RAR

So after seeing a lot of the Mediterranean and central Europe last year, I think it's time to see Eastern Europe this summer. I have a flexible time schedule, probably will get there in June and need to be in Sardinia by August.

In this thread I'm basically looking for interesting places to go. My list of cities/towns/places to see so far are:

Poland:
Wroclaw
Krakow

Slovakia:
Vyoske Tatry

Hungary:
Budapest
Szentendre
Gyor?
Pecs?

Romania:
Brasov
Bran
Sinaia
Cluj Napoca
Sighisoara

Bulgaria:
Sofia
Rila
Veliko Tarnovo

Former Yugoslavia:
Belgrade
Sarajevo
Montenegro
Dubrovnik

So am I missing anything? Essentially I want to start in Poland and work south and then west, finishing in Split to take the ferry over to Italy. Any thoughts on these towns, good or bad, are welcome. And ideas on other places to visit that you liked are especially welcome! Thanks!

cmt

I can't help, but here's a good old thread about Hungary: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...68&start=0

nytraveler

Any reason to leave out Prague/the Czech Republic? It's an incredible city with well-preserved history and a trremendously vital cutural scene.

RAR

Yep, been there already. Also, I count it as central Europe.

RAR

bump!

SAnParis

Ljubljana, also I would say Prague (even though you've been there before) as well or at least Cesky Krumlov, &/or Karlovy Vary. another good source for ideas is to check the UNESCO site for "world heritage sites", they are typically good finds.

RAR

Ahhhh no Czech suggestions!! Czech is outside of the geographic loop I'm making so I'm really just looking for suggestions in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and (former) Yugoslavia.

CharlieB

RAR - sounds like a great trip! I can only comment on the northern portion of your itinerary. While in Poland consider Gdansk (a little out your way as you want to head south from Warsaw) and Lublin. If you will be driving from Warsaw to Krakow, consider Kasimerz Dolny. In Hungary, I would consider Eger (have a glass of Egri Bikaver for me - a luscious red wine).
How I envy you - have a wonderful trip.

Borealis

Have you considered Trojmiasto (Tri-city ) = Gdynia-Sopot-Gdansk by the Baltic in Poland? Beautiful spot!!
At the same time you could take in Malbork - the medieval fortress (fortified castle??) of the Teutonic Knights ( a little to the south of Gdansk).

sueteach1

This past March, my husband and I travelled by car through Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. We stopped in villages and towns, walked a LOT to admire the architecture and stop in pubs... saw cathedrals, castles...etc. but absolutely NO tourism. What fun we had tramping all over creation with no lines!!

We started in Kosice, staying with US Steel American expats. There's a great town with a beautiful square and cathedral, fun shopping too. We drove north to the Spiss Castle and Spiss region. I highly recommend that! We drove through medieval walled towns like Kesmarck, Preson, Levoca... all easily walkable and quaint. Finally, we headed to Zakopane for skiing on the Tatra Mt. natural border of Poland. Beautiful and so cute with its lodges and log-style shops--a little more modern that what we saw elsewhere, but not too cheesy. Once in Poland, we drove straight through to Krakow. There, you can experience the Cathedrals, museums, awesome Polish food, excellent shopping at the Cloth Market and an exciting, young nightlife. We took a daytrip to see the Holocaust Death Camps where we waited in our only massive lines of the trip. After two days renting an apartment there, we drove on to Warsaw. The Cathedral there is the most interesting in Poland. Finally, back south to Hungary, seeing Egger and Budapest. Climb the Islamic minuret (sp) in Egger after sampling the local wine, which is famous. Budapest...well, it's awesome. Have fun!

sueteach1

Oops--sorry for all the spelling mistakes (e.g. Preson should be Presov)! I recommend staying on the Buda side of Budapest. We walked across the bridges back and forth between sides, and also took a balloon ride over the city. Check to see if there are any outdoor festivals going on, as we were able to see several talented local musicians and groups free of charge.

RAR

Ok so I'll look into Gdanks, Eger, and Kosice And I'm going to Wroclaw not Warsaw!

ben_haines_london

That is 17 or 18 places in about 9 weeks or 63 days, which is an average of about three and a half days per place. It can be done, and you know from your central Europe travels whether that speed suits you. For myself I should tend to drop places and have longer. Now for some detail. In general I like your choices.

Vysoke Tatry, the High Tatras, are fine, but of course for walking and landscape, not old towns. In the same way Sinai is nineteenth century, unlike most of your choices, but offers good walking. I like all your Hungary choices are good, but if I dropped one it would be Szentendre. In Romania certainly drop Bran, a tourist trap. Probably add Sibiu. In Bulgaria replace small and modern Sofia with large and old Plovdiv. In former Yugoslavia try to include Novi Sad, but I do not know what to drop instead. I have on disc a 70 page guide to Serbia, which I can e mail to you if you ask me to.

