Hello all of the expat.com family,
I am Lam, from Vietnam and will be an exchange student in Dobrich. I will spend 3 months studying in Dobrich from June to Sept 2018. As a newbie, i have no idea about traffic condition, tourist attraction, which kind of food i should try...
1) I will study in Dobrich. So beside Varna (the beach city), which city I could visit within narrow budget . I prefer places where I can go by using cheap public transportation and I will go with a group of friends (about 3-5 people) 
2) Is there any application on mobile or website that I can check bus/train schedule, destination... (i mean public transportation in general). For example I want to travel to Sofia from Dobrich.
3) If i want to catch a taxi in emergency, can i use Grab or Uber ? Is that expensive compared to South East Asia or China ? DO we need to make a bargain ?
4) I was granted a full covered scholarship. However, how much should I spend when living in a small town like Dobrich ?
5) where should i shop to buy cheap groceries when living in small town like Dobrich ? I mean how to avoid RIP OFF in general , for example, when exchanging foreign cash, buying stuffs, .....etc
6) Is there any tips to make a paper work process become easier and smoothier in Bulgaria in general ?
7) If I have an International Driver License (my country and Bulgaria have a mutual agreement) , is there anything else I will need to ride a car on street of Bulgaria ?
8) Have you ever experienced any situation that you resort to use the International Health Insurance in Bulgaria or in small town of Bul ? Could you please tell me ?
9) Have you ever experienced a stealing case in Bul ? Is there any hotline to inform someone (police for instance) ? If not how did you figure it out ..
Thank you a lot ^^ A lot of love from Vietnam !
<Dobrich> Where to go,eat,hang out - How to travel around
Hey and welcome! I am not super familiar with Dobrich, but I can answer some of your questions.
1) Going from Dobrich it will also be easy to get to Veliko Turnovo, which is a great medium sized city for tourism. Around Varna, I highly recommend going to Pobiti Kamani, which you can take a bus to from the Varna Natural History Museum (in the sea garden). I can also recommend Tryavna and Gabrovo, but those are more difficult to get to than Veliko Turnovo. (They can both be reached by train, but require a few transfers).
2) The train website is bdz.bg Buses are a little more difficult because they are all ran by independent companies. I have yet to find a really exact bus website, and tend to just ask around when I get to a bus station (of course, that requires you have some flexibility).
3) In Sofia you might be able to use Uber, there used to be but the taxi companies are trying to regulate them away. In any smaller city you will need to figure out which local company you can trust. I have the numbers of a few taxi drivers I trust and call them directly. So when you get a good taxi driver (especially if they speak english) you can ask for their number to call them directly.
4) How much you spend depends on the quality of life you are used to, how much you go out, what things you like to do. You can search the forum to see the 2018 cost of living survey and people answer from different villages and cities.
5) Dobrich is definitely not considered a small town in Bulgaria (it is the eighth largest city). Although I haven't been there, I expect it to have most of the conveniences of other large towns in Bulgaria- there are plenty of supermarkets to shop at, which are easiest for foreigners who don't speak Bulgarian because everything is visible and the prices are clearly marked. Lidl tends to be the cheapest, but Kaufland is also a good choice. Billa tends to be more expensive. At the smaller markets, it can be difficult to get what you need before learning Bulgarian because you may have to ask for what you want. In the summer and fall there will likely be a large farmer's market for you to buy fruits, veggies, and honey. These will usually be cheaper than the supermarkets, but again the prices are usually clearly marked. In general I only barter when buying things second hand. I've never bartered in the markets here, not sure how it would go over. But if you want to make sure you are not taken advantage of, it can be a smart idea to stick at the larger chain stores at first.
6) Paper work in Bulgaria- 1) take someone with you to translate if you don't speak Bulgarian. 2) be prepared to wait. 3) be friendly instead of entitled and sour. These things make the process much easier.
7) You will need to make sure the car you are driving is insured. (Insurance goes with the car, not the driver). You will also need to sure that the car has a vinette sticker if you are driving between towns. If you are in a town and do not leave the town limits, you do not need a vinette. But all of the connecting roads require one.
