on the Turkish and on the Bulgarian side. The border checkpoint lies in a mountainous area so be sure you either have a direct ride to a city on the other side of the border or arrive early, because it could also be hard to find a spot to put up a tent. Traffic is very scarse, but when the border police goes to or from their shift at the border they might take you. It is recommended to cross the border in a personal car, since the truck queue is usually slow, and the Turks might not like you walking around looking for another ride - especially if you do it at night. When coming from the Turkish side however, it is very easy and accepted to walk across this border - show your passport to the Turkish guards, they stamp it and you're allowed to walk into Bulgaria. On the Bulgarian side the passport controls tend to be very quickly if you're from a EU-country - they just take a look at your passport and you can go.

Tip: when taking this bordercrossing when entering Bulgaria, it might be a good idea to start walking after you've crossed it, because many people won't stop for you when you're standing just behind the border office buildings. Even a few hundred meters will enlarge your changes of getting a ride to at least the next town, which is Malko Tarnovo.There are enough options to set up a tent near this village, and there is a cheap but good hotel too, in the north-western part of the town.

Romania

Serbia

North Macedonia

Greece

Phrasebook

Vocabulary

  • Hitchhiking - автостоп [av-to-stop]
  • Motorway - магистрала [ma-gee-stra-la]
  • Petrol station - бензиностанция [ben-zee-no-stan-tsee-ya]
  • Ring road - околовръстно (шосе) [o-ko-lo-vrast-no (sho-sse)]
  • Map - карта [kar-ta]
  • Bus stop - (автобусна) спирка [(av-to-bus-na) speer-ka]

Greetings

  • Hello - Здравейте [Zdra-vey-te]
  • Good day - Добър ден [Do-bar den]
  • Good morning - Добро утро [Do-bro oot-ro]
  • Good evening - Добър вечер [Do-bar ve-cher]
  • Goodbye - Довиждане [Do-vizh-da-ne]
  • Bye - Чао - ciao (as in Italian)
  • Thank you - Благодаря [Bla-go-da-rya]
  • Thanks - Мерси - merci (as in French)

Directions

  • From - от [ot]
  • Towards - към [kam]
  • Through - през [prez]
  • (To the) left - (На) ляво [(Nah) lya-vo]
  • (To the) right - (На) дясно [(Nah) dyass-no]
  • Straignt on - Направо (Nah-pra-vo)
  • Where are you going to? - На къде отивате? [Na kade o-tee-va-te?]
  • I´m travelling to ... - Пътувам към ... [Pa-too-vam kam ...]
  • Please stop here - Моля, спрете тук [Mo-lya spre-te tuk]
  • A bit further - Малко по-напред [Mal-ko po na-pred]

Reading or writing signs in Cyrillic

  • Благоевград - Blagoevgrad
  • Бургас - Bourgas
  • Варна - Varna
  • Велико Търново - Veliko Tarnovo
  • Видин - Vidin
  • София - Sofia
  • Пловдив - Plovdiv
  • Русе - Russe

License plates

Car license plates can help you to figure out where the driver might be heading to. The registration code consists of two letters followed by four digits and then two more letters. The first two letters indicate the region where the car is registered. By recent regulations, the letters have been limited only to those that are found both within Cyrillic and Latin alphabet - this should make it easier for foreigners who have troubles of reading and understanding Cyrillic.

It should also be noted that this is not a 100% reliable method to get to know everything about the destination of the car, etc. It is common, for example, that cars registered in Sofia belong to people living in Burgas (or elsewhere). Also many drivers from Romania have Bulgarian licence plates as it's cheaper to register a car in Bulgaria.

External links


wikipedia:Bulgaria



trash:Bulgaria