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I have schengen visa , single entry issued by Italian consulate in Palestine. I want to visit Italy and Bulgaria. It would be my first time visiting Europe.
Should go to Italy first and then go to Bulgaria (notice that my visa is one entry and Bulgaria is not a schengen zone)? Or I can go to Bulgaria first, finish my work, then go to Italy?
There is no restriction from the Bulgaria side. It doesn't matter if you have a single or a multiple entry visa or if you have already used it or not. If you have a valid Schengen visa, you can enter Bulgaria and stay there up to three months in any six-month period.
From the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of foreign affairs
Visa-free regime for holders of Schengen visas for a stay of up to 90 days
On 25 January 2012 the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria adopted a decision according to which by the date of Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area, our country will unilaterally apply a visa-free system for holders of valid Schengen visas. They will have the right to enter and reside in the Republic of Bulgaria for a period of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of the first entry, without needing to have a Bulgarian short-stay visa. The decision entered into force on 31.01.2012.
The order is pretty irrelevant as pointed out by other answers. Just a catch: if you want to visit Italy first, you cannot visit Bulgaria and then catch your return flight from Italy. This because you have a single-entry visa.
Options are:
Since your visa is an Italian schengen visa, it will not affect your ability to enter Bulgaria. I am not sure if you need a visa to enter Bulgaria, but if you do, this visa will not be enough. This is only valid for Italy and Schengen states (as it says on the top, stati schengen).
