eSIM for Bulgaria

Viasimo's Bulgaria eSIM starts at $1.29 for 500 MB over 1 day, running on A1, Vivacom, and Yettel with 4G LTE where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Bulgaria

Blagoevgrad
Burgas
Dobrich
Gabrovo
Haskovo
Kardzhali
Kyustendil

Select your planIn stock

Duration

Quantity

Unlimited data · 3 Days$6.99

Unlimited data · 3 Days ×1

$6.99

Going to more than one country? See regional plans

Does my phone take an eSIM? Check now

Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see an EID number, your phone takes an eSIM. Most phones sold since 2019 do.

Not sure it works on your phone? Check compatibility

Network

Which networks does the Bulgaria eSIM use?

Host networks: A1 / Vivacom / Yettel

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

Data: 500 MB – 50 GB or unlimited
Validity: 1–180 days
Speed: 4G LTE
Hotspot / tethering: Supported on most devices
Activation: Starts when you first connect in your destination
Speed management: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
Top-ups: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
Text messages (SMS): Data only: use an app for verification codes
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$1.591 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$4.595 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$8.0010 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$13.99Unlimited, 7 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

Charged per day

Your carrier roaming

Queue and plastic

A SIM at the airport

$1.29

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

About this eSIM

Three national operators cover Bulgaria, which for a country of this size means the populated parts are well looked after and you rarely have to think about signal at all. The two things a visitor genuinely needs data for here are the Cyrillic alphabet and the transport, since bus timetables, mountain hut bookings and Black Sea ferry schedules are mostly published in Bulgarian and mostly online. Coverage follows the valleys and the coast; the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope mountains are where it gets interesting.

Getting online when you land

Sofia is the main gateway, and its airport is unusually close to the city with a metro station in Terminal 2 that will get you to the centre quickly. Summer traffic adds Burgas and Varna, which handle the charter flights to the Black Sea resorts, and Plovdiv takes a smaller share. Get the profile onto your phone before you fly, then turn it on when you land so that you can buy a metro ticket, call a ride or check a transfer without hunting for airport wifi. Overland arrivals from Romania across the Danube, or from Greece, Turkey, Serbia and North Macedonia, should give the phone a couple of minutes at the crossing before assuming something is wrong.

The networks you'll be on

Bulgarian coverage on this eSIM comes via A1, Telenor and Vivacom, all three on 4G LTE. In practice that means solid data in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas, dependable 4G through the rest of the country's towns and main roads, and a fallback to 3G in rural areas that is still entirely usable for maps and messages. Having three networks in the mix is the practical benefit: where one operator's coverage runs thin in a valley or on a back road, another frequently reaches, and your phone moves between them without asking you.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

The strong areas are the ones you would guess. Sofia and its ring, the Plovdiv basin, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, Stara Zagora and Burgas, the whole developed Black Sea coast from Balchik down through Golden Sands, Nessebar, Sunny Beach and Sozopol, and the motorway corridors linking them. The ski resorts themselves, Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo, generally have service in the towns and around the main lift stations. Above that it degrades. The Seven Rila Lakes circuit, the ridge walks in the Pirin, the back roads through the Rhodopes toward the Greek border, the Belogradchik rocks and the forested Balkan passes on the old routes north all have stretches with nothing. Bulgaria's mountain hut network is remote by design, and the walks between huts are where hikers most often find themselves out of contact.

What you'll actually use data for here

Reading, mostly. Street signs, menus, bus destination boards and timetables outside the largest cities are frequently Cyrillic only, and a camera translation tool turns that from a barrier into a mild inconvenience. Transport is the other constant: intercity buses run from multiple stations with competing operators and separate booking sites, and train times are worth verifying rather than assuming. In Sofia the metro and the ticketing system are both handled comfortably from a phone. Add ride-hailing, which is widely used in the cities, mountain weather forecasts that change quickly at altitude, and the ordinary business of uploading photographs of monasteries and coastline. Restaurant and rakia bar bookings in Sofia and Plovdiv are increasingly handled by message rather than phone call, which is one more small reason to arrive already connected.

Before you fly

Install and name the eSIM at home, and set your regular line to voice and text only so it does not roam quietly in the background. Download offline maps covering both your city stops and any hiking or driving routes, and take offline copies of trail maps if you are heading into Rila or Pirin, since those are exactly the places where you will not be downloading anything. Screenshot your accommodation address in Cyrillic as well as Latin script, which makes life much easier when showing a taxi driver. Carry a power bank for long travel days and cold mountain ones. This plan covers Bulgaria alone, so a day trip into Greece, Turkey, Romania, Serbia or North Macedonia will need its own arrangement.

