 Poster: A snowHead
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The transfer I have booked for Bulgaria wants us to pay in Euros or Pounds despite the local currency being Bulgarian Lev. This has made me wonder will we find other places / things that only accept Euros / pounds? Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Unlikely. You may find places that will accept euros or pounds but not only!! Compare your transfer with other companies, i think i paid around 60 (pounds) to go from sofia to bansko then found out later it would have been alot less with another company. Depends where ur going and where from!!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We have gone for a private transfer due to how late we are how landing (see thread a few months back ranting about airlines changing flight times). And having two children we would Rather pay extra to just get to the hotel ASAP.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Stitinky.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ah, memories. I first went to Bulgaria in February 97 - my first ever ski holiday indeed, which happened to coincide with quite a serious revolution. As a result the Lev went from about 8 to the pound to thousands. In those days nobody, but nobody wanted Lev anyway as the whole Communist system was on borrowed time. We were advised to take £5 notes.
Paying for my beer and pizza at lunchtime, I was given bundle after bundle of brand new 200 Lev notes in change, which I had to stuff into my one-piece (it was a while ago, remember.)
We went back there in the summer to find out what had been going on. Tracked down a Bulgarian friend and asked her what had happened. "You were here!" she said. Up a mountain with no idea what was happening, I replied. "I was on the barricades with my students waiting for the tanks to come," she said.
Since then, of course, the currency was stabilised against the Dm in the first place and now against the Euro, I guess. memories of crazy inflation and worthless currency may well mean that "hard" currencies are appreciated. The stotinki is a hundredth of a Lev, I believe. Lovely country and people but crazy politics. I seem to recall they had an elected Communist government with the King as elected president!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We went in about 1986 for 3 weeks' cycletouring. There was a compulsory exchange of $10 a day and by the end we still had perhaps 1/4 of it left. We had spend-ups in Sofia and I still have the jacket I bought.
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I was in Sofia and up in the mountains near the Rila monastery in September 2015. Nobody asked for anything else except Lev. Most places were also happy to accept cards (even the little hotel near Rila where they had to stand outside with their credit card machine to get a signal...).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I had some trouble changing them back into pounds when i got back if remember (it was 2004). I stopped in Prague for a day on the way home a year later and everywhere refused to change them.
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Take £20 notes and go to one of the many Crown booths that line the main streets. Generally its all Lev in Bansko
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Get Levs in the uk, beware of those exchange booths heard some stories about them scamming people. Also be aware of buying on card at Sofia airport, reports of them charging Levs at a silly rate and scamming travellers.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Levi215, thanks for the warning and advice. Much appreciated.
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hi
I too am going to Bansko, and my transfer also requires paying in GBP or Euros!. I thought it weird too.
Ive also been recommended Crown for and changing in resort.
Ill be taking a Revolut card for card spending and some UKP cash for Crown to convert.
Peter
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You know it makes sense.
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We went (as two families of 7 in total) two years running in mid 2000s to Borovets. It was a DIY trip, and the people that we rented the chalet from put us in contact with a local firm that did the transfer, ski rental, lift pass and a tutor/guide. One year we paid in Sterling, the next in Euros. In all we handed over around €1500 in cash. My mate's wife was concerned we might get mugged on the transfer and have the cash taken off us... but we pointed out that since it was almost certainly part of the local mafia that we were paying, then the driver probably wouldn't make it off the mountain alive once they realised what he'd done.
The second year, we couldn't find our "contact" to pay the cash to for days. We were given the guiding skis, passes etc on "tick". We started to get a little concerned that they would think WE were trying to avoid paying so on the Thursday of the week my mate and I went from bar to bar until we found "Stefan" to pay him!
The Borovets Gondola used to have immense queues each morning (at least 40mins-1hr), however instructors could get to the front for a simple €10 note  Back in those days, you could swap an old "smart"mobile phone for a new set of skis. It sounded like a good deal.. until you realised that those skis had only just been taken from a mountainside restaurant!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Was in Bansko last week. Got a rate of around 2.5 lev to the pound from the change shops. The seems to compare with 2.44 to 2.41 lev to the pound from Post Office, Thomas Cook, etc in the UK.
Our ski coach said he changes money at the bank, where he gets the best rate.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Transfers/ car hire and many hotels charge in euros and GBP this is normal not weird. Been going to Bulgaria since 2006 and that has been the way as far as I can remember. lev rate was 2.5 in Bansko and 2.6 in other non toursit towns but some change booths were as low 2.4.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Oh, and remember that the Lev is pegged to the Euro at 1.956, hence the ready acceptance of Euros.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Transfers and some ski packs are quoted in euros, but as the lev is fixed to the euro (2 to the euro interbank) it translates to the 1.95-6 on the street. Bulgaria is in the EU and weve noticed a lot of difference in the last year or so, try bribing someone now and you'll get in big do-do. Restaurants and bars have very regular visits from Food Hygiene, the finance regulators and the mayors office, a lot more regular than similar establishments in the UK, and they have the power to close premises on the spot/issue fines.
Theres a lot more usage of cards now, you can buy lift passes with cards and the rates are really good, better than the exchange booths. Crown booths are above board, ask for the rate for the amount you want to exchange, if you're changing a lot ask for the best rate possible, they will move it. Latest rate on the street as of yesterday was 2.51 per £. ATMs also provide a good exchange rate, but watch out for your banks fixed charge, ie don't withdraw small amounts youll end up paying a lot in charges.
Snow conditions in Borovets were fantastic last week, and the cannons were running continuously at night. Visit Bobbys Bar on the main street watch out for the punishment shots, but the chef is amazing he used to work in the steak house (Katy's) great steaks, pizzas and the speciality 'swords'
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Peter Groom wrote: |
hi
I too am going to Bansko, and my transfer also requires paying in GBP or Euros!. I thought it weird too.
Ive also been recommended Crown for and changing in resort.
Ill be taking a Revolut card for card spending and some UKP cash for Crown to convert.
Peter |
Many of the transfer companies are run by Brtis so that's probably why, we pay some major aspects (Transfer, Accom) in Euros as Lev is pegged to the Euro. The majority if not all of the additional spending is in Lev's, worth having some Euros around but only for specific things, not general spending.
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