8) I have not used international health insurance because healthcare in Bulgaria is inexpensive. As an example, before I was insured I had to go to an emergency clinic in Varna, and it was 20 lev for my exam. Things were easy. My recommendation in Dobrich is to find English speaking providers before you have an emergency, so you know where to go. Again, as Dobrich is not particularly small, you should not have a problem finding English speaking caregivers.
9) No experience with theft. The emergency line is 112, though.
Good luck!
Check out Trip Advisor for reviews on things to do in Dobrich.
Off topic, but anyway: I visited Vietnam recently, both the North (Hanoi, Da nang, Hoi An) and South, Saigon. Really liked it, will go again after my summer in Burgas. Enjoy your stay in BG !
wow... thank you for reading and replying all of my quiz... Super useful and informative...
Cant wait to visit Bulgaria this summer <3
Love from Hanoi, Vietnam
kojidae wrote:Hey and welcome! I am not super familiar with Dobrich, but I can answer some of your questions.
1) Going from Dobrich it will also be easy to get to Veliko Turnovo, which is a great medium sized city for tourism. Around Varna, I highly recommend going to Pobiti Kamani, which you can take a bus to from the Varna Natural History Museum (in the sea garden). I can also recommend Tryavna and Gabrovo, but those are more difficult to get to than Veliko Turnovo. (They can both be reached by train, but require a few transfers).
2) The train website is bdz.bg Buses are a little more difficult because they are all ran by independent companies. I have yet to find a really exact bus website, and tend to just ask around when I get to a bus station (of course, that requires you have some flexibility).
3) In Sofia you might be able to use Uber, there used to be but the taxi companies are trying to regulate them away. In any smaller city you will need to figure out which local company you can trust. I have the numbers of a few taxi drivers I trust and call them directly. So when you get a good taxi driver (especially if they speak english) you can ask for their number to call them directly.
4) How much you spend depends on the quality of life you are used to, how much you go out, what things you like to do. You can search the forum to see the 2018 cost of living survey and people answer from different villages and cities.
5) Dobrich is definitely not considered a small town in Bulgaria (it is the eighth largest city). Although I haven't been there, I expect it to have most of the conveniences of other large towns in Bulgaria- there are plenty of supermarkets to shop at, which are easiest for foreigners who don't speak Bulgarian because everything is visible and the prices are clearly marked. Lidl tends to be the cheapest, but Kaufland is also a good choice. Billa tends to be more expensive. At the smaller markets, it can be difficult to get what you need before learning Bulgarian because you may have to ask for what you want. In the summer and fall there will likely be a large farmer's market for you to buy fruits, veggies, and honey. These will usually be cheaper than the supermarkets, but again the prices are usually clearly marked. In general I only barter when buying things second hand. I've never bartered in the markets here, not sure how it would go over. But if you want to make sure you are not taken advantage of, it can be a smart idea to stick at the larger chain stores at first.
6) Paper work in Bulgaria- 1) take someone with you to translate if you don't speak Bulgarian. 2) be prepared to wait. 3) be friendly instead of entitled and sour. These things make the process much easier.
7) You will need to make sure the car you are driving is insured. (Insurance goes with the car, not the driver). You will also need to sure that the car has a vinette sticker if you are driving between towns. If you are in a town and do not leave the town limits, you do not need a vinette. But all of the connecting roads require one.
8) I have not used international health insurance because healthcare in Bulgaria is inexpensive. As an example, before I was insured I had to go to an emergency clinic in Varna, and it was 20 lev for my exam. Things were easy. My recommendation in Dobrich is to find English speaking providers before you have an emergency, so you know where to go. Again, as Dobrich is not particularly small, you should not have a problem finding English speaking caregivers.
9) No experience with theft. The emergency line is 112, though.
Good luck!
wow... thank you for reading and replying all of my quiz... Super useful and informative...
Cant wait to visit Bulgaria this summer <3
Love from Hanoi, Vietnam
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