HOW EXPENSIVE IS SOFIA, BULGARIA? A DAY OF BUDGET TRAVEL 🇧🇬
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- In this vlog, I provide a brief breakdown of my average daily expenses as a budget traveller in Sofia, Bulgaria, and share the kind of prices you can expect to find in supermarkets and restaurants around the city. I also visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Boyana Church.
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Is funny how the British Media and UKIP pictured Bulgaria and Romania for years, using our countrys for their anti- European Union propaganda ...and how nice and calm these countrys are in reality and in your videos too :) Good job ! Keep them comming !
Your country is backwards
You are backwards Salton.
Jacquie Walton what are you doing here then?
In 2013 , UKIP canvassers visited my parents when I was already living in Sofia saying there will be 29m Bulgarians coming over in 2014. I suspect Jacquie is one of them.
There are no 29 million bulgarians in our country. Our country consists of about 8 million people, from which about 2-3 million are gipsies.
It is cheap for the people from England, Germany, etc ... for us is expensive.
Good looking prices! I might be going there next.
such a useful video thanks man - great editing too
This was so nicely done! Thank you for being respectful to our country and for being so informative! Good luck with your travels!
Im bulgarian and the salaries are really low and because of that the prices are cheap for you but for us they arent!! I loved watching that video
You are doing a great job!!! keep it up mate :D cheers from Romania
Thanks mate!
and there were times when 1 pound was 2.90 leva..
4:05 that was not vodka but Mastika. It is an anise-flavoured drink, quite strong:)
All in all I like the concept of this video as you show prices, recommendation of a stay, you explain more, not just vlogging your stay. This is what I Love and what I DO with my channel. Thumbs up, Jason. This video was enough for me to Subscribe to you;)
Keep it up
Oavel you beat me to it on those points. If he went to places of Vitosha the are places where remains ae 7lv and beer 2.90lv. Literally within a 10 minute walk.
I skied in Bulgaria about thirty years ago ,we were getting about 40 levs to the Pound. The Levs were all but useless though as all of the traders wanted Sterling.
After living in the US for 23 years Bulgaria is 7 times cheaper! Well your lifestyle determines your way of life!
Here at home in Bulgaria I have no mortgage no car bills no insurance bills and I live cheaply because I am not stupid to compete with anyone ! That is the problem for most people. They want the life and standard of another slipping deeper and deeper in to debt!
Anyhow I pay only food , phone and electric
Food 300 leva or less for 2 people 2 dogs 9 cats and 4 goats
Phone is the second most expensive at 175 Lev
Electric 15-25 Lev
I live in the mountains so spending money is kind of difficult anyway.
I only go major shopping once a month and I love my vacation style life! Oh and I retired along with Mom so we got a good life for 500 leva per month
@vfxardist No, they aren't. There were such things many years ago, but I think now this is illegal. Still most popular tourist places are more expensive, but the prices are the same for Bulgarians.
This which is in the freezer isn't vodka ,it is called mastica ,it's something like ouzo
Търсих коментар като твоя!
mastic се пише
Was gonna type the same
Mastika
There is a direct transport to Boyana Church :D
Very helpful video. Thanks Jason
Very informative and helpful. Thank you Jason.
Jason, thank you for your lovely documentary. I found it very interesting and informative.
Awesome video. Great information
Actually these prices you show are quite expensive for Bulgarians. There are restaurants where you can find these products on half amount of shown in the video. Have a nice time in Bulgaria :)
ive been to poland , romania , czech republic and looking at these prices it does seem quite expensive . Any recommendation for restaurants in sofia ? and location to stay in sofia ? many thanks . merci.
Hey Jason, thank you for this video. It is my first encounter with your vlog and its well done.
I live in Varna and what i like in your video is that you showed an essential way to have a nice time without spending too much.
Best Regards and keep doing such kind of videos!
Great video!! I'm heading to Sofia for a couple of nights next month, good to know it's so cheap :)
You were probably here or still are by the date of your comment. Just be very careful around the distant neighborhoods -- that's my advice. Also be careful with gypsies and crooks, they're the worst.
