None of this is exciting, and all of it is the sort of thing people discover at a border or a till. Ten minutes now saves an unpleasant hour later.
Borders and Schengen
Bulgaria is a full member of the Schengen area. Air and sea border controls were lifted in March 2024; land borders followed on 1 January 2025.
In practice:
- Arriving from another Schengen country — no passport control at all. Take ID anyway: you need it to check into accommodation and it is required to collect tickets.
- Arriving from outside Schengen — the usual Schengen rules apply, including the 90-days-in-180 limit for visa-free nationalities.
- Visas — if your nationality needs a Schengen visa, a visa issued by any Schengen state is valid for Bulgaria, and a Bulgarian visa is valid across the area. Apply early: spring 2027 will be a busy season for appointments, and a contest ticket is not a reason a consulate will expedite anything.
- UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most Latin American passports — visa-free for short stays, subject to the same 90/180 rule.
If the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation is in force by May 2027, visa-free non-EU visitors will need one before travelling. It had not started at the time of writing; check before you book, because it is cheap and quick but not instant.
The euro
Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, at the irrevocably fixed rate of 1.95583 lev to €1. The lev ceased to be legal tender on 1 February 2026. The Bulgarian National Bank exchanges leva banknotes and coins into euro free of charge, in unlimited amounts, with no deadline — so an old holiday stash in a drawer is still worth something.
For you this means euro prices, euro cash machines and no currency conversion at all if you are coming from the euro area. Old guides and old blog posts quoting lev prices are simply out of date; halve them and you are roughly right.
Cards, cash and payments
Card acceptance in Bulgaria is now excellent — contactless is standard in shops, restaurants, taxis and on city buses in Burgas. Apple Pay and Google Pay work as anywhere in the EU.
Carry some cash anyway. Small amounts are still useful for:
- market stalls and small village shops,
- some beach bars and kiosks,
- older taxis, though most now take cards,
- tipping.
Cash machines: use ones attached to a bank branch. Free-standing machines in tourist areas sometimes offer "dynamic currency conversion" — a screen asking whether you want to be charged in your home currency. Always decline and choose euro. The conversion rate offered is never in your favour.
Tipping: rounding up, or about 10% in a restaurant if you were happy. Not obligatory, always noticed.
Mobile and internet
Bulgaria is in the EU, so EU roaming rules apply: if you have an EU or EEA plan, your normal allowance works here at no extra cost. That covers the majority of visitors and means you do not need to do anything.
If you are coming from outside the EU — the UK included, where roaming charges came back for many operators — you have three options:
- An eSIM bought before you travel. Simplest, works the moment you land, no shop visit.
- A local prepaid SIM. The three operators are A1, Yettel and Vivacom; all have shops in central Burgas and at the airport, and a tourist data package is cheap. Bring your passport — registration is required by law.
- Nothing, and rely on wi-fi. Free wi-fi is common in cafés and accommodation, but the arena area on a show night is exactly where a network gets congested.
Coverage along the coast is good, including in the smaller towns.
Health and emergencies
- Emergency number: 112, for police, ambulance and fire, in Bulgarian and English.
- EHIC / GHIC cards are accepted for state healthcare; travel insurance is still worth having.
- Pharmacies (аптека) are everywhere and pharmacists are helpful; several in central Burgas are open late or around the clock.
- Tap water is safe to drink across Burgas and the coastal towns.
Small things that catch people out
- Nodding means no. The Bulgarian head-shake is inverted: a shake side to side is agreement, a nod is disagreement. Most people dealing with visitors switch to the international version, which is how the confusion actually happens. When it matters, say the word.
- The Cyrillic alphabet. Street signs in Burgas are largely bilingual and menus in the centre almost always have English, but bus stops and timetables may not. The letters are worth twenty minutes of your time on the plane.
- Sunday is quiet, but not closed. Shops and restaurants open normally.
- Smoking is banned indoors in bars and restaurants, and the rule is enforced. Terraces are fair game.
What we do not know yet
Arrangements specific to the contest — road closures, security and bag rules at the arena, accreditation, official fan zones — have not been announced. When they are, they go on the updates page with a date and a source, rather than being guessed at here.