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Practical information - SunSiteEstate A/S - Apartments in Bulgaria, France and Montenegro

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See the many apartments in Byala Beach Resort in Bulgaria

Useful information

In the town of Byala you can find:

Chemist

You can find a chemist or pharmacy in Byala. ‘Pharmacy’ in Bulgarian is ‘apteka’.

Newspapers

It is not possible to buy British newspapers in Byala but it is possible to use the internet to get updated while visiting one of the internet cafés.

Bank/ ATM/ exchange bureaus

There are some exchange bureaus, but the exchange rates vary and the bureaus charge fees. The bank is open from Monday to Friday from 09.00-12.00 o’clock. There is an ATM beside the entrance. The banks normally have better exchange rates than the exchange offices. We strongly recommend that you not exchange money with the black-market money exchangers.

Renting a car

It is rather expensive to rent a car in Bulgaria and if you cannot read the Cyrillic alphabet it might be difficult to understand the signs along the way.

If you do not want to drive by yourself but still want to see more of Bulgaria, we recommend that you use a taxi service (agree on a price in advance).

Tips

There is no regular system regarding tips in Bulgaria. If you are satisfied with the service you could round the sum up or you can give approximately 10 % of the bill as a tip.

Drinking water

The tap water is drinkable but often tastes of chlorine. Instead, you can buy mineral water nearly everywhere and a bottle costs approximately 1 Euro.

Power supply

The power supply in Bulgaria is 220 V.

Credit cards

Only a few restaurants and shops accept credit cards. Instead, we recommend you withdraw the amount you need from the bank’s ATM.

Post office

Postcards and stamps can be bought in some towns and tourist areas. It costs 70 stotinki (33cent) to post a postcard to anywhere in Europe.

Telephone

The cheapest way to make a phone call to the UK is from the post office. It is open from 08.00-12.00 and 12.30-16.00. You can also use a phone booth or buy a calling card. The price is around 1.23 Euro a minute to the UK.

There are two kinds of coin-box telephones; Mobika (blue) and Bulfon (orange). Calling cards can be bought almost every where, and the price is 4-20 leva (Euro 1,90 - 9,50). (Press 0044 for UK+ the ‘subscriber’ number.) The mobile phone network is GSM and is reliable and has good coverage.

Time difference

Bulgaria is 2 hours ahead of UK time (East European time).

Toilets

The toilets do not always have toilet paper. In most places you will have to pay for a toilet visit - also in the restaurants. One visit costs about 30 stotinka (15cent).

Transportation

There are good bus connections between the towns. From the highway in Byala the buses also drive to Bourgas and Varna. It takes more time to ride in the municipal bus because it has more stops on its route than the minibuses. In the bus you have to check your ticket into the automatic machine.

The taxies are yellow and are metered. However, agree on a price first if you your intended journey is longer than a short trip within town.

Currency

The Bulgarian currency is called Leva. 1 Leva consists of 100 stotinki. 1 Leva is about 0.50 Euro.

Opening hours

The opening hours for the shops in Byala vary but, normally, they are open late morning and again in the afternoon. Some even stay open until 10 o’clock in the evening. In the tourist areas the shops are usually open all day including weekends.

Restaurants and Bulgarian cuisine

Bulgarian food is a bit like Greek or Turkish food. Typically a dish comprises meat or fish, fresh vegetables and a good sauce. Garlic, honey, goat’s cheese, yogurt and herbs are frequently used ingredients. You will get a very delicious and traditional goat’s cheese salad if you order ‘shopska’. ‘Banitsa’ is a kind of butter tart with spinach, yogurt and cheese. ‘Kavarma’ is a filling dish of meat, vegetables and chilli. The delicious meat rolls are called ‘kebapcheta’. For desert you can try ‘mekitsas’, a kind of deep fried pancake with cheese, honey and nuts.

Wine

Many good and very affordable wines are produced in Bulgaria (red, white and sparkling).

Out of the many wine districts in Bulgaria, Tjernomorskij is the nearest to Byala. It is in the Bourgas region and produces many delicious red wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. An example is the St. Kiril which is named after the holy man that invented the Cyrillic alphabet.

When you are in Bulgaria, you should also try the wines from Plovdiv and Assenovgrad. They are produced from one of Bulgaria’s exclusive ‘Mavrud’ grape. A popular white wine is Misket Karlovo and, for the sparkling wines we recommend Iskra.

Beer

Zagorka is a light but strong beer and is perfect to allay the thirst.

Shopping

There is a lot of good shopping in Bulgaria. You can buy clothing, shoes, CDs, DVDs and all sorts of other things for a very good price. In general the shops stay open during the siesta in the middle of the day. Remember many items sold in the tourist areas are cheap copies of the real thing.

Handcraft

In the town of Byala there are many little shops offering souvenirs, clothing and bathing articles for a reasonable prise. Bulgaria is famous for its very fine handcraft like tree sculptures, hand carvings, decorated covers and carpets. The Bulgarians are also famous for their fine crystals. In the most of the small towns there are many shops with crystal glass and vases. Many places sell paintings and, if you want your portrait painted for a very reasonable price, this is the place to have it done. One of the most popular things to bring home from Bulgaria is rosewater, rose oil and other beauty products made from roses. Icons, holy pictures and other religious motifs painted on wood can also be found throughout Bulgaria.

Useful phrases

Good morning- Dobro utro

Good day- Dobar den

Good evening- Dobar vecher

Good night- Leka nosht

Hi- Zdravej

Bye-bye -Chao

Goog bye- Dovijdane

Yes- Da

No- Ne

Thank you- Blagodarja

Thanks a lot- Blagodarja vi mnogo

Please- Molja

Excuse me- Izvinete