Unlimited runs at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continues slower.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.
Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continue at a reduced speed. Read the fair usage policy

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Bulgaria?

Yes. Your Bulgaria eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are A1, Vivacom, Yettel. Coverage runs on 4G LTE. There is no 5G on our host network in Bulgaria yet.

Do I get 5G in Bulgaria?

No. A1, Vivacom, Yettel do not yet offer 5G to visitors in Bulgaria, so your eSIM connects over 4G LTE or slower. Anyone claiming 5G for this destination is quoting a spec sheet, not the network you will actually get.

Which mobile network is best in Bulgaria?

It depends on what you need. Opensignal's January 2026 report found A1 the fastest, averaging about 114 Mbps, and the most consistent. Vivacom scored best for coverage, and Yettel had the most 5G time. The differences are small. This eSIM uses all three, A1, Vivacom and Yettel (formerly Telenor), on 4G, and picks the strongest wherever you are.

Is Telenor still a network in Bulgaria?

Not under that name. Telenor Bulgaria became Yettel in 2022. The network is the same, but the name on your phone will usually be Yettel. If our plan lists Telenor, it means the same network, and your phone can connect to it alongside A1 and Vivacom.

Can I pay for Sofia public transport with my phone?

Yes. Sofia's metro, buses, trams and trolleybuses accept contactless Visa, Mastercard and Maestro cards, including foreign ones, and cards in Apple Pay or Google Pay. Tap the same card or phone every time, because inspectors check by tapping your card or phone. Each person needs their own card. One fare covers changes within 30 minutes.

Does Bulgaria use the euro or the lev now?

The euro. Bulgaria adopted it on 1 January 2026 at a fixed rate of 1.95583 leva to the euro. Mandatory dual pricing ended on 8 August 2026, but you'll still find lev prices online and in older guides. Divide those by about 1.96 to get euros.

Will my Bulgaria eSIM work if I drive into Greece?

Not on a Bulgaria-only plan. Since Bulgaria joined Schengen fully in January 2025, there's no border stop at crossings such as Kulata–Promachonas, so your phone can switch to a Greek network without you noticing. For a day trip, switch the eSIM line off near the border or buy a plan that covers both countries.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Bulgaria?

For 7 days in Bulgaria, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $1.59 and unlimited data for $13.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Bulgaria: what to know before you land

Bulgaria changed in two ways that matter for visitors. Since January 2025 there are no checks at its land borders with Greece and Romania, and since January 2026 it uses the euro. Your eSIM connects to all three national networks, A1, Vivacom and the former Telenor (now Yettel), on 4G, and Sofia's buses, trams and metro accept contactless cards and phones.

Emergency: 112
Plugs: CF 230V
Currency: Euro (EUR), since 1 January 2026

Main airports

SOF Sofia Airport
BOJ Burgas Airport
VAR Varna Airport
PDV Plovdiv Airport

Apps worth having Google MapsGoogle TranslateViberWhatsAppCity by DSK

A1, Yettel and Vivacom in Opensignal's 2026 results

Bulgaria's three mobile operators are closely matched. In Opensignal's January 2026 report, A1 came first for download speed, averaging about 114 Mbps against roughly 96 Mbps for Vivacom and 90 Mbps for Yettel. A1 also led for consistent quality. Vivacom had the best Coverage Experience score (7.5 out of 10, with A1 and Yettel both on 7.1), which gives it an advantage in rural areas and mountains. Yettel and A1 shared the video award.

Yettel is the former Telenor Bulgaria, which changed its name in 2022, so your phone may show it as Yettel rather than Telenor. Your eSIM can use all three networks, and your phone will move to whichever is strongest. That helps in the Rhodopes or on the Pirin approach roads, where one operator often reaches places the others don't.

Opensignal found that Bulgarian users spend more than 80% of their time on 5G with every operator. The eSIM plan for Bulgaria is 4G/LTE, so you won't see 5G, but 4G is fast enough for maps, messages and video calls in towns.

