Van road trip › Bulgaria
Van road trip in Bulgaria: how many days and how much does it cost?
Bulgaria: allow 5 to 9 days by van for a loop of about 870 mi (1,400 km). Budget: between €300 and €500 for fuel and nights, without meals or sightseeing.
Estimates. These figures are rough estimates written from memory on Oct 25, 2026: prices and rules change. Check official sources before you go.
How many days?
Allow 5 to 9 days for a loop of about 870 mi (1,400 km), at a pace of 150 to 300 km (95 to 185 mi) a day. The longer you stay in the same places, the more days you need.
How much does it cost?
| Fuel | €300 |
|---|---|
| Nights (7 days) | between €0 and €200 |
| Total, without meals or sightseeing | between €300 and €500 |
Assumptions: 12 L per 100 km, 7 days, 870 mi (1,400 km) of driving, gas at €1.65 per litre. Tolls and vignettes extra. With your vehicle and your route, the planner works out the cost kilometre by kilometre.
Where to sleep? Tolerated depending on the spot
Free camping banned on Black Sea beaches (fines); often tolerated inland.
Frequently asked questions
- Bulgaria: how many days for a van road trip?
- Allow 5 to 9 days for a loop of about 870 mi (1,400 km), at a pace of 150 to 300 km (95 to 185 mi) a day. The longer you stay in the same places, the more days you need.
- Bulgaria: how much does a van road trip cost?
- For 7 days, budget €300 for fuel (12 L per 100 km, gas at €1.65 per litre) and between €0 and €200 for nights, so between €300 and €500 in total without meals or sightseeing.
- Bulgaria: where to sleep in a van?
- Tolerated depending on the spot. Free camping banned on Black Sea beaches (fines); often tolerated inland. A night costs €0 to €25 depending on whether you find a free spot, a service area or a campground with hookups.
- Bulgaria: do you need to pay tolls or buy a vignette in a van?
- Vignette. Electronic vignette required on almost all roads outside towns (weekend, week, month, quarter, year), bought online (bgtoll.bg) or at the border. Over 3.5 t: distance toll. Danube bridges tolled.
- Bulgaria: what do you need to enter with your van?
- Schengen Area: 90 days in any 180-day period, all Schengen countries counted together. Passport valid at least 3 months after you leave Schengen and issued less than 10 years ago. EES: fingerprints and photo taken on your first entry into Schengen, then checked at each crossing (system in place since 2025-2026). ETIAS: online travel authorisation, planned for late 2026; check whether it's in force before you go. In Schengen since 2025. The border with Turkey is an external border (long waits possible at Kapitan Andreevo). International Driving Permit required with your Canadian or US licence (CAA, AAA). Insurance: your North American policy isn't valid here. You need European insurance for a vehicle registered outside Europe, with its green card.