Cash in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian lev was introduced into circulation in 1880, soon after Bulgaria gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. The new currency demonstrated the acquired status of a free country and was named "lev"; this word was then the main symbol of the Bulgarian independence movement.
Features of the Bulgarian lev cash
The official currency is abbreviated as BGN. It includes coins and banknotes. One lev = 100 stotinki.
Coins:
- 1 stotinka.
- 2 stotinki
- 5 stotinki
- 10 stotinki
- 20 stotinki
- 50 stotinki
- 1 lev
- 2 leva
Banknotes:
- 5 levs
- 10 leva
- 20 leva
- 50 leva
- 100 leva
The primary and safest ways to get cash in Bulgaria are exchanging foreign currencies for local currency or withdrawing money from an ATM.
Experienced travellers advice always carrying Bulgarian cash with you, even though card payments are becoming more popular.
Withdrawing cash from ATMs in Bulgaria
It is not difficult to find an ATM in the country, especially in tourist areas and large cities. They are located in banks, shopping centres and just on the streets. The latter, however, charge the highest fees.
Most ATMs accept debit/credit cards from all over the world. However, an additional fee will be charged for conversion to Cash BGN. You should also consider the limits on the transaction size; each bank has its limits.
Exchanging money into Bulgarian leva (BGN)
Another way to get local money in Bulgaria is to exchange currency. You can find appropriate exchange offices in airports and banks or use internet exchangers.
By the way, it will be more favourable in terms of exchange rate to exchange money directly in Bulgaria than in advance. Also, in the country, you can use only leva for payments, so taking dollars or euros with you makes no sense.
How much to take with you to Bulgaria and in what amounts to change money depends on many factors:
- The length of the trip.
- Whether your accommodation has been paid for in advance, as well as the tours and various activities you plan to attend.
- How you will be travelling around the country.
- What is the overall budget allocated for travelling.
Based on these factors, it is possible to take the right amount of money with a small reserve and not to take too much.