Have a nice stay ! :)
amazing and helpfull video young man. Thank you
this was so helpful 😱😅thank youuu😊
Planning on going to Sofia in about 3 weeks. Good video man.
Nice.Really like the quality of the video,very clear. It's a country I would like to visit. Enjoyed the trip inside the supermarket
and restaurant menus for prices, as that is quite helpful. Very pastoral, need to get there before the hordes ruin this place.
Good quality of the video........ lov it!
I love the way you did this vlog! For a Bulgarian living abroad it was quite interesting to see how a day of a budget travel in my hometown could look like. Stay cool ;P
Hi I don't understand why you don't have more subs ? I really enjoyed the video with Bucharest I am born in Romania too but I am living in USA now but was really amazing too see how much you can spend for everything there I will watch the rest of your videos Keep the good work 🤗cheers mate
Glad you're liking them!
Hello, thank you for visiting our country. best wishes.
Great job! Get your Patreon going!
That's not vodka its mastic.
at 4:04
Mastika
Hey Jason! Just bumped into your channel. One piece of advice to you if it's not too late and to those, who are thinking of traveling to Sofia - the exchange rates in Bulgaria and especially in Sofia are way better than those in the UK and most other European countries I've been to. Therefore, it's always better to exchange your money once in Sofia. A great place, where they exchange all sorts of obscure currencies is Nikar. I think Crown in Sofia are decent too. I'd stir away from some exchange shops by the seaside, but even the worst there have better rates than Royal Mail and most other places I've checked out in the UK.
Hi nice video! I live in Macedonia.😬😬Btw 😂You've got a new subscriber😊
very informative
Just got back from there, nice little video it is quite cheap.
You're doing great job! Keep it up!
I just wanted to say that if you explore Bulgaria not only the capital you could find even cheaper prices for food, transport etc. In the capital of Bulgaria is quite expensive especially at "Vitosha street" . So I would highly recommend you to visit province such as: Ognyanovo - which is tourist resort famous with its mineral water which is about 30 degrees or more . Around the village you can find Kovachevitsa- where you can see many guest houses in the traditional style, Sandanski which is also close to there, Bansko-famous ski resort and many others. :)))
Thanks for sharing this video , really enjoyed watching it!
Don't forget that he can go and see the epic Melnik or the old capital of Veliko Turnovo or the rebuild city of Stara Zagora whit it's huge number of ancient roman sites or the Dunav fortress in Vidin or Plovdiv and etc. There is a TON of stuff that he can do and see not to mention the nature in Bulgaria is EPIC. Just one advice, stay off of the promoted sights for the most time and try to explore by yourself - Google earth > talk to young people (most of them know English) > always exchange cash in big banks in a big/major city > stay away from gypsies.
Almost forgot to mention that he MUST visit the St. Ivan Rilski monastery complex and to try the Ox Yogurt whit Mekici and the Honey that is sold there, it's just pure magic. The only downside of the place is that it's always full of people but even that can't take away from the place.
dominges of course I agree with you! There are many places to visit in beautiful Bulgaria! Thanks for sharing your comment!
Vitosha street is very overpriced compared to the rest of Sofia. In a cafe in central Sofia where I live a full lunch is around 5 bgn
I recommend you going to Varna, Bulgaria especially in September its really nice( sorry for my English)
Thanks i am from bulgaria and i am so happy
not cheap when your salary is 800 leva
Тъжната истина
Кви 800 лева по 500 лв изкарват хората средно не ме карай да се смея
Тъжно е ,че толкова ниско се целите (за 500 лева )
deadmansfire за това съм в Германия...
И кът си в Германия, много богат ли стана? ;)
I love how you said it does not represent bulgaria as a whole but your experience. 😏
I went to bulgaria twice this year,sofia is a nice city. The roads were great and the people were awesome. One thing ive noticed is : where I went,there were all kinds of Us fast food franchises and you couldnt see local fast foods . Not a negative but worth mentioning. Also I noticed they love expensive cars.
American fast food chains, as well as expensive cars, were prohibited during Bulgaria's 45-year socialist period. There are a couple of generations that still have some serious psychological complexes about that.
