Are you coming to Bulgaria in January? Well, first of all, I’d like to welcome you to our beautiful country! ❤
It’s always best to prepare in advance before visiting a new country, so in this article I’ve gathered some useful information to ease you with the preparations for your trip. It consists of tips regarding the month of January, but also general information for every visitor, such as using public transportation in our capital Sofia, what currency you need to bring with you, clarifications when traveling by train, some unwritten rules that could cause turmoil, and many more. I hope you’ll find this article helpful!
1ST OF JANUARY – PUBLIC HOLIDAY
If you spend the Christmas holidays in Bulgaria, including New Year’s Eve, it’s very important to keep in mind that 1st of January is a public holiday (official non-working day). This means public sector institutions and administrations, most banks and exchange offices, and most private sector offices don’t work on that day. Hospitals, transportation services, gas stations, and most restaurants and cafés work. Supermarkets, malls, and other smaller stores often work with reduced hours or don’t open at all.
2ND OF JANUARY 2026 – OFFICIAL NON-WORKING DAY BY EXCEPTION
In general, only 1st of January is an official non-working day. However, on 01.01.2026 Bulgaria officially changes its currency from Bulgarian lev to euro, so the government announced that 02.01.2026 is also going to be an official non-working day to ensure smoother transition from lev to euro. This means that for the first 4 days of 2026 public institutions and most banks are not going to work. There may also be some issues regarding card payments in the first hours or even days of the New Year. If you already have Bulgarian lev in cash, you can still pay in that currency until 31.01.2026. However, the received change will be in euros.
6TH OF JANUARY – YORDANOVDEN (EPIPHANY)
In Bulgaria we have this thing called name day. Throughout the entire year, certain dates are dedicated to various saints and other religious events, and people with the same name or a similar one deriving from it have a name day! Just like birthdays, not everyone celebrates their name day, but it is common to throw a party about it.
It is believed this tradition started in the past when each family had a lot of children. With so many children being born, no one really kept track of their birthdays, so these so-called name days became somewhat of a substitute for the lack of birthday celebrations. A little sad when you think about it. 😔
Some name days are ‘bigger’ than others, depending on the saint or religious event it honors. And 6th of January is Yordanovden, also called Bogoyavlenie (Epiphany), a more special name day. It commemorates both the manifestation and baptizing of Jesus Christ in Jordan River (in Bulgarian Yordan River – река Йордан). Examples of names that have a name day then are Yordan and Yordanka. But tradition doesn’t end here.
Every year on 6th of January, men from each city, town, and village gather around the nearest river for a special celebration. The local priest stands above the freezing waters with a cross in his hand. After a traditional blessing, he throws the cross in the river as the men throw themselves after it. The one who reaches the cross first is believed to be blessed. With cheerful shouts the men then gather for a male horo in the river. Horo is a national Bulgarian folklore dance during which people gather in a long line and perform certain steps while holding hands.
Everyone is welcome to watch, so it’s a nice idea if you find yourself in Bulgaria in early January and wondering what to do. The video below shows the celebration of Yordanovden near the city of Vratsa in 2025.
WEATHER IN JANUARY
January is the coldest month in Bulgaria with an average temperature of around 0°C. Usually, the warmest days reach about 7-8°C and it can get to -15°C. Depending on the temperatures, it may either snow or rain. However, the average number of days with precipitation is 10 and usually it’s not heavy. If you’re lucky, you might get some sunny days, as well.
Keep in mind that there might be days in which the temperature stays below 0°C even during the day and there can be significant snowfall. Winters in the past were much more freezing, sometimes with a maximum temperature of -10°C during the day. But in the recent years, mainly due to global warming, winters in Bulgaria are becoming warmer and milder. However, you should definitely pack warm clothes, scarves, hats, gloves, waterproof boots, and a heavy coat. Some days could be quite frosty, depending on which part of Bulgaria you’re in. But, of course, you should always check the weather forecast in the area you’re going to visit before you come!
TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES IN JANUARY
As already stated, Bulgaria has a proper winter. Maybe not as cold as before, but winter nonetheless. There are many options for tourism, depending on what you’re looking for, but the most popular one is skiing. There are also options for winter hiking, ice-skating, visiting winter festivals, and more.
*Skiing
Bulgaria has 4 major ski resorts and a few smaller ones.
→ Bansko is the biggest and most popular ski resort in Bulgaria. It’s located in southwestern Bulgaria, in Pirin Mountain. It’s visited by thousands of tourists each year and rounds of world winter sports competitions are held there. For more information visit Bansko Ski website and Bansko Minucipality’s website.
→ Borovets is another major and popular skiing destination. It is located in Rila Mountain, also in southwestern Bulgaria. It is only 68 km away from the capital city Sofia, and it is the preferred skiing resort for the locals. Visit Borovets website for more information.
→ Pamporovo is one of the biggest ski resorts in Bulgaria. It is located in Rhodope Mountains, in southern Bulgaria. There are other smaller ski resorts within the same mountain. Visit Pamporovo website for more information.
→ Vitosha Mountain is located right next to Sofia or more like Sofia is located right next to Vitosha Mountain. It provides numerous hiking opportunities for the locals and the visitors of the city. In winter, it also provides options for skiing. However, the slopes might not be available at all times. Consult with Ski Vitosha website for more accurate information.
*Winter hiking
If you’re a fellow hiker, then Bulgaria has a lot of options to offer you, including in winter. Many popular trails also have a winter marking in the form of tall, most often black and yellow poles. Except hotels in resorts, there are many fully functioning huts and chalets, and shelters, located in the remote parts of mountains. Rila and Pirin are the most popular mountains for winter hiking and ski tours. You can visit the official websites for more information.
*City tourism
There are always options to visit museums, art galleries, theatres, ballets, attend city tours, and many more in the bigger cities. During January there are also ice rinks and winter festivals in many places. Below you can find the websites of some of the most popular and most visited cities in Bulgaria, where you can explore more options.
→ Sofia: Bulgaria’s capital city and a home to many historical and cultural sites, The National Opera and Ballet, The National Palace of Culture, Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and many more. It is the hearthbeat of city tourism in Bulgaria with endless options for sightseeing and entertaintment.
→ Plovdiv: The second biggest city in Bulgaria and a cultural centre with many sightseeing options, including The Old Plovdiv Reserve and an ancient Roman theatre. Plovdiv is the 5th oldest city in the world and the oldest in Europe (with continuity of settlement).
→ Veliko Tarnovo: Translated as “Great Tarnovo”, it used to be Bulgaria’s capital city from 1185 to 1393. It is a toursist attraction for its numerous historical sights, such as Tsarevets Fortress and Old Tarnovo District.
→ Varna: The third biggest city in Bulgaria and the biggest on our Black Sea coast. It is regarded as Bulgaria’s Sea Capital. Except sea tourism, you can also visit an astronomical observatory and ethnographic museums.
GENERAL INFORMATION
CURRENCY
Starting on 01.01.2026, Bulgaria adopts the euro as its official currency. If you already have Bulgarian lev at you disposal, you can still pay with it throughout January 2026. However, the change will be in euros.
TAXIS
Primarily, the taxis in Bulgaria are yellow and have a sign upon the roof saying ‘taxi/такси’. Some of the vehicles, however, are concidered eco taxis (when the cars are electric) and are green in color.
Usually they have a light on the windshield by the passenger’s seat, signaling whether they are free or occupied – respectively, a green and a red light. However, there are many companies, so this practice may vary.
Furthermore, if you’re staying in our capital city Sofia, you have a variety of options to download a taxi app. Some popular options include:
→ TaxiMe: A popular and handy service that can take you anywhere within the city.
→ Yellow Taxi: One of the biggest taxi companies in Sofia.
