Will I manage with English on Bulgaria's southern coast?

In cities, tourist areas and with younger people, English usually works well. In Burgas, Varna, Sofia, Plovdiv and along the coast, everyday communication is often straightforward. In smaller towns and the hinterland, it helps a lot to know the Cyrillic alphabet and a few basic Bulgarian words. If you speak Russian you have a clear advantage, as it is understood almost everywhere; Bulgarian and Russian are closely related, rather like German and English. Svetlana bridges not only the words, but also the expectations and cultural nuances behind them.