Is Bulgaria Safe for Women? Crime Rate in Bulgaria
Safety rating
Women living in Bulgaria consider the safety level to be relatively high, with an overall safety rating of 3.8 out of 5.
Crime rating
Women living in Bulgaria consider the crime rate to be relatively low, with an overall crime rating of 1.9 out of 5.
Violence rating
On average 18.3% percentage of women in Bulgaria have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner at some time in their life, according to OECD Data.
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Crime & Safety Statistics
Based on 74 experiences
Safety rating: | 3.8/5 | Safe |
Safety walking alone after dark: | 3.4/5 | Moderate |
Safety using public transport: | 4.3/5 | Safe |
Crime rate: | 1.9/5 | Low |
Worries of being sexually harassed: | 2/5 | A bit worried |
Worries of being sexually assaulted or raped: | 1.6/5 | A bit worried |
Worries of being physically attacked: | 1.7/5 | A bit worried |
Worries of home broken and things stolen: | 1.4/5 | Not at all worried |
Worries of being mugged or robbed: | 1.7/5 | A bit worried |
Worries of being kidnapped or murdered: | 1.3/5 | Not at all worried |
How safe is Bulgaria?
Ivayla
Kozloduy
The town is small, at night i avoid going out alone or without my car. Daytime the annoying thing is the car traffic, besides that I have not experienced any harassment so far luckily. We have the beautiful Danube river and i go for walks very often by the river.
Posted: May 9, 2025Varna
It's a very safe city to live and visit compared to other cities in Europe. You feel safe walking around. People are nice and ready to help when they can. There are many places to visit that are beautiful and can be seen during the day, but also at night when the vibe hits differently.
Posted: May 5, 2025Plovdiv
Plovdiv is a safe town. It is extremely easy to make good friends and hang out with them! There is night life and it's not too scary to go home if you get a taxi. During the day it feels very safe as well!
Posted: April 26, 2025
Kseniia
Sofia
I feel really safe in Sofia. There's only one area that you need to avoid. It's called Lulin. It's located northwest of the city. The center of the city is completely safe. Of course you need to follow basic safety rules. But here people can have their money and phones in their pockets. I've never faced any аgression or violence.
Posted: April 25, 2025Burgas
I see Burgas as a safe city even along the summer season. I haven’t experienced any problems living here two and a half years. As far as I know this city has low level of crime. If you’re tourist just avoid the district called “Meden Rudnik”.
Posted: April 24, 2025Plovdiv
During the day in the central neighborhood Plovdiv is very safe. During the night I don't recommend walking alone even in the central areas especially in smaller streets or in the sketchier neighborhoods. There is no public transit during the night and its unreliable even during the day but theres always taxi cars available which aren't too expensive so keep that in mind.
Posted: April 23, 2025Sofia
I would say it can be pretty safe place to leave, it depend fron the area you're staying really. I wouldnt reccomend renting a place around Lion's bridge, Lulin, or Nadejda's reagion. Most of the niebourhoods can be considered safe.
Posted: April 20, 2025Blagoevgrad
Feels safe for women even at night, have been cat called but not physically assaulted by a random stranger on the street. I think the crime rate is very low. Watch out for irresponsible drivers tho there are quite a few
Posted: April 19, 2025
Darie
Blagoevgrad
My home town is safe. Crime happens very rarely and when it happens it goes mainstream in the town. People aren't that open-minded and there are sexist remarks made by uneducated young men from time to time. Although the town is small, an American university lies here and is filled with students from all over the world. They are great to talk to, they are understanding, polite and open to new ideas.
Posted: April 16, 2025Darie
Sofia
It's the capital city, there is certain crime, but in my experience not very high. For the most part me, my sister and my cousin have been harassed by romani people and that's it. It's seldom, but still I keep an eye out.
Posted: April 16, 2025Is Bulgaria worth visiting?
Travel rating
based on 33 experiences from female travelers
Bulgaria, Family travel
I stayed in a hotel in varna and it was kinda interesting. Weather was nice and also the people were kind but I missed the feeling of really getting to know the other culture. I hoped to get some more interesting activities. But Bulgaria is beautiful I just would recommend to inform yourselfs better
Posted: April 11, 2025
Alina
Ukraine
Bulgaria, Family travel
Overall I felt quite safe because I was with my mom and her friends. Some people are a bit unpleasant towards tourists, but I've only seen this in small resort towns. We didn't try local food because it was too expensive in restaurants. Prices in supermarkets are average, about the same as in other European countries, but higher than here in Ukraine. I was surprised by the cost of public transport. On average, the price was no less than $1.5 per trip, while in Ukraine it is about $0.4. I would recommend visiting Burgas and Nessebar, those are very nice towns.
Posted: April 7, 2025Experienced: April, 2024Meet locals in Bulgaria
Antoniya
About Me
Hi, I'm Antoniya :) I'm a student from Plovdiv. I love traveling with family, friends or even alone. And I really like sharing stories with new people! I've been to many countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. The most interesting country I've visited is Japan!
Speaking
Ivana
About Me
Hiya, My name is Ivana, but you can call me Vancy. If you're coming to Sofia: I would love to show you around, mostly the nature part of what is usually surrounding Sofia - there are a lot of places nearby that can be easily reached with the local commute or by car (I don't have one btw :/ ). I'm also down for taking a random train trip somewhere - wherever we end up we'd be fine. Trust me, I know how to handle myself around the country, I've been doing this actively for the last 7-ish years and haven't regreted it once. 😇 I'm sorry to inform that currently I can't offer a place to stay although I'd love to. 🤕🤕 If in search for a place to stay: ... well, depends on where I'm visiting, but it's kind of the same thing - I'm mainly intrigued by making my own sidequests and exploring as much as I can! I'm satisfied with hanging around the city/village as well for some cultural, architectural and other inspirations of all sorts. I like sports as well, culinary too so I'm pretty much down for all types of new experiences as long as the poeple are with good intentions and positive. 🧚♀️ 🧚♂️ I love pets of all sorts, but I fall in love with well behaved puppers!! Sadly tho I do have some slight allergies to cats but it's not much trouble. I'm not pesky at all when it comes to food. I preffer to try out the local cuisine in cute homey restaurants as much as I do in homemade conditions as well. Feel free to text me whatsoever, whenever - I'd love to share a chat regarding anything. Cheers! 🤗✨️
Speaking
Safety in Bulgaria
Frequently asked questions
Is Bulgaria safe?
Is Bulgaria safe to walk alone at night?
Is public transport safe in Bulgaria?
What is the crime rate in Bulgaria?
What is the risk of being sexually harassed in Bulgaria?
What is the risk of being sexually assaulted or raped in Bulgaria?
What is the risk of being physically attacked in Bulgaria?
What is the risk of burglary in Bulgaria?
What is the risk of being mugged or robbed in Bulgaria?
What is the risk of being kidnapped or murdered in Bulgaria?
