With Bulgaria's full integration into the Schengen Area, citizens now have the ability to travel freely to neighboring Greece and Romania, bypassing traditional border crossings. This change opens up new possibilities for tourism and business, including areas where there were once restrictions, such as the mountainous Belasitsa region on the Bulgaria-Greece border. Previously, tourism was limited in these border zones, but with Schengen membership, these regions now have the potential for new travel routes, as evidenced by the plans of Ilka Gaganelova, the manager of the Kongur hut in Belasitsa.

Ilka Gaganelova is exploring opportunities to create a route that would allow tourists to cross the border directly through the mountain, a path previously restricted. Although the border areas had no fencing or significant patrols before Bulgaria’s Schengen accession, the new regulations enable free movement while also necessitating the continuation of certain security measures. This includes police checks to prevent cross-border crimes and illegal migration. Travelers are still required to carry valid personal documents when crossing, despite the removal of physical border checks.

The Schengen change also extends to Bulgaria's sea border with Romania, which had previously required long land trips. While land travel across the Danube River is still subject to random checks, maritime travel between the Bulgarian and Romanian Black Sea coasts is now significantly easier, with no border checks unless a risk analysis triggers a police inspection. This marks an important shift, although infrastructure still faces challenges, such as the limited number of bridges and ferries across the Danube.

In addition, the rail network between Bulgaria and its neighbors remains underdeveloped, with the only daily connections being between Sofia and Romania's Craiova and Bucharest. The only train to Greece, which was suspended during the pandemic, has yet to be restored.

Though infrastructure improvements are still needed, the ability to cross the Bulgarian border without traditional checks and the increase in potential tourist routes represent a new era of freedom of movement, much like other Schengen countries that allow residents to easily travel between neighboring states. For example, citizens in countries like Slovakia and Austria regularly commute for work, and in regions like the Alps, travelers can visit multiple countries without border checks. This expanded freedom is expected to foster increased tourism and business across Bulgaria’s borders.

Sources:

• Schengen Borders Code
• Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria
• RFE/RL