There are bulgarian fast food restaurants, you just didn't go to the right mall
We Bulgarians call sofia the big village. It's really not the best city to live. I think Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo are better.
johno doh p
Bulgarian fast food joints usually don't have flashy lights or big signs. They are usually little more than a garage where someone makes sandwiches and drinks. The prices are quite cheap (typical hamburger costs around 2-3lev) and the quality is pretty good. You can usually find them around schools and universities, especially in the Students District (because that's where students really like to eat).
Great video Jason! Just wanna say that if you compare british salary with bulgarian salary.. prices here might seem a little too much for some Bulgarians :)
Since I can see you're taking your time to explore each country, I'd sincerely recommend you check out Evgeni Dinev. He has a couple blogs on his own and is active on Facebook and some photography websites too. The guy has been all over the country and is like an encyclopedia of beautiful spots, illustrated with his breath taking photos. Another good source for you would be the book "101 отбивки" (101 otbivki), which I'd translate as 101 side tours/side trips. You can either go through it in most book stores and find some spots you'd like to explore or buy it as a small collection of places. It's in Bulgarian, but you should be able to easily find the spots, which catch your attention. Wish you a memorable journey!
I'm goin'! *_:D_*
Awesome
And this is like the most expensive city in BG
I've also been there. The food is exquisite and unbelievably tasty. All vegetables & meat are at completely different level from the UK. 10 of 10! Very cool place, except in July & August :D
Sup im from България and just subed
You've just visited the most expensive street. The prices are half of what you showed in other areas.
And keep in mind that in Vitosha boulevard everything is more expensive.
Beautiful quit place
Hahhaha Mate, just to update your info - the drink you thought was a vodka (and you said it is frozen) it is actually an aniseed beverage which name in Bulgaria is MASTIKA. It is almost the same as the Greek drink UZO by taste, the difference is that the Uzo is slightly less alcoholic. Part of the ingredients in that drink are crystallizing , so you see crystal/snowflake like thingies when it is poured out.
Love Bulgaria
Jason, you should know that even the prices in Sofia may seem low, if you live and work in Bulgaria they are actually very high according to the normal salary.
Dining on Vitoshka (the main pedestrian street) was a big mistake. A large part of the price there is just the rent showing through, and it tends to get crowded. I'd recommend the smaller streets perpendicular to Vitosha blv. - loads of places to dine at, small shops, cafés, etc.
I am originally from Bulgaria though I do not live there atm... And no, we do not freeze the vodka lol This is another kind of alcohol called 'mastika' and we freeze it because it crystallises and looks better this way.
lmao I almost happened to go to Hostel Mostel once this summer,but found a better offer,so yeah :D P.S. I'm bulgarian,but I'm from Varna which is like on the other side of the country,so it kinda makes sense why I'd be on a hostel,guest house or whatever when I visit Sofia,tbh other than being bulgarian myself every time I go to Sofia I feel more like a tourist rather than a bulgarian myself,it's a pretty nice city,but I still prefer Varna over Sofia :D
hi, just came across your vids which are pretty nice, just wanted to ask how you feel and stuff as a solo traveller
I love it, you can do things in your own time and set your own agenda. You'll also meet plenty of local people from the countries you visit, going solo is a great way to meet people and understand the culture a bit more.
My uncle did the mural restaurations of the chirch
Good video. I'd like to know what is shisha exactly. Here in Southamerica we have chicha, which is a fermented or non-fermented beverage usually derived from maize. Chicha includes corn beer known as chicha de jora and non-alcoholic beverages such as chicha morada, from purple corn this last. Greetings from Perú! :)
"Shisha" is flavored tobacco, which is smoked through a "hookah" (also known as "nargilah") - a water-based vaporizing pipe. In Bulgaria you can find a drink similar to chicha, which is called "boza". The main difference is that instead of maize, it is made out of millet.
Roberto Rocca How's Peru bro is a good place to start up a small bussines with 2500USD as capital
Hooka... pipe water
Glad you converted the prices in GBP
after the tram to the church theres a bus right there which takes you to Boyana and then you walk 5-10 min to the church...
