Can anyone advise me on what Eastern Europeans countries/cities to hit? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!



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Europe: Eastern From Russia to Croatia, the Danube, Iron Curtain era vestiges, Pilzner beer, Czech it out!

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Old 05-17-2008, 05:18 PM   #1
snowball1982
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Default Can anyone advise me on what Eastern Europeans countries/cities to hit?

So this is the deal,
I plan on spending around 4 months in Europe, starting in mid July/August 1. Mainly, I wanted to hit Western Europe, except for two things:

- Insane tourism, prices, congestion in western/southern Europe in July/August
- I keep on hearing nothing but amazing things about Eastern Europe.

So, I am thinking it might be worth it to spend a month or so in Eastern Europe to start my trip. Have some fun, save some cash, let the west settle down before I go that way in September.

So, question time:
with 3-6 weeks to spend in Eastern Europe, what 3-4 countries would you recommend hitting, and why?

I will be flying in from Canada, I had initially thought Ireland/Scotland to start (cheap flights), but I am not so sure now.
Thanks!
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Old 05-17-2008, 06:04 PM   #2
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so far I've only been to Estonia and Czech Republic, and both were really awesome. Estonia inspired me to one day do some sort of Baltics trip - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden Russia etc - but thats getting more scandinavian than Eastern europe, and those countries are more expensive than Eastern europe (but very beautiful).
I'm doing eastern europe this year and planning on hitting up Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Rep again. But there are many eastern europe experts on the boards who I'm sure will come along and help you very soon!
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Old 05-18-2008, 07:48 AM   #3
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I just decided I'll be doing Eastern Europe from mid-June through the end of July, first time there too so I can only recommend what I've heard through research and other people's opinions. Most of the opinions I've heard are that Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Hungary are probably the most must sees.

What I will recommend is that you definitely do Eastern Europe first so that you'll get to Western Europe around the end of August or early September and miss the tourist hordes and peak prices.
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Old 05-18-2008, 05:44 PM   #4
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Central Europe is still gonna have a good amount of tourists/crowd but prob not as much as Western.

I would recommend...

Poland - I love Poland! The Polish are so nice and friendly. Krakow is a must do for every traveller. Wroclaw is a student town so it has a pretty active nightlife and of course you can't miss Warsaw. If you're into hiking/outdoors you can hit the mountains in the south from Zakopane. I have not been to Gdansk in the north but I have heard its a great city to visit.

Ukraine - You will save mucho dollars here even compared to Poland. No crowds! Lviv is the new Krakow. Gorgeous city that feels lived in rather than on display (like Krakow). It has endless cafes and surprisingly good nightlife. Love Kyiv as well! If you have time you could visit Odesa and its famous outdoor clubs. Again if you're into hiking/outdoors you can hit the Carpathians in the west. If you're looking to visit a small town, try Chernivitsi or Ivano-Frankvisk.

Romania - I've only been to Bucharest, but I really loved this city even though there are "prettier" places like Brasov (of Dracula fame) or Cluj-Napoca. There were no crowds in Bucharest and Romania is still relatively new on the tourist radar.

Hungary - Budapest is a famous tourist and backpacker destination for a reason. The city is gorgeous and has so much to see. All the sights are not concentrated in one place (ie Prague) so the crowds are diluted (with the exception of Castle Hill). I've never been, but Lake Balaton is pretty popular with tourists of the European variety I believe.

Baltics and Russia(?) - You could hit Moscow and SPb and the Baltics. Only problem is that Russia will prob have a lot of crowds but I love love loved it even in the cold of winter. Never been to the Baltics but maybe someone will talk about them in this thread (tumbleweedz?).

Other - If you're into beaches I would definitely check out Croatia though I've never been so I can't give specific suggestions. Also its a great gateway to Western Europe. You could easily ferry or go overland to Italy. I really liked Bratislava. It was very laid back and was a great relief after the hordes in Prague. Its also a great gateway to Western Europe as Vienna is just across the river. I have to mention Prague because its one of those "must dos." I was not impressed with it. Just my opinion but I'm sure someone else will speak positively about it. However I'm glad I did it or else my trip would feel incomplete.
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Old 05-19-2008, 09:18 AM   #5
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First, feel free to read my travelogs from the Eastern European countries I've been to (click on the link in my signature). Czech Republic is the most popular and is a great and scenic city to hang out in. Most European cities have "Old Towns," but pretty much most of Prague is an "old town."