→ Volt Taxi: This is a premium and more luxurious service, so the prices are higher than usual taxis. Their cars are dark green in color. They also have black minivans in their arsenal that can transport larger groups of people.
Unfortunately, in Sofia there are many fraudsters. Usually, they stay in front of the entrance of the Central Railway Station and the Central Bus Station and ask random passengers whether they need a taxi transportation. Not all of them are scammers, but it’s easy to come across one. Especially, if you stop a random taxi on the road. So, I would advice you to use one of the apps above when you need a taxi in Sofia.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN SOFIA
If you’re not a fan of taxis or want to immerse yourself in the pulse of the city, you can always use the public transport. Here are a few things you should know in advance.
*Types of public transport
There’s an underground network, currently consisting of 4 lines. Above the ground, there are buses, trolleybuses, and tramways. There are also 4 lines of night buses.
*Buying a ticket
There are two options to buy a ticket for the ground transportation – a physical one and an electronic one. The physical ticket can be bought from the driver. For the electronic one you just need to place your payment card onto a validation device. There are a few located near the doors when you enter. There are two types of physical tickets. If it has a QR-code, it must be validated, as well, on the same devices. If it looks like a reciept, you don’t need to validate it.
It’s the same for the underground – you can buy a physical ticket from the booth at the station or an electronic one by placing your payment card upon the validation device. If you have a physical ticket, you have to validate its barcode in order to enter the platform.
Important! There are inspectors checking random vehicles and metro trains for valid transport documents. If you have paid by card, you just simply have to place it onto their device and if you have successfully validated your card, you’ll pass the check. Don’t be a joyrider – there are fines for the offenders!
Visit Sofia Traffic website for full information about using the public transport and parking within the city.
TRAVELING BY TRAIN
Even we Bulgarians sometimes find it challenging to travel with our State Railways, so I can only imagine what it is like for an outsider. 😂
Their website is pretty decent and you can find useful information there, such as train schedules, ticket prices, and online live updates. But here are some additional tips for an easier and more comfortable trip by a Bulgarian train.
*Buying a ticket
You can either buy a physical ticket from the train stations or an electronic one from the website or through special devices at the train stations. You need to show your ticket (physical or electronic) to the train conductor when asked for it during the trip.
*Finding the right train
This could be a little challenging for foreigners. Basically, you need to know the final destination of your train in advance. This information is written (in Bulgarian) within a rectangle on the sides of some of the carriages. This way you’ll know which train to board. There are some more modern ones and this information is easily found on their digital screens right at the front. The bigger railway stations usually have information on every platform, especially Sofia Central Railway Station. There are digital screens showing the number, the destination, and the schedule of the train, departuring from each platform.
Also, there isn’t a practice of announcing the upcoming stops, so you should prepare yourself in advance as much as you can. For example, by taking a photo/screenshot of the train’s route or following the GPS service on your phone. Like this, you could eliminate the possibility of missing your stop or getting off on a wrong one. However, there are a few exceptions. The above mentioned modern trains also have speakers inside, announcing the stops are, so it’s easier to follow the route.
*Finding your seat
In Bulgarian trains you can buy tickets with or without a reserved seat. For most trains the standard ticket doesn’t have a designated seat and you can choose where to sit. You can get a reserved seat, if such is available, by paying a small extra fee for it. Some trains, however, always have designated seats for all the passengers and for some people it can be quite confusing to find them.
Basically, every carriage has its own number and all the seats inside are also numbered. When you buy a ticket with a reserved seat, you’ll find information about the carriage (in Bulgarian вагон) number and the seat (in Bulgarian място) number. Most trains have both first and second class. This is marked with large numbers 1 and 2 written on the carriages. A lot of people confuse those numbers with the numbering of the carriages themselves. But no, the number of each carriage is written inside small squares, usually next to the doors.
Once you are inside the right carriage, you just need to find your seat. The numbers usually go from 1 to 100 (or above). If the train has separated compartments, the numbers are usually above each seat. If it’s a big saloon, then search for them either above the seats (where the luggage goes) or by the windows.
