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Listings
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Airlines
Aeroflot, ul. Oborishte 23 tel 02/943 4489; Air France, ul. SA?borna 2 tel 02/980 6150; Alitalia, Graf Ignatiev 40 tel 02/981 6702; Austrian Airlines, bul. Vitosha 41 tel 02/981 2424 or 980 2323,
; Balkan, Transport Service Centre below the NDK tel 02/987 4736 or 980 6603,
; British Airways, ul. Alabin 58 tel 02/981 6999 or 981 7000,
; Czech Airlines, ul. SA?borna 9 tel 02/981 5408; JAT (Yugoslavia), bul. Vasil Levski 1 tel 02/988 0419; KLM, ul. Uzundzhovska 14 tel 02/981 9910; LOT, bul. Stamboliiski 27 tel 02/987 45 62; Lufthansa, ul. SA?borna 9 tel 02/980 4101; Olympic, bul. Stamboliiski 46 tel 02/981 4545; Swissair, ul. Angel KA?nchev 1 tel 02/980 4459; and Turkish Airlines, SA?borna 11A tel 02/980 3957.
Airport information tel 02/7932 3211. American Express Megatours, ul. Vasil Levski 21 tel 02/988 4953. Bookstalls The outdoor bookstalls at pl. Slaveykov and in the pedestrian subway outside Sofia University often have foreign-language books, as well as out-of-print art books and Bulgarian-English dictionaries. Car rental Avis, bul. Vitosha 3 tel 02/981 1082, at the airport tel 02/738023; Budget, at the Balkantourist office, bul. Vitosha 1 tel 02/987 1682; Europcar, at the airport tel 02/720157; Hertz, bul. Vasil Levski 47 tel 02/980 0461, and at the airport tel 02/791447. Currency exchange There's no shortage of exchange bureaux on bul. Vitosha and neighbouring roads, which will exchange cash only, but beware of high commission rates charged by those on the central boulevards (even though many of them display "no commission" signs). For travellers' cheques and credit card advances, Bulbank on pl. Sveta Nedelya, is the most reliable bank. Embassies and consulates Albania, Krakra 10 tel 02/946 1222; Australia, ul. Trakiya 37 tel 02/946 1334; Canada, ul. Asen Zlatarov 11 tel 02/943 3704; Denmark, bul. Dondukov 54 tel 02/980 0830; Greece, ul. San Stefano 33 tel 02/946 1027; Hungary, ul. 6 Septemvri 57 tel 02/963 0460; Macedonia, Frederik Zholiyo Kyuri 17 tel 02/701003; Netherlands, Galichitsa 38 tel 02/962 5785; Romania, bul. Sitnyakovo 4 tel 02/971 2858; Russia, bul. Dragan Tsankov 28 tel 02/963 0912; South Africa, ul. Al. Gendov 1 tel 02/971 3425; Sweden, ul. Alfred Nobel 4 tel 02/971 2431; Turkey, bul. Vasil Levski 80 tel 02/980 2270; UK, ul. Moskovska tel 02/980 1220; USA, SA?borna 1 tel 02/937 5100: consular section at Kapitan Andreev 1; Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Yugoslavia, ul. Veliko TA?rnovo 3 tel 02/946 1633. Irish citizens should contact their nearest embassy (in Budapest, Hungary tel 00361/302 9600, fax 302 9599) to find out which English-speaking embassy in Sofia is currently looking after their interests. Hiking and camping equipment Stenata, ul. Tsar Samuil 63 . Hospitals The city's main casualty department is at Pirogov Emergency Hospital, opposite the Rodina hotel, at bul. General Totleben 21 tel 51531. For an ambulance call 150. Internet There's an increasing number of internet cafAŠs in the city centre: try the one on the ground floor of the NDK (by the entrance on the eastern side of the building next to the box office or " bileten tsentA?r "); Info CafAŠ, Graf Ignatiev 34; or the Telefonska palata, ul. General Gurko. Expect to pay around US$1/hr. Left Luggage Central train station, in the basement (daily 5.30am-midnight). Libraries British Council, ul. Krakra 7 (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2-5pm); American Centre, KA?rnigradska 18 (daily 1-5pm). Markets The main fruit, vegetable and bric-a-brac market is Zhenski Pazar on Stefan Stambolov. There are also good fruit and veg markets on ul. Graf Ignatiev; at Rimska stena, just south of the city centre at ul. Hristo Smirnenski; and, best of all, Sitnyakovo, 2km southeast of the centre on ul Shipchenski prohod (tram #20 from Knyaz Dondukov). Newspapers Foreign newspapers can be bought from the newsstand in the basement of the Balkan Sheraton hotel; the newspaper stall in the Tzum shopping mall; and a few stalls on bul. Vitosha. Opticians bul. Knyaginya Mariya Luiza 54. Pharmacies 24hr service at the following: pl. Sveta Nedelya 5; PA?rva Chastna Apoteka, Tsar Asen 42. Photographic supplies Pozitano 24A. Post office General Gurko 6 (Mon-Sat 7am-8.30pm, Sun 8am-1pm). Radio BBC World Service (91.0 VHF) broadcasts the usual English-language programmes, punctuated by news in Bulgarian every couple of hours; while Radio France Internationale (103.0 VHF) has the widest range of (Bulgarian and international) popular music. Shopping The main stores are around the bul. Vitosha, bul. Stamboliiski, Graf Ignatiev area. The Tzum shopping mall, at the western end of the Largo, has a reasonable range of fashionable clothes, luxury goods and souvenirs. The souvenir shop in the Ethnographic Museum (round the corner from the ticket office) sells woodcarving, embroidery, woollen kilims and folk CDs. Stalls selling paintings, reproduction icons, antiques, lace and embroidery are concentrated around pl. AleksandA?r Nevski. Swimming Banya Mariya Luiza outdoor pool in the middle of Borisova Gradina is the place to head for in summer, and is the nearest thing to a beach you'll find this far inland. Otherwise, try the Deva Spartak indoor and outdoor pools, next to the hotel of the same name, bul. Arsenalski (tram #6 from pl. VA?zrazhdane to the end). Taxis Inex Taxi tel 02/91919; OK Supertaxi tel 02/973 2121; Yes Taxi tel 02/91119. Telephones Telefonska palata, ul. Gurko 4 (open 24hr). Train information tel 02/931 1111, tel 932 3333. Travel agents Try Balkantourist, Vitosha 1 (tel 02/980 2324, ), for tours, airline tickets, and reservations in upmarket hotels; Lyub Travel, ul. Milin KamA?k 11 (tel 02/702287), for weekend trips to Bulgarian towns and villages; Odysseia-In, bul. Stamboliiski 20 (tel 02/989 05 38, ), for hotel reservations and hiking tours in Bulgaria; USIT Colours, bul. Vasil Levski 35 (%02/981 1900, ), for discount international air tickets.
Visa extensions
Available at the Interior Ministry (MVR) building at bul. Knyaginya Mariya Luiza 44. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Bulgaria,
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