Money, prices and costs

There are a lot of ATM machines in the city. If you travel with cash be sure to bring Euros: You can change them very easily in Bulgaria and it's neighbor countries to the local currencies. Bulgaria is quite cheap for a european country. You can get a nice bulgarian bear (0.5) from up to 1lv (50 cent) in a bar and can eat in a restaurant for about 3 Euros; a 5km taxi-ride is about 2 Euros.

Currency

Bulgarian leva: Lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki. Notes are in denominations of Lv50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 stotinki.
The Lev is tied to the Euro at a fixed rate; Euro 1 = Lv1.955.

Credit Cards

Major international credit cards are accepted in larger hotels and car hire offices, and in some restaurants and shops, mainly in Sofia. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services that may be available.

Tipping

Tips of 10% of the bill are appropriate for waiters and taxi drivers; hotel employees also receive tips ($1 or the equivalent for bellhops; 10%-20% for staff at expensive hotels, 10% in leva at smaller hotels).