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You may hear many people (including us) refer to Bulgarian prices in Euro but it’s important to remember that the local currency is the lev. In archaic Bulgarian the word “lev” meant “lion” and as you can see lions are all over Bulgaria in various forms (sculptures, monuments, etc.) representing the braveness of the Bulgarian nation.

You can’t spend euros in all the shops here and those who accept them may charge you more. There are however many change bureaus in the cities who will give you a good exchange rate if you haven’t managed to change any cash before you arrive. Most large hotels, restaurants and shops accept cards however smaller places are likely to ask for cash only so be prepared.

Here’s some more information on Bulgarian currency, including some pictures you will hopefully find useful:

1 Bulgarian Lev

1 Bulgarian Lev

1 Lev

1 Bulgarian Lev equals approximately € 0.50 and $ 0.52 and this will remain so until Bulgaria accepts Euros as national currency.

If you come to Bulgaria, try to keep your Bulgarian coins separate from your Euro coins, as they are quite similar and you might end up giving out Euros when you didn’t mean to.

1 Lev can buy you:

  • 1 coffee from a kiosk;
  • a pack of chewing gum;
  • an ice cream in most supermarkets;
  • a loaf of bread;
  • “zakuska”- sweet or sour snack from one of the multiple kiosks around Bulgaria;
  • + much more!

 

2 Bulgarian leva banknote

2 Bulgarian leva banknote

2 Leva (the plural of lev= leva)

The 2 leva note is basically equal to one euro but you can get a lot more for it than you could get for a euro in most European countries. Here is a list of some of the items you can get for 2 leva:

 

  • 1 way ticket for the public transport (2.60 lev – regardless of destination and length of journey, as long as you don’t change the means of transportation). You can also use it on the metro from one end of Sofia to the other;
  • 1 litre of beer from a supermarket;
  • lottery ticket;
  • a slice of pizza;
  • nail polish;
  • a kilogram of apples;
  • a chocolate bar and many more things!

 

5 Bulgarian leva banknote

5 Bulgarian leva banknote

5 Leva

This is what a 5 leva note looks like in Bulgaria. And here’s a list of items you could get for 5 leva:

  • 200 gr of yellow cheese;
  • 0.500 gr of pork meat;
  • 2 kg of sugar;
  • a salad in a local restaurant;
  • an alcoholic drink;
  • an ice cream;

 

10, 20, 50 and 100 Leva

And here’s a preview of the notes of 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva. As you see from the prices above, there are so many things you could get with either one of these notes, so we will not be giving you further suggestions but hopefully you get the idea! This is what they look like:

Exchanging currency in Bulgaria

As we have described in this post, when travelling to Bulgaria it is wise to come over with your national currency and exchange it here as the exchange bureaus here offer really good rates! Two of the best exchange bureaus we are aware of are located in the very centre of Sofia, but there are many others. Try not to exchange your money at the airport – rates are really bad there! Most places (though not all) will take card too so you can use a Revolut card for example if you don’t have a chance to change any cash.

Sending money to and from Bulgaria

If you need to send money to and from Bulgaria, you can also use services like Wise which are very reliable and will save you a lot on transfer fees.