Prices in euros and leva during 2026

Bulgaria joined the eurozone on 1 January 2026. The lev was converted at a fixed rate of 1.95583 to the euro, and shops had to show prices in both currencies from 8 August 2025 to 8 August 2026, so some menus and price tags still carry both.

The practical effect is on your phone. Older reviews, blog posts, booking confirmations and some transport websites still give prices in leva. To convert, divide by about 1.96, which roughly halves the number. A taxi fare of 20 leva is about €10.

Card payments are now in euros, and you won't need to convert currency, so you won't be offered a lev exchange rate at a card terminal. Check the bill if a restaurant or guesthouse quotes you in leva. It's also worth checking that any banking app alerts on your phone show the expected euro amount.

Tapping in on Sofia's buses, trams and metro

In Sofia you don't need a transport app or a paper ticket. Every bus, tram, trolleybus, suburban bus and metro line accepts contactless Visa, Mastercard and Maestro cards, including cards issued abroad, and cards stored in Apple Pay or Google Pay. On surface transport, tap the reader on board. In the metro, tap the screen at the turnstile. One fare covers transfers within 30 minutes, and the charge for the day is worked out automatically.

There are a few rules:

Use the same card or phone for every journey, or the system can't group your trips correctly.
One card covers one person, so each traveller needs their own.
Ticket inspectors check by tapping the card or phone you used, so keep your phone charged. A flat battery means you can't show you've paid.

The metro runs from Terminal 2 at Sofia Airport into the city centre, so you can tap in on the platform as soon as you land.

Driving into Greece or Romania with no border stop

Bulgaria and Romania became full members of the Schengen area on 1 January 2025, and checks were removed at their internal land borders. You can now drive from Bulgaria into Greece at Kulata–Promachonas or cross the Danube bridge from Ruse to Giurgiu in Romania without stopping.

That's convenient, but it makes it easier to miss the border. Your phone will switch to a Greek or Romanian network a few kilometres before you notice anything, and a Bulgaria-only plan won't work there. Near the borders, for example around Kulata, Ruse or the Rhodopes passes into Greece, keep an eye on your network name. If you're crossing for a day trip, switch the eSIM line off or buy a plan that covers both countries.

The borders with Turkey, Serbia and North Macedonia are outside Schengen, so passport checks still apply at crossings such as Kapitan Andreevo on the Turkish border. Download offline maps and screenshot any bookings before you join the queue.

Researched October 2026 · 5 sources

insights.opensignal.com Bulgaria, January 2026, Mobile Network Experience (Opensignal)
economic.bg It's official: Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the eurozone on January 1, 2026
dskbank.bg Public transport contactless payments in Sofia (DSK Bank)
eucrim.eu Bulgaria and Romania fully join Schengen (eucrim)
nfcw.com Sofia rolls out open loop contactless ticketing on public transport network

7-day itinerary

Seven days in Bulgaria: Sofia, Rila, Plovdiv, the Rose Valley and Veliko Tarnovo

A first week in Bulgaria's interior for history and mountain scenery: Sofia and Rila Monastery, Roman and Ottoman Plovdiv, the Thracian tombs and Shipka Pass, then the medieval capital Veliko Tarnovo before returning to Sofia.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 3

When to go May to June and September to October are best: the Rose Valley harvest runs from late May to early June, summer is hot in Plovdiv, and Rila and the Shipka Pass can see snow from November to March.

Day 1 Sofia

Sofia: cathedrals and Roman Serdica

The metro runs from Terminal 2 at Sofia Airport to the centre in about 20 minutes; tap in with a contactless card or phone.

Start at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the icon collection in the crypt nearby. Walk past the small Russian Church to the Rotunda of St George, hidden in a courtyard behind the presidency, and the excavated streets of Roman Serdica in the Largo underpass. See the Banya Bashi Mosque and the Central Mineral Baths, then finish along Vitosha Boulevard with the mountain at its far end.

Signal Strong 4G across central Sofia on A1, Vivacom and Yettel, and the metro has coverage in its stations. Keep your phone charged: ticket inspectors check the card or phone you tapped.
Day 2 Sofia

Rila Monastery

Rila Monastery is about 120 km from Sofia; allow 2 to 2 hours 30 minutes each way by car or on an organised day tour. Public buses run but are infrequent.

Day trip south into the Rila Mountains to Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 19th, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the frescoed Church of the Nativity, Hrelyo's Tower from the 14th century and the monastery museum. If you have time, walk up the forest trail to the cave of St Ivan of Rila, about 40 minutes each way. Dress with shoulders and knees covered.