Other than that, I liked Bulgaria, just went Slovenia which is incredibly scenic, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania -- there's just a lot to see. Another thing to do: Go the library (or bookstore) and pick up one of those fast "Eastern Europe" all in one guidebooks by Lonely Planet, Let's Go, etc. Read just the introduction section of all the countries and see if anything makes you go, "Oooh...that sounds cool!" Then read more. Skimming the highlights is one way to find out what is out there. For example, I had no idea before I went that Slovenia is Europe's "greenest" country in terms of forest cover. Nor that much of it is Alpine views of snow capped mountains. These are the kind of things you can find out by reading the intro section of a country in the guidebook...then reading on if you're interested.

Good luck, and feel free to ask any specifics...!

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Old 06-19-2008, 09:03 AM   #6
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Well, I lived in Lithuania for two years and loved the experience, so it's high on my list. Latvia and Estonia are worth a visit too, the three Baltic countries are surprisingly different considering their size, proximity and history. At least visit the capitals of each.

Poland is one of my favourite countries, I'll second Krakow, and Wroclaw and raise you a Gdansk. A visit to Poland really should include that fascinating, beautiful and historic city. I'm not a big fan of Warsaw, but it's been many years since I was there - hopefully it has changed as much as the rest of the country since early post-Soviet times.

Hungary is also a great stop, we spent a week in Budapest and didn't see half what we wanted. Also, Bratislava is compact and charming. Prague is exquisite but in summer, crowded.

If you visited the Baltics, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, you'd have an enormously varied experience in terms of language, cuisine, architecture, and landscape and have a less crowded and less expensive trip to boot.
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Old 06-27-2008, 08:03 AM   #7
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I've only been to Czech and Slovakia, both where great. The people where very friendly and easy to along with. I wouldn't assume that these countries will have less tourists than western Europe though. Both are very popular with Europeans since they entered the EU.
Slovakia is becoming the new spot for holiday homes and both have rapidly growing economies

.

I've heard Poland can be just as expensive as the west.


I don't think you'll be disappointed going east.
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Old 06-28-2008, 07:39 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MeTurk View Post
I've heard Poland can be just as expensive as the west.
I kind of found that to be true. I spent 4 days in Krakow just last week and I was expecting it to be like hella cheap - it wasn't.

My room wasn't very expensive in the hostel, but most of the tours were right what I'd expect to spend anywhere else, the food (and the American chains like McDonalds are SUCH a ripoff... 2 little cheeseburgers, a small fry, and a medium pop is like around 8 USD!!!! In America, those are all off the 99 cent menu! AND THEY CHARGE YOU FOR KETCHUP PACKETS... though they do this in Germany too), yada yada yada.

Though I will say this, if you stick to the local stuff, it IS cheap. Let me tell you about these HUGE ASS pizza-like sandwiches you can get at about any little kebab place or whatev... 5 zloty for a sandwich that was the hugest thing I've ever seen in my life. Like seriouslt like 2.5 ft. long or something. Zapiekanki is what it's called and it's SOOOO GOOD.

But yeah, regardless, I highly recommend Krakow~!
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Old 06-28-2008, 12:35 PM   #9
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If you're going to be in Krakow I seriously seriously recommend hitting Lviv. You can get there in less than a day and you can move on to Budapest with an overnight train. If you like Krakow you will like Lviv.
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Old 06-28-2008, 05:28 PM   #10
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I'm in the States now but I actually woke up in Estonia today. I definitely recommend getting there. Found it to be decently cheap in relation to others countries. Stuff like beers, food, entrances to sites, all of that is well within reason.

Last year I hit the beach in Dubrovnik and I loved it. I think its one of the greatest places ever and if you are close enough, get down there.
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Old 07-30-2008, 02:43 PM   #11
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Austria is a really good base country for moving to the East; if you're in Vienna, that opens up Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and if you're in Graz, that opens up all of former Yugoslavia. I'd have to reccomend Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, though the first two and the second two are a good ways apart. I think people get a bad vibe hearing the names Slovenia and Croatia (though not Croatia as much anymore), but both are awesome. Lake Bled is damn gorgeous, and Ljubljana and Maribor are nice, chill cities with friendly people and good times to be had. Plus, if you were to go to Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia, you'd be staying in the West Slavic family of languages, so you could really start to hodge-podge together a frankenlanguage. Plus, you won't be relearning the word for beer over and over. Pivo is pivo is pivo - Na zdravye!
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