Preparing to move to the city of Varna

Hello Saj and will,

Welcome on board !

Please note that I have created a new thread from your post on the Varna forum. In general we request members to open separate threads for each question they have so that members may guide them properly.

I would recommend that you go through the different Guides to gather as much information as possible  :

Living in Bulgaria guide for expats

Living in Varna guide for expats

You may also open a few threads on the francophone forum Varna (In french) so that francophone members can make some recommendations.

Forum Varna

All the best

Bhavna

@sajz

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new life in Bulgaria!

Accommodation: There are many property agents, of course. But I'm a fan of BulgarianProperties (dot com) as they are a large and reputable agent with listings all over Bulgaria. They specialize in expats, so they have a very good website with listings in English, and plenty of information and photos for each property. This means you can quickly see the kind of properties that are available to rent (or buy) for your budget. They're also easy to deal with remotely, if that's necessary.

Healthcare: I think Bulgaria has pretty good healthcare provision, especially in the larger cities. There is a state option, as you'd expect. But there are also many private hospitals, and most of them are integrated into the public system, in that they receive the standard public payment, and you only pay the "upgrade" price for your VIP treatment. I recommend you complete the immigration formalities as quickly as possible so that you can register as self-employed and pay your social security contributions in order to be covered. Before you come, make sure you have your French EHICs.

Hello Saj and Will,

Firstly, I wish you well and best of luck with your move.  I know what's going on in France at the moment and it certainly isn't good!

I'll go through all your questions and worries one by one.

I live in Varna and have lived here since December 2020, with my Bulgarian wife and two step kids.  I'm originally from the UK - South London. I moved to Bulgaria in August 2020, firstly to Veliko Tarnovo, then Varna.

The majority of accommodation in Varna is apartments, although there are some houses and villas, there are not that many and they tend to be very expensive, mostly situated in the Greek Quarter.

We rented for 16 months before buying. We rented an older apartment, very cheaply in Chaika, about ten minutes from the centre.  In April 2022 we bought an apartment...  We needed a three bedroom property and so looked for maisonettes. After viewing around seven properties we found what we were looking for. We paid €148,000, which was very reasonable for what we've acquired.  That said, prices have risen significantly, due to the influx of Ukrainian migrants, many of whom have money to spend!  Our property is now worth around €200,000, just in the space of one year!  There are plenty of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments available, but not so many three and four bed properties, as these are usually on the tops of blocks - penthouses.  Studios start at around €65,000, one bedroom at €85,000 two bedrooms €110,000. Three and four bedrooms are between €120,000 and €275,000.  Houses / villas depend where they are and the size - in the Tsveten area where we live, a three bed house fetches €300,000 in the Greek Quarter, you can double that figure, some fetch over a million euros now!

As for areas, it's really up to you and what sort of services and infrastructure you want around you, but the area to avoid - at all costs is Maksuda, which is inhabited by Roma/Gypsies.  As I say, we live in the Tsveten Kvartal area, next door to Levski and we are spoilt for choice for small shops and businesses on our doorstep, along with four bus routes, good school and beautiful leafy streets, with fruit trees laden in summer.  Other areas people seem to like are Chaika, Briz and Levski.  Personally, I think I live in the best area, but then I'm biased!  But come and look around for yourself and get a feel for the different areas.  Where we live, a taxi ride into the centre is around 8 Leva, including tip, so being outside the centre is not a handicap and is better in many other aspects;  our kids walk to school for instance.

I'm assuming you want to live in the city, but of course, there are villages near to Varna, where houses are available.

My wife's cousin is a freelance estate agent and knows most of the agents and their pros and cons!  She found us our apartment.

Healthcare in Varna is pretty good and plenty of choice, both public and private.  The main hospital here, is St. Marina and it has modern equipment and diagnostics.  The ambulance / paramedics service here is pretty good.

Private health is much cheaper than Western European countries - an MRI or CT is around €130 an x-ray €35 a private consultation is around €40.

There are quite a number of private clinics and hospitals in Varna.  But to get treated, you don't have to stay in Varna, you can go to other cities, if you find better services in those.  I, recently, was treated in a brand new private hospital in Burgas, for free, save the cost of the room, which was 25 Leva per night.   Once you are registered with the Bulgarian Health Services, you can register with a GP.   Public health costs around €125 per year. You can pay for a whole year.   Personally, I wouldn't bother with private health insurance, as treatment is so cheap here.

Language...    There are loads of tutors that teach Bulgarian!  As well as loads of schools that teach a multitude of languages.

Expat groups...   Apart from this expat forum, on Facebook, there are Varna expat groups, many meet for drinks, coffees, activities.  I'm more than happy to meet with you for coffee and a chat, if you'd like to - it's always good to chat face to face and get ideas and advice.  There are plenty of expats living in Varna from all different countries, including France (I'm from London, UK).

Schools...  There is the American School, which speaks English.  My kids are Bulgarian and go to a private school locally to us.  Yes they would be taught Bulgarian.

Varna is a safe city - very little crime here and you can walk the streets at night. But, be careful of corruption!  If you buy a property, make sure you employ a good solicitor and use an agent.  Also employ a good translator (all translators must be registered).

Transport...

Buses and taxis only - now metro, because they cannot build one, due to the earth and cost!   There is a good bus network that is very cheap to use - buy a bus card and it's 1 Leva for one hour of travel on any of the buses. Otherwise, the cash fare is 2 Leva, payable to the machines on the buses or at most bus stops.

