Happy New Year! New Year, New Trips!
“New Year, New Currency!” Indeed, this was how many of the Bulgarians greeted one another in the very first hours of 2026.
And yes, it is official, since 01 January 2026 the currency of Bulgaria is not the Bulgarian lev but the euro. In this way Bulgaria became one of the 21 countries out of 27 all together in the European Union that uses the euro as official currency.
Lev or Euro in Bulgaria? What is good to know?
- If in Bulgaria in January 2026 you should know that the both currencies the Bulgarian lev and the euro are accepted for payments but only when you pay in cash. Maybe you have already noticed that the prices in shops, restaurants, galleries, cafeterias etc. are displayed in both euro and leva
- When you pay in cash it doesn’t matter if you pay in leva or euro, expect to receive the change in euro as a priority (this is valid all January 2026)
- From February 2026 onward only the euro will be accepted for all payments as the only official currency in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Lev – 145 Years of History and Legacy
Here we go through some historical facts and significant dates talking about the Bulgarian lev being the official currency in Bulgaria for the last 145 years.
The lev was adopted as the Bulgarian currency at the end of 19th century, shortly after the Liberation of the Principality of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire.
A law was issued on the right to mint coins in the Principality on 04 June 1880, and the next year the first coins were minted. The very first Bulgarian banknote had a face value of 20 leva and was issued in 1885. Further this law determined the amount of gold, silver, and copper in the various coins and limited the total money supply to 15 million leva. At that time, the Bulgarian lev had a value equal to that of the French franc.
Through the decades in the 20th century significant historical figures connected to Bulgarian political and cultural life were depicted on the various banknotes of the Bulgarian lev. For example some of their names are: Tsar Boris III, Georgi Dimitrov, Vasil Levski, Vladimir Dimitrov – Maistora, St. Ivan Rilski.
Another historical moment related to the Bulgarian lev in its recent history was when а currency board was introduced in Bulgaria and as of 01 July 1997 the official exchange rate of the lev was pegged to the German mark.
The next change took place on 01 January 1999, after Germany adopted the euro, the exchange rate Bulgarian lev per euro automatically changed into 1955.83 That was based on the official exchange rate at which the German mark was converted to the euro.
A few months later followed the denomination of the lev, and on 05 July 1999, the exchange rate was fixed at the familiar 1.95583 (BGN) Bulgarian leva per 1.00 (EUR) euro.
Curious how the Bulgarian coins and banknotes looked back in the days and how they have changed through the time?
Just an idea you could visit the Мuseum of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) in Sofia and check the collection of coins and banknotes.
The Museum was officially opened for visitors on 25 January 1999 as part of celebrations dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Bulgaria National Bank.
The Museum Collection is displayed in the Main Hall Gallery in the building of the Bulgarian National Bank at 1 Knyaz Alexander І Square, in Sofia center. The permanent exhibition is divided into several sections, covering a wealth of antique and mediaeval coins discovered in Bulgaria and dating from the Fifth Century BC until modern times.
The exhibition also illustrates the coinage organized by the Ministry of Finance and the BNB, and covers BNB money issuing activities from 1885 until nowadays.
Museum Working days for visitors: Tuesdays from 01:00 pm to 03:30 pm
For prior group appointments during the business days: from 08:30 am to 11:30 am or from from 01:30 pm to 03:30 pm
The entrance to the museum is for free.
Bulgarian euro coins: what do they look like?
With Bulgaria joining the euro area on 01 January 2026, the Bulgarian National Bank became part of the Eurosystem.
A curious fact is that the Bulgarian euro coins are mainly minted in the Bulgarian Mint, as well as in the Slovakian Mint. If you plan visiting Bulgaria, just have a quick check of what images and symbols are displayed on the Bulgarian euro coins.
Talking about the euro banknotes you might already know that they are identical for all the EU countries part of the Eurozone and euro banknotes do not have a kind of national design.
And now let’s travel, discover, repeat and don’t forget to keep an eye on the upcoming TRIPSTOTAKE. blog posts.