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See also a [http://bgmaps.com/ map of Bulgaria].
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|hitch = {{very good}}
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'''Bulgaria''' is a country in [[Eastern Europe]] bordering [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], [[Republic of Macedonia|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
* [[Pavlikeni]]
* [[Plovdiv]]
* [[Ruse]]
* [[Sevlievo]]
* [[Sofia]]
* [[Varna]]
* [[Veliko Tarnovo]]
== 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]] ===
* When going towards Turkey , the most used border checkpoint is the [[Kapitan Andreevo-Kapıkule border crossing]]. Check the [[Edirne]] article for more information.
* 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.
=== [[Romania]] ===
* When going towards Romania, biggest checkpoint is at [[Ruse]], check the [[Ruse-Giurgiu border crossing]]. Try to get a ride with a personal car over , the main bordercrossing and the route used by trucks.* Another border with Romania is the [[Calafat-Vidin border crossing]]. A ferry , a lesser-used to operate here, till the new Danube bridge was opened in 2013border crossing .* You can cross the border at the Black Sea too at [[Durankulak-Vama Veche border crossing|Durankulak-Vama Veche]], along the Black Sea, the least-used border crossing where waiting times can be long.
=== [[Serbia]] ===
* [[Kalotina-Dimitrovgrad border crossing]], the main border crossing. === [[North Macedonia]] ===* There is two checkpoints between Bulgaria and Macedonia: [[Kriva Palanka-Kyustendil border crossing|Kriva Palanka-Kyustendil]] , in the North and north* [[Delchevo-Blagoevgrad border crossing|Delchevo-Blagoevgrad]] , in the Southsouth.
=== [[Greece]] ===
[[pl:Bułgaria]]
[[tr:Bulgaristan]]
[[ru:Болгария]]
