Bulgaria

Is Bulgaria safe to visit?

Yes. Bulgaria is a peaceful country where serious crime against visitors is uncommon. It ranks 26th of 163 on the 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary, ahead of Greece and the UK, and recorded 1.23 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2024 (Eurostat). The US rates it Level 1. We score Bulgaria 80, close to Romania and Serbia and a little below Croatia.

What brings the score down is the road, not the street. Bulgaria has the EU's highest road death rate, and its holiday resorts come with a familiar list of theft and overcharging problems.

How dangerous are Bulgaria's roads?

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 8.4 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, the figure we score on. The European Transport Safety Council counted 456 deaths in 2025, 71 per million people. That is the highest rate in the EU, against an EU average of 43; of the 31 countries ETSC tracks, only Serbia (74) was higher. Two neighbours outside its table did worse: the Transport Community counted provisional 2025 rates of 107 per million in Montenegro and 85 in Albania. Deaths are falling, from 628 in 2019, but slowly.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary is blunt: many roads and pavements are in poor repair, roadworks are often unmarked and unlit at night, and drivers are aggressive, particularly on motorways. In rural areas you will meet slow cars and animal-drawn carts. Practical rules:

• Drive with dipped headlights day and night; it is the law.
• Avoid driving outside cities after dark.
• Buy the digital vignette online before you use motorways and main roads.
• Do not drink and drive at all. Penalties include prison and confiscating the car, or a fine equal to its value if you do not own it.

Long-distance buses are often a better choice than the trains, which the FCDO calls very poor by European standards, with several fires on board in recent years.

Sunny Beach, Golden Sands and the Black Sea coast

The coast is where most visitors go and where most of their problems happen. In Sunny Beach the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports thieves and pickpockets, burglaries from hotel rooms, thefts on the bus from Nessebar, and regular reports of robberies and threatening behaviour by taxi drivers. It also warns that quad bike and motorbike hire usually comes with third-party insurance only, so you may be charged for any damage and arrested if you do not pay.

Some "gentlemen's clubs" in Sofia, Sunny Beach, Bansko and Borovets overcharge by hundreds of pounds and threaten customers who refuse to pay. Pick bars on your hotel's advice, keep your card in sight when paying, and be suspicious if asked to re-enter your PIN.

On the beach, swim where lifeguards and flags are present, and watch for jellyfish and sea urchins. Police take drunken and disorderly behaviour, including urinating in public, more seriously than in the UK.

Floods, wildfires and mountains

Bulgaria's natural hazards are seasonal. In summer and early autumn the country is on regular wildfire alert, with fast-spreading fires in forests and fields. Autumn brings flash floods: on 3 October 2025 torrential rain sent a surge through the resort of Elenite near Sveti Vlas, killing three people, including a border police officer whose boat capsized, and states of emergency were declared in Nessebar and Tsarevo.

In winter, Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo are busy ski resorts. Avalanches are a risk off-piste, so ski with a guide and check conditions with the Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Service. Earthquakes happen but are usually minor.

Sofia, protests and street crime

Sofia is a relaxed capital by European standards. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises the usual care in larger cities late at night, and warns about distraction thieves on buses, trains and at airports, and about criminals who puncture a car's tyres or flag it down, then steal from it while the driver is distracted. Thefts from unlocked cars at petrol stations have increased, so lock up when you go in to pay.

Political protests happen in towns and cities and can close roads. Most are peaceful, but there have been occasional violent incidents, including by police. The FCDO also notes a small number of racially motivated attacks, more likely around demonstrations by nationalist groups. Walk away from any protest, and always carry ID; a printed copy of your passport photo page is accepted.

Health

There are no major disease risks; CDC recommends routine vaccines and hepatitis A. Private hospitals in the big cities are good. Public hospitals in smaller towns are weaker, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary suggests insurance that covers transfer to a neighbouring country for treatment. EU visitors should carry an EHIC, UK visitors a GHIC.

How we scored it

Violent crime (90) and conflict (86) are the strongest factors, based on a homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary a little over 1 per 100,000 and a top-30 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary rank. Petty crime (66) is the weakest, reflecting resort theft and scams, followed by natural hazards (70) and road safety (74). Road safety sits at the top of the 8–15 band: WHO's 2021 estimate is 8.4 per 100,000, and deaths have kept falling since, though the 2025 rate is still the EU's highest.