As you know from central Europe, trains are fine, though a bit sparse in Romania, Bulgaria and former Yugoslavia. Yours are mostly day trains, but you can take a berth in a 3 berth single sex sleeper from Budapest at 2310 to brasov at 1050, Bucharest at 1938 to Sofia at 0600 (on the trip from Transylvania to Plovdiv at 0848), and Bucharest at 2205 to Belgrade at 1013.

Boats leave Split in the evening for Ancona at 0700, and trains leave Ancona at 0751 for Rome Termini at 1145

[email protected]

aeiger

Hi
I just saw your posting. A couple of years ago we visited Pecs. It's a really nice city, stayed about 2 days.Found my notes I made. don't stay at the hotel fonix. Very small rooms. Had pizza at the elephant. It's a nice university city with cafes and restaurants. Also went to Gyor and Szeged, both were interesting. Szeged is known for paprika and at the shops there you can find many different types. We have been through most of Hungary and it is probably my favorite country. Last year we went to Croatia. Had a wonderful time. decided to avoid large cities. went to Istria there and visited Porec and Rovinj. We loved them both. as close to Italy as possible without being there. Drove about 6 1/2 hrs to Trogir, a beautiful city though very heavily touristed. decided not to go to Split or Dovbrovnik. Went back to Rovinj. Very few american tourists in Istria and the people like Americans. The food is better and less touristy than Trogir and the scenary is gourgeous. enjoy

hardwater

As part of a Austria-Hungary trip last fall we visited transdanubia, the western border area of Hungary. We stayed and visited the cities of Sopron, Pannonhalma, Szombathely and Koszeg and surrounding area. Sopron and Szombathely date back to the Roman times and have ruins. Szombathely has a large museum devoted to Roman history. Traveling by auto we found this area wonderful and enriching. All people we met were warm and friendly. All except Pannonhalma ( which we visited to see the St. Martins abby there ) have rich, historical city centers with easy walking tours. We enjoyed these because we love the history, architechture and museums.

aeiger

Hi I just wanted to make an additio9n. If you are driving south from Poland, visit the Tatras beautiful We stayed in Stary Smokovec at the Grand Hotel. The elegance of the place has to be seen. Something out of a turn of the 20th century movie. Tatra aree beautiful.

RAR

Yeah I'm headin to the Tatras for some good hiking I recently read about Plovdiv, so I'll be looking into that for sure.

RAR

Just read up some on Lviv, Ukraine. It seems to be just a short train ride away from Krakow. What do you all think of this town, especially in relation to the places near it? Such as Krakow, Kosice, Bratislava, Wroclaw etc. I saw that Ben has been there, any insight from him or others would be great.

ben_haines_london

I am afraid I have no insight, merely comment. Lviv has a fine baroque city centre in the Hapsburg tradition, with touches of Polish, Ukrainian and Romanian. It is short of visitors, and as cheap as Slovakia and Bulgaria. So long as you can find a likely-looking address of an apartment in Ukraine you can apply for a private visit visa, and nobody in the consulate cares whether the intended address you put on the form is genuine or not. Once in Ukraine you stay where you like, for example in the cheaper rooms of the Hotel George at 20 euros a night, bang in the city centre. On a tourist visa you have to book a hotel, and the various agents will book only the expensive hotels, and the expensive rooms in the George. Please see www.lviv.uar.net/~geoh/, where the prices page shows a bottom price of 28 US dollars, in fact not too bad, but still more than 20 euros.

I expect you know and will have the Thomas Cook European Timetable. Table 1056 shows that a train with 4 berth sleeper leaves Krakow Glowny (beware pickpockets) at 2105 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and reach Lviv at 0500. No problem, choose a taxi from the station to the George, draw some Ukrainian hryvnyas from an ATM (bankautomat), and snooze in the hotel reception area till breakfast in their restaurant. You can connect from Wroclaw at 1546 to Krakow at 1931, and sup in Krakow

The Duklas Express leaves Bratislava at 2300, Poprad Tatry at 0344 and Kosice at 0710, waits hours for a wheelchange at the frontier, picks up a restaurant car at Cop at 1235 and reaches Lviv at 1913. Or you can have a broken night Bratislava 0945, restaurant car InterCity train, Poprad Tatry 1330, Kosice 1435 to 1626, Cierna nad Tisou (in Slovakia) 1742 to 2015, Cop 2145 to 0220, train with 2 and 4 berth sleepers and restaurant car, Lviv 0824

Ben Haines, London

SAnParis

Eger is in the heart of the Hungarian wine region so if you are a wino (like myself) that area is certainly one to consider.