halliwell123

My boyfriend and I were thinking of planning a cheap last minute holiday for 3-4weeks in September. We have decided that we would like to fly to Turkey, then get a train to Bulgaria and then on to Hungary before flying back to the UK. We were thinking that we would stay in hostels mostly or private rooms if they were cheaper and that we definitely wanted to go to Istanbul, Sofia and Budapest but also somewhere relaxing with a beach for part of the holiday either in Turkey on the Mediterranean or the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. So any advice on beach locations for budget travelers would be brilliant! also how much approximately would it cost for overnight trains from Istanbul to Sofia, and Sofia to Budapest cost? obviously a 2 bed sleeper would be preferred if there isn't much difference between that and other rooms. If you have any recommendations for hostels in these places that would also be a great help. Thanks

otherchelebi

For the Turkey portion of your trip i suggest the following, on a budget:
1. Fly to Istanbul and stay a few days. Enjoy a bosphorus cruise and visit some of the historic sites which are around where hostels are anyway. Lots of good street food and inexpensive places. Check the 'istanbul eats site'
2. Take a bus to Assos, a town built partially on Greek antique town and its quaint tiny port with reasonably priced B&Bs and a camp. Very clean and pleasant sea across from the isle of Lesvos.
3. Take a bus to Canakkale, ferry to Gallipoli,bus to Malkara (possibly) to catch a bus to edirne.
4. Pick the train to Bulgaria from edirmn, at the border.

There are problems with the tracks and the train to Edirne requires that you are bussed to a station quite aways before you can catch it. The above itinerary will give you a chance