Dude, it wasn't frozen vodka :D it's anise drink
One advice from me! check the salaries in Bulgaria and compare them with the prices, then you will know how expensive it is!
lol what you showed as vodka is actually a totally different alcohol called mastika (similar to ouzo)
ИМА ЛИ БЪЛГАРИИ🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬❤❤❤❤❤
You went very cheap on the hostel (OMG was that a military camp :D you could rent a private hotel room for 30-50 lv) but those prices on food was extremely expensive (ofcourse excluding the market), also if you come from Asia you will feel like here is expensive. Anyway hope you had a great time here.
I'm from Sofia but I live in Norway which sucks I just want to travel there right now
Jason, please don't forget to put sunscreen on, mate! Walking for such a long time in the scorching sun is not a good idea. Greetings from London
If you stay in the hostel, how to secure your valuables and money?
Sounds really interesting and amazingly affordable ! But how to change clothes in such a room ( in that hostel ) 😁😁
In a sight of 3 perve uncles, 2 prostitutes, 1 reaper .. etc...
True Soul you can have self room with bath and toilet at 10-15€ for a day(24 hours). In Gorna Banya there is some cool hotels.
does anyone know how Sunny Beach is in terms of safety and nightlife? i've heard it's quite rough
I heard the song from Enrique Iglesias
They have so many Belgian beers :o
Which app are you using for the currency?
Currency Converter Plus
nice...cheap price.
If you talking Bulgerian well I wana say.... БРАВО!!!👏👏👏👏👏
Tedi Animations браво не е българска дума но ние я използваме
The frizzed drink in the fridge in the middle of the video is not vodka its a mastica 😜
Why you didn't visit Iaşi city, the second city, as importance, of Romania and the north cultural and traditional of Romania ( Suceava and Neamț area)?
We are all waiting for the Euro to come in Bulgaria
Not sure that will be good.
Dude, this is not vodka, it's called Mastika and has a strong aniseed taste. When they put it in the fridge, it won't freeze but it'll make crystals inside. It's better drank with the traditional Ayran which is drink made from Bulgarian yoghurt and water :)
Are you bulgarian? how much would imported brands of whiskey like Henessey / jd or smirnoff cost for a bottle?
You are amazing .. ^_^ Im from Sofia we can make a collab someday ^
Please come to Thailand
what camera are you using for this vlog?
Been looking at a lot of travel videos like this, i wonder out of curiosity how he affords to travel to all these places as flights alone must cost quite a fair bit, does he get paid by going to all these countries and documenting things? I knew one person who travelled all round and it turned out they had a rich background and mummy and daddy paid for it it all
I was about to ask the same thing lol. I doubt that countries pay him to advertise them.
It might seem cheap to you but for bulgarians is the exact same as pounds as they get a lot lower wages than you do so technically for them the prices are the same as British prices are to you
It's funny when you say "very cheap" because the minimal wage here in Bulgaria is like 250 paunds. So for most of us it's not very cheap :D
в България е много хубаво
In Bulgari is beautifulle
ΗΑΑΑΑ!!
When will you come to Greece?
If you need a guide for your next visit to Bulgaria, I would love to show you around ;)
im from bulgaria :) +1
Mate you literally walked past my grandparents house at 3:09
Maaaan and you went to some of the most expensive restaurants in Sofia... In smaller neighbourhood type restaurants you can go have a dinner with your wife and kids get stuffed, drink like 2-3 shots of alcohol and still pay aroung 25-30 sterlings... Which for British salaries is like a fucking joke :D
Mild safety concern - you can not drink the tap water.
Try this one you are working for 600 pounds in UK per month and you need to pay 20 pounds just for one meal and you need to pay 100 pounds for electricity, another 100 pounds for mobile phone and other taxes, then at least 200 pounds for rent and then with whats left a.k.a around 200 pounds you need to go out and give 20 pounds just for one meal this is what it feels like to be a normal bulgarian citizen :)
haha tell me something i didnt know about sofia :D
Jason Billam hears the song from Enrique Iglesias
Mate, nice one, but you have to compare with the average country salary. Cheap for you, expensive for Bulgarians.
we don't eat in the vitoshka restaurants, cause they are extremely expensive
интересен индивид
Actually the best hostel in Sofia is HOSTEL 44 which costs you not more than 10euros per night with breakfast included!!!