The biggest barrier faced by all visitors to Bulgaria is the language, particularly the Cyrillic alphabet. While in the bigger cities and tourist resorts most signs, street names and menus have translations, and many people speak another European language (English, German and French), a basic grasp of the language and alphabet are a distinct advantage.

Bulgarian is a Slavonic (Slavic) language, closely related to Serbo-Croat and with many similarities to Russian.

Anyone planning on living and working in Bulgaria for any length of time would be well advised to invest in some Bulgarian lessons at one of the many schools offering lessons to foreigners.