Varna has two bus stations, the first is at the railway station, where many buses terminate.   The second is the inter city bus station, next to the Grand Mall shopping Centre, where you can reserve tickets for buses to most towns and cities throughout Bulgaria and also for international journeys to Istanbul, Bucharest, Belgrade, Budapest and Vienna.  There are even buses to Poland and Moldova and even further afield to London. Some bus companies allow online booking, some don't have that luxury. Notably Biomet and M-Bus have Internet reservations.

Varna has a railway station terminus, with trains to many destinations, including, Sofia, Plovdiv, Gorna Oryavitsa (for Veliko Tarnovo) Shumen, Pleven, Stara Zagora, Asenovgrad, Burgas can be reached by train, by changing at Karnobat, but it's a lengthy journey and it's quicker by an inter city bus. There's also local trains to Karnobat, Dobrich and Kardam, calling at many villages on the way.   Train fares are very cheap, you can travel 1st Class, from Varna to Sofia for around 33 Leva (€16).  BUT, trains are old, but comfortable. Most don't have air-conditioning, so travel in summer can be hot!  Trains generally, do not have any catering and you need to take your own food, drink, wet wipes and toilet roll! Also take a bag for your rubbish.

Taxis...  There are three main companies and a load of small ones.  The main ones are Triumf (recommended) Hippo and Omega. Strongly suggest getting the Triumf app - it works well for me.  The average taxi fare in Varna is around 8 Leva, including the tip.  Journey to the airport from the centre is around 16 Leva.  You can also take taxis to St Constantine and Helena and Golden Sands, but the fares are around 30 Leva to St Constantine and 40 Leva to Golden Sands.  There is a bus to Golden Sands and St. Constantine.

Shopping...   Varna has three main shopping malls, which are away from the centre.  The nearest to the centre is Grand Mall, then there's Delta Planet and Varna Mall.  Grand Mall and Delta Planet are the most popular and have a huge selection of retail outlets, including supermarkets, Furniture stores (yes IKEA is in Varna lol) clothes shops, and everything else you'd need.  In fact, I've never not found something I need to buy in Varna!  In all three centres there are restaurants.

Ordering items from online sites...

In Bulgaria, most sites don't ask you to pay when ordering.  Instead, your item will be delivered to a local Econt or Speedy office (local to your address) where you can check its condition, pay for it and take it home. Econt even have changing cubicles for clothing deliveries, so you can try the clothes on.  If something isn't good with your order, you can send it back unpaid.

Etiquette...

Bulgarians observe some interesting behaviours...

Always take your shoes off before entering someone's property, even when looking at properties to buy! Often you will be provided with slippers.

In restaurants, don't expect everyone's meals to arrive at the same time, they often come out of the kitchen one by one and it's common for someone to be eating a main course, before a starter has been served!

Traffic lights...  Traffic can turn right onto a pedestrian crossing with a green man. The traffic has to give way to the pedestrians!  This can be a little unnerving for pedestrians to begin with!

You will also find it normal for Bulgarian drivers to avoid potholes, of which there are many in Varna! Don't be surprised if your taxi swerves suddenly to avoid one!

Bulgarians will often invite you to their homes and it is rude not to eat and drink what they offer, which is usually excellent!

The national alcoholic drink of Bulgaria is Rakia, many Bulgarians make their own, but, be warned, it can be rocket fuel with an ABV alcohol level of 70%!

Wine...   Bulgaria has a huge wine industry and there are many many wines to try, from all over Bulgaria, including some vineyards near Varna. There are many wine tasting / sales outlets and it's great fun!

Trees...

In Varna trees are sacred! If they can avoid cutting down a tree they will.  Frequently you find foot paths that diviate around trees!  You'll also see many many trees very close to blocks of apartments, some just 2 metres. Hence Varna is very green in summer and somewhat concrete in winter.

Post Office...

The postal system is living in the Soviet times and is both bureaucratic and very slow.  I wait an average of one month for letters to arrive from the UK. Sometimes longer.  I would suggest if you need to send anything, including documents, to use either DHL, A1 Post, or Speedy.  Use Econt for national post, within Bulgaria.

Cash....

Cash reigns in Bulgaria and whilst most restaurants bars and businesses take cards, many prefer you to pay cash. It's quite common for a shop to tell you their card machine isn't working and they need cash payment, even in Varna.

That said, all large businesses accept cards all of the time.

Internet...

The Internet speeds in Varna are excellent...  Expect at least 75 Mbps, but if you pay for a better package, speeds of up to 300 Mbps are available. Mobile data speed is 5G and is around 450 Mbps.  Although the Internet speed is fantastic, I.T. in Bulgaria is lacking and many websites are poorly made, which will certainly try your patience!

Understanding Cyrillic a and the Bulgarian language...

To understand Bulgarian, you need to first learn Cyrillics - yes, it's a nightmare to start with, but go slowly and learn a few letters at a time and try to read signs and adverts etc., you'll soon start to read better!  I can now read signs, adverts, destination boards and road direction signs.  To translate almost anything, use Google translate, as it uses your phone's camera too - just point, shoot and translate.

Dogs and cats...

Varna has literally thousands of street cats and many street dogs. We have four cats, all originally from the street. It is possible to rescue either dogs or cats, but remember, they've often lived a life on the streets, so life in an apartment may not be their idea of heaven.  As far as cats go, rescue kittens at a young age, that will integrate into home life. As for dogs, it depends on each individual dog.  There are pet shops and veterinary surgeons all over Varna.

Hope all this helps!

Ian

@sajz Amazing, i'm in the exact same situation, moving with my wife, to sofia in a first time (for administratives things, until we get the permanent residency card) then we'll move to varna to be near the sea 🙂.

I'm sure we'll get in touch in BG. i'm looking to move within next 6months.

There's a nice community here, I wish you a good move Saj and Will!

You can message me in private I think. we can exchange some useful advises!

cheers! 🚀