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Specific Support Action
EC-INCO-CT-2005-016414

Useful Information

Time Difference
Bulgaria is in the Eastern European Time Zone. Eastern European Standard Time (EET) is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2).

Voltage
220 V

Alphabet
Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which was specially designed for the Bulgarian language. 24th of May is a national holiday - the day of St. Cyril (827-869), and St. Methodius (826-884), Cyrillic alphabet (check this site for more information about the Cyrillic alphabet http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cyrillic.htm), and Bulgarian educators.

Currency Exchange
Bulgarian currency is called LEV (BGN), plural LEVA. Banknote denominations include 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva, as well as coins of smaller denominations. It is recommended to change money at banks or in your hotel. The official exchange rate guaranteed by the National bank is 1 EURO = 1.95583 BGN. Any exchange rate above 1.95 is good. You can obtain Bulgarian currency by withdrawal from ATMs, which accept all major credit cards as well as cards with the Maestro, Visa Electron or Cirrus logo.

Credit Cards
Visa, Master Card, Euro, Diners Club and American Express are accepted. They can be used for payment of accommodation, in luxury restaurants, nightclubs, car rentals, plane tickets, etc. However, the number of sites accepting credit cards is limited and many of the common establishments accept cash only.

Working Hours
Hours vary greatly, but usually include these hours:
Offices - 9.00 to 17.00 (Monday to Friday)
Banks - 9.00 to 20.00 (Monday to Friday, often also Saturday 10.00 to 14.00)
Shops - 10.00 to 20.00 (Monday to Friday, Saturday until 17.00)

Passports and Visas
A valid passport is necessary with an entry or transit visa that is issued by the embassies and consulates of the Republic of Bulgaria. No entry visas are required for citizens of the EU and EFTA countries with which Bulgaria has a visa-free regime. Entry visas for Bulgaria are required for some foreign citizens. Please, check with your travel agencies or with the Consular Offices of the Bulgarian Embassies whether you need a visa for Bulgaria. We recommend that you apply for a Visa not less than 3 months prior to your departure for Bulgaria. You may be asked to provide a letter of invitation to accompany your visa application. Personal invitation letters will be provided to any registered delegate upon request.

Health Insurance
The organizers will have no responsibility in the case of health problems of the participants during the meeting. Please arrange your international insurance in advance for the period of your stay in Bulgaria.

Varna
Varna is Bulgaria's Sea Capital. The city of Varna (www.bulgaria.com/varna) is situated at the Bay of Varna on the Black Sea, with a well conserved water area. Varna lies on the same latitude as the famous Atlantic resorts Bayonne and Biarritz in France, on a large, flat and high terrace on the northwestern most? curve of the bay which juts some 7 km inland. About 560 years B.C. sprang up the town of Odessos in the area of an ancient Thracian settlement. It developed into a major agricultural, craftsman and commercial center. By the ninth century AD, it was called Varna. It is believed that The name is believed to originate from the horse people of Central Asia. Town of rich history and interesting places to go - a magnificent Archaeological Museum, featuring the oldest hand-crafted gold in the world aged nearly 8000 years, remains of Roman Baths and a beautiful Orthodox Cathedral... There are also Aquarium, Dolphinarium and Planetarium. With a population of 425,137 it is Bulgaria's third largest city, following Sofia and Plovdiv.

Varna: The World's First Gold
Near the port of Varna, the oldest gold treasure in the world (dated 4,500 BC) was found In 1972; an ancient necropolis was found with 280 tombs and 3,010 golden objects weighing over 6 kg altogether. According to experts, it is the oldest processed gold ever found in Europe.

Golden Sands Resort
GOLDEN SANDS resort is 17 km away from Varna. It is a magnificent resort with richly wooded hills, white golden beach and clear blue sea. There are a lot of ancient and very famous mineral water springs. The resort is situated in the area of a Bulgarian National park. The resort beach strip is 3,5 km long and up to 100 m wide. The average air temperature in summer is about 27 oC and the water temperature - 25 oC. Offers over 100 different kinds of medical services, combined with various treatment and recuperation programs.

Access
Varna airport (www.varna-airport.bg) is situated on the western outskirts, about 9 km from Varna. The airport has currency exchange facilities, a large restaurant and duty free shops. Public bus 409, which passes through central Varna and travels as far as Golden Sands resort, serves the airport. Taxis are available, but the meters are often not working and it is advisable to agree on a fare with the driver before departure. Many resort hotels run their own shuttle services to and from the airport.

Transportation
Transport between Golden Sands and Varna is well organised. Apart from regular bus lines connecting the resort to the city and the airport, there are a lot of minibuses, private route taxis and ordinary taxis. Because of intense competition, fares are moderate.

Climate
The average sunlight per day in May is 8 hours. The average minimum and maximum air temperatures are 12 oC and 22 oC, respectively. The water temperature is about 19 oC.

Safety
Bulgaria is generally a safe country, and people are quite friendly. As in all countries, sensible precautions should be taken. You should behave according to common sense when you are outside of the main tourist areas, i.e. don't show too openly that you have money, watch your things. The most frequent crime that visitors may encounter is pickpocketing.

Foods and Drinks
The variety in Bulgarian cuisine is based on the long history of the country, as well as on the long-lasting migrations of the tribes that founded Bulgaria more than 1300 years ago. The close contact with Turkey and Greece have helped to form very attractive and rather exotic national cuisine, including some dishes which are typical of Bulgaria only. There are three very special food items, which are specific for Bulgaria and have always been a part of it, back through the earliest of Thracian times - white cheese, yoghurt, chubritsa (savory).

Bulgaria was actually the first country to produce wine. Archaeological studies have found evidence of wine being produced in this region between 6000 and 3000 B.C. The Thracian tribes worshipped the god Dyonissios as the patron of wine. With the establishment of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD the Bulgarians inherited the experience and the traditions of the local population in the cultivation of grapes and wine-producing. In Varna region, the warm autumn results in large quantities of sugar accumulated in grapes to produce medium-dry and syrupy wines. The famous Evksinograd wine is made here as well as Rkatziteli, Tamyanka Dimyat, Riesling, Chardonnay and Ugni blanc.