Signal 4G on the motorway south, becoming patchy in the Rilska valley. Around the monastery you will usually have some data, Vivacom often strongest, but on the forest trails it can disappear.
Day 3 Plovdiv

Plovdiv: the Old Town and the Roman theatre

Sofia to Plovdiv takes about 2 hours by bus or 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours by train.

Travel to Plovdiv and start at the Roman Stadium under the main pedestrian street. Climb into the Old Town on its three hills to see the Ancient Theatre, still used for summer performances, and the 19th-century merchants' houses, including the Ethnographic Museum. Walk up Nebet Tepe for the view across the city, then spend the evening in Kapana, the former craftsmen's quarter of narrow streets.

Signal Good 4G on the motorway and throughout Plovdiv, including the Old Town hills.
Day 4 Plovdiv

Bachkovo Monastery and Asen's Fortress

Bachkovo is about 30 km south of Plovdiv, roughly 40 minutes by car or local bus via Asenovgrad.

Head south into the Rhodope foothills to Bachkovo Monastery, Bulgaria's second-largest, founded in 1083, with an old frescoed refectory and Zahari Zograf's 19th-century paintings in the Archangels' Church. Continue a few kilometres to Asen's Fortress above Asenovgrad, where a 13th-century church stands on a crag over the Chepelarska gorge. Return to Plovdiv for the afternoon and visit the Regional Archaeological Museum.

Signal 4G in Asenovgrad; the gorge road and the monastery have a weaker signal, with one network usually reaching where others do not.
Day 5 Veliko Tarnovo

Kazanlak, the Rose Valley and Shipka Pass

Plovdiv to Kazanlak is about 1 hour 30 minutes by car, and Kazanlak to Veliko Tarnovo over the Shipka Pass about 2 hours. Without a car, buses link the towns but you will need to skip the pass.

Drive north-east to Kazanlak in the Valley of the Roses. See the full-size replica of the UNESCO-listed Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak beside the sealed original, and the Rose Museum. Continue to the gold-domed Shipka Memorial Church, then up to the Shipka Pass and climb the steps to the Freedom Monument at the top. Descend the north side of the Balkan Mountains to Veliko Tarnovo.

Signal 4G in Kazanlak and on the main roads. On the Shipka Pass hairpins the signal drops in places, but the summit monument usually has coverage.
Day 6 Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi

Arbanasi is 4 km from Veliko Tarnovo, about 10 minutes by taxi.

Spend the morning on Tsarevets Hill, the walled citadel of the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the Patriarchal Cathedral at its top. Walk down through the old town, browse the craft workshops of Samovodska Charshia, and look across the Yantra River loops from the Asenevtsi monument. In the afternoon, take a short taxi ride to Arbanasi to see the frescoed Nativity Church and its old stone houses.

Signal Reliable 4G in Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi. Signal can drop in the deep river bends below the town.
Day 7 Sofia

Back to Sofia and Boyana Church

Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia is about 3 hours by bus or 4 to 5 hours by train with a change.

Travel back to Sofia in the morning. In the afternoon, take a taxi to the foot of Vitosha to see Boyana Church, a UNESCO-listed medieval church with frescoes from 1259; visits are timed and limited in number. Then visit the National Museum of History nearby for the Thracian gold treasures, or ride a cable car or bus up Vitosha for an evening view of the city.

Signal 4G on the bus route with brief gaps through the Balkan foothills. Sofia and the Boyana area have strong coverage; it thins higher up on Vitosha.

Staying connected on this route

Your eSIM can use A1, Vivacom and Yettel, the former Telenor; in the Rila and Rhodope valleys switch network manually if data stalls.
Download offline maps of the Rila valley and the Shipka Pass before you set off.
This route stays inside Bulgaria, but near the Greek or Romanian borders your phone can switch to a foreign network without any border stop, so watch the network name.
Use the same card or phone for every Sofia transport tap, and keep it charged for inspections.

Itinerary sources · 6

whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage: Rila Monastery
whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage: Boyana Church
whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage: Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
insights.opensignal.com Opensignal: Bulgaria mobile network experience, January 2026
dskbank.bg DSK Bank: contactless payments on Sofia public transport
en.wikipedia.org Bachkovo Monastery – Wikipedia

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified October 30, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified October 30, 2026