Current repair work at Sofia Central Railway Station! For quite some time now, Sofia Central Railway Station has been under repairs. If you’re going to travel towards destinations, such as Varna, Ruse and Vidin (basically the northern half of Bulgaria), you have to board the train from Sofia Sever (Sofia North Station). You can either get there by a taxi/public transport, or you can board the provided intermediate train from Central Railway Station. It’s the same when traveling towards Sofia – you have to get off at Sofia Sever and board the intermediate train towards Centrail Railway Station, or use a taxi/public transport to get to your destination within the city.
And if you ever decide to board a Bulgarian train – good luck! 😂
RELIGION
The traditional religion in Bulgaria is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The majority of the population practices it and most religious temples in the country are part of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
A very important thing to remember when visiting such a church is the dress code. You can’t walk inside scarcely dressed and your shoulders and knees must be covered. It is a holy place and more provocative clothes and appearance could cause resentment and it is possible a church official to ask you to leave or even escort you out. Failure to comply with the dress code could be seen as offensive.
DO BULGARIANS SPEAK ENGLISH?
Well, I do. 😂
But the situation is so-so.
From 1944 to 1989, Bulgaria was under Soviet occupation and became a communist country. Respectively, kids then mostly learned Russian at school. So, the older generations in Bulgaria as a whole don’t speak English at all or they speak just a little bit.
The generations after 1989 started learning English at school, so younger people in Bulgaria usually speak the language more or less. Many of them even migrate to the UK for higher education, and some students spend their summers in the USA as seasonal workers. So, if you ever need assistance with anything, I would suggest you to turn to a younger person, because there is a higher chance they’ll be able to understand and help you.
TIPPING IS NOT MANDATORY, BUT IT IS COMMON
You’re not obliged to leave the waiter a tip after you’ve visited a restaurant/café. However, it is a common practice, especially in the bigger and fancier restaurants. There is no minimum or maximum amount, nor a mathematical percentage that you can calculate. It is all up to you what the amount would be and weather you’ll leave a tip or not at all. Usually, clients who are pleased with the service tend to leave bigger tips, while bad service might leave the waiter ‘empty-handed’.
If the waiter picks up the check, but you’re still at your table, they are obliged to give you the change (if the amount you have given is higher). So, usually, we say to the waiter that the amount we’ve put is ‘correct’, suggesting there is no need to give us the change.
Respectively, if you don’t want to tip the waiter, just wait at your table for your change. However, there might be some exclusions in certain restaurants, especially if they’re fancier, but as a whole tipping is not mandatory.
NODDING MEANS ‘NO’ AND A ‘HEAD SHAKE’ MEANS ‘YES’…ISH
This information is widely spread across the internet, because other people find it quirky, but it is not entirely true. Head movements in Bulgaria are very likely to leave you quite confused, because we basically move our heads in all sorts of ways and speeds. To say it simply, the most important thing you need to observe is our facial expressions, because they tell you what we mean.
A grimace and a frown means ‘no’/refusal and can be accompanied by a nod up and down or a shake to the sides, usually done in a faster way. A friendlier expression, often with a slight smile, means ‘yes’/agreement and can be accompanied by either a nod up and down or a shake to the sides, usually done in a slower way. We also tend to bobble our heads, similar to people in India, when we mean ‘okay’ or ‘I understood’, usually done in a faster way. A slower movement might mean ‘maybe’ or ‘I’ll think about it’ or anything else, depending on the conversation. 😂
No matter the head movement, observe the facial expression, we make a lot of those. 😂 But most of all, if you’re not certain what the other person means, you can simply ask – we, Bulgarians, are friendly and warm people in general. (There are always exceptions, of course 😂)
A visit to Bulgaria could leave you very surprised or even confused. I hope this information will be helpful to you and will make your stay easier and more pleasant! ❤
Till the next time!
Ivelina B. Dimitrova
15/12/2025
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