Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:15 pm Post subject:

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I really would like to know where one could get hold of an up to date map of Sunny Beach. Even those on the Internet are out of date due to the constant and extensive building work, and the renaming of hotels.

The forward planning I would do is to look at the Foreign Office Travel Advice for BULGARIA.

Look particularly at the section entitled Road Safety and the paragraph commencing "Take care when driving, particularly at night .."

All I can say is that at least the situation appears to be improving. Now it only warns of bad roads, poor driving standards and run-ins with aggressive armed drivers. In 2005 it was warning of hijacks at gun point, as well as the still mentioned criminals impersonating police officers.

In short, the Foreign Office do not recommend driving by night, and they don't even mention poor maintenance standards by even the well known car rental companies and inadequate insurance cover for the unwary.

Just another thing to bear in mind. The Varna - Sunny Beach road is the main Turkey to Romania highway. Extend it further at both ends, and it's one of the drug smuggling routes from Afghanistan into Europe.

To anyone still planning driving from Varna to Sunny Beach at 2am, all I can say is "Take care!"

Peter