Vehicles

1. Кола

   Ko-la

   Car

   Usage

   The everyday word; forms and signs use the stiffer "автомобил"

2. Автобус

   Av-to-bus

   City bus

   Usage

   The city bus; the stop is "спирка". In Sofia you buy the ticket first and validate it on board or tap a card

3. Междуградски автобус

   Mezh-du-grad-ski av-to-bus

   Intercity coach

   Usage

   The workhorse for travel between cities — faster and more frequent than the train. It leaves from the "автогара"

4. Маршрутка

   Mar-shrut-ka

   Shared minibus

   Usage

   A shared van on a fixed route. Flag it down anywhere and tell the driver where you want off; you usually pay him directly as you board

5. Тролейбус

   Tro-ley-bus

   Trolleybus

   Usage

   A bus drawing power from overhead wires; Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and many other cities run them, on the same ticket as the bus

6. Трамвай

   Tram-vay

   Tram

   Usage

   Sofia is the only Bulgarian city with trams, and the lines linking the centre to the main station are useful for sightseeing

7. Метро

   Met-ro

   Metro

   Usage

   Sofia only, but it links the airport directly with the central station and downtown — the surest way in from the plane

8. Влак

   Vlak

   Train

   Usage

   Run by BDZh. Slower than the bus but cheap, and the narrow-gauge Septemvri–Bansko line is famous for its views

9. Такси

   Tak-si

   Taxi

   Usage

   The per-kilometre rate is posted on the door — read it before you get in. At the airport, order from the official desk

10. Мотоциклет

    Mo-to-tsik-let

    Motorcycle

    Usage

    Usually shortened to "мотор" in speech. Helmets are compulsory in Bulgaria

11. Скутер

    Sku-ter

    Scooter

    Usage

    Widely rented at Black Sea resorts; check the licence and insurance terms before you sign

12. Тротинетка

    Tro-ti-net-ka

    E-scooter

    Usage

    Share schemes run in Sofia and Plovdiv. Riding on the pavement is banned and fined

13. Велосипед

    Ve-lo-si-ped

    Bicycle

    Usage

    In speech people more often say "колело", literally "wheel"; a rental is "колело под наем"

14. Самолет

    Sa-mo-let

    Airplane

    Usage

    Domestic flights are essentially Sofia–Varna and Sofia–Burgas

15. Кораб

    Ko-rab

    Ship

    Usage

    The word for a large vessel — Danube cruise boats and the liners calling at Varna and Burgas

16. Ферибот

    Fe-ri-bot

    Ferry

    Usage

    Used for the Danube crossings into Romania at Oryahovo and Silistra; there is virtually no scheduled passenger ferry on the Black Sea side

17. Лодка

    Lod-ka

    Small boat

    Usage

    A pleasure or fishing boat — the kind you take around Nesebar and Sozopol or down a river

18. Линейка

    Li-ney-ka

    Ambulance

    Usage

    The emergency number is 112. Pair it with "Повикайте линейка, моля" — please call an ambulance

19. Кола под наем

    Ko-la pod na-em

    Rental car

    Usage

    Bulgarian motorways need an electronic vignette, the "винетка" — check whether the rental already includes it

20. Камион

    Ka-mi-on

    Truck

    Usage

    The word you will hear when a border queue or a mountain road is jammed

21. Микробус

    Mik-ro-bus

    Minibus

    Usage

    The vehicle itself; the same van running a fixed route is a "маршрутка". Also used for transfers and small tours

22. Въжена линия

    Va-zhe-na li-ni-ya

    Cable car

    Usage

    The ropeway up Vitosha, Bansko or Borovets — useful for hiking access in summer as well as skiing

23. Лифт

    Lift

    Ski lift

    Usage

    The lift at a ski resort, the same word used in the Skiing & Winter Sports category. A building lift is the different word "асансьор"

24. Каруца

    Ka-ru-tsa

    Horse cart

    Usage

    A horse- or donkey-drawn cart, still in daily use in Bulgarian villages — and on main roads, so drive carefully

25. Джип

    Dzhip

    4x4 / Jeep

    Usage

    The word for the off-road tours in the Rhodopes and around Belogradchik, sold as "джип сафари"

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