How much does it cost to rent a car in Bulgaria in 2021 at popular seaside resorts and the capital? Consider the prices for car rental in Sunny Beach, Burgas, Sofia and other cities. We will give practical advice where it is cheaper to book a car from the airport and find out reviews of tourists that will be useful to beginners.
A trip to the Balkans can be a joy. But not every tourist will enjoy traveling around the countries of the peninsula by bus, train or even by ship. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze in detail such a topic as car rental in Bulgaria.
Should you rent a car in Bulgaria?
The answer is 100% yes. Public transport does not run until 9 out of 10 attractive attractions. And if there are flights, then buses leave once or twice a day. The schedule is inconvenient, you have to look for places to spend the night. One-time use of a taxi to travel between cities is more expensive than renting a car for a day. Excursions, too, cannot be considered a way out - both because of the price and because of the stereotyped routes.
Where is the best place to rent a car?
The question on which sites is better to book a car in Bulgaria is relevant for travelers in 2021 as well. Some tourists prefer the leading rental service in the Balkan country - the company TOP RENT-A-CAR.
- Experts sometimes advise an international internet service Myrentacar.com... You can find great options below:
We recommend renting a car not for 1 or 2 days, but for longer term... Then the consumer's expenses will decrease significantly. Regardless of the company chosen, it is not recommended to chase after a cheap car (it often hides mandatory additional services and expensive insurance, we read the contract carefully). Experienced travelers are interested in the prices for car rental in Sofia at the same time as purchasing air tickets. The earlier an application is submitted or a search is started, the more successful options you will be able to find.
- Advice: Search first on Myrentacar.com or Economybookings before looking at other resources. These services have always helped us out with their low price and affordable options.
As noted above, we advise you to carefully, scrupulously read the agreement, as well as focus on the flexibility and variety of choice of cars, on the convenience of the site, on deposit rates and the presence of Russian-language support. Economybookings offers rational conditions and maintains a large and well-maintained fleet of vehicles. The site is made in Russian. Car rental services are provided from the airport of the capital and at key resorts in the seaside zone.
International structures are good for the abundance of their park and a wide network of points. But you need to contact there only if it is impossible to take advantage of other offers. Compared to similar cars, smaller companies have a 15 or 20% higher rate. Often it is masked by a variety of techniques. Ancillary services are expensive, at least 2 or 3 times more expensive than local organizations. Above and deposits, that is, deposits and amounts that fall on the tenant in the event of an accident. Until the deposit is exhausted, the insurance will not be valid. And you also need a credit card.
Is insurance required to rent a car?
Each service, each company independently determines the list of required documents. However, you should definitely have a national driver's license, a foreign passport, a card for transferring an advance payment and cash. The need to present an international driving permit is specified additionally. It is required to take into account restrictions on age and driving experience.
The rights of the international standard are required when contacting international rental organizations. As mentioned, these firms charge large deposits, and in practice, insurance does not help. But it is required to issue it categorically... Without this, the traffic police can confiscate the vehicle, arrest it for driving in violation of the rules. And the small chance that a refund will help cannot be neglected.
Insurance must be full format... Even when only experienced drivers take the car. We recommend that you take out insurance on the spot, without relying on Internet services - this is more reliable. In addition, the amount of the deposit is reduced.
Car rental prices in Bulgaria
The renter's expenses are determined by the season, the prestige and prevalence of transport, its demand and rental period. So, "Volkswagen Polo", rented in August for 7 days, will cost at 20 euros per day... The same amount is charged for providing other small cars. To get a Toyota or other middle class cars, they already pay from 40 euros per day... Renting SUVs of leading brands will require you to pay from 45 to 60 euros. The most advanced and elite cars are rented already at 100 - 200 euros per day... Therefore, the choice for a personal budget is quite large.
Roads and parking tips
It is up to you to decide where to go in a rented car in Bulgaria. But before that, it is useful to read additional tips and reviews for renting a car in Bulgaria. Rental services are also provided on site. However, the choice, especially at the peak of the season, is modest. And they stay longer than others, which is understandable, the worst options.
Advance booking through the global network much more profitable... And the loss of 2 - 4 hours to search for offers, to familiarize yourself with the contract can darken the vacation. Some of the resorts are basically devoid of rental companies. You should carefully study the reviews of specific organizations. Some of them do not work very honestly. The advertised low prices obviously do not include a number of necessary options, and it is not always possible to find a car of a certain model. We must not forget about franchises... Experienced tourists recommend checking the vehicle before transferring it. Otherwise, you will have to be responsible for breakdowns yourself.
Dealing with car rental in Bulgaria in Sunny Beach and prices, you need to carefully study the signs. There they write tariffs for parking spaces. If you stay in Nessebar for 1 - 4 hours, you will have to pay 3 leva for each hour, if you stop for 5 - 24 hours, a single unified rate is charged - 12 leva per day. If you are lucky, you can find cheaper parking lots in Sunny Beach. The fee in hard-to-reach remote places will be 2 leva per hour or 10 leva per day... It should be remembered that tourist spots that attract a lot have parking spaces that are limited in time. The payment must be made more often by SMS, indicating the numbers in the form of a sequence of Cyrillic characters. Where there is a sign with a blue stripe, you can stop for 2 hours. A green sign denotes permission to stop for 4 hours. Occasionally the fee is passed valet parking or put in parking meterreceiving a receipt in return.
Free parking is provided by a number of hotels (a selection of good hotels in Bulgaria with a description). The administration of cafes, restaurants, large stores does the same. We advise you to check the information every time at a specific parking lot. Then the prices for car rental in Bulgaria in Golden Sands will become clearer. Unpaid parking is charged fine from 20 to 200 levs (depending on the situation). The fine does not exempt from the obligation to pay for the evacuation.
In addition to the cost of renting a car in Burgas, it is necessary to take into account the mandatory inclusion of low beam (directly from the time of day. Children under 12 years old are allowed to ride only behind... Driving while talking on a mobile phone is strictly prohibited.In populated areas, you cannot accelerate to more than 50 kilometers, on intercity routes - up to 90 kilometers, in places where pedestrians move - up to 20 kilometers. Bulgarian roads can hardly be called ideal, but you can drive everywhere. There are no broken tracks even in mountainous remote villages.
- You will be interested in:
Gasoline prices
You will have to pay 2.19 leva per liter (for the local analogue of the Russian Ai-95). Diesel fees are the same. For 1 liter of gas, 1 Bulgarian lev is paid.
Reviews about independent travel to Bulgaria
Traveling on your own in Bulgaria will be much more pleasant than 10 - 15 years ago. During this time, the infrastructure has improved by two or three times. Those traveling around the Balkan country by car will discover it from a new side. Compared to Turkey, it is cheaper, and the quality of services is not worse. The sea and beaches will satisfy any discerning person. Bulgarian cities are graceful and clean, entertainment programs are organized at a decent level. There are a lot of parks in operation. And all this is available even when renting a cheap car.
All the necessary information about the best vacation in Bulgaria in our separate section on travel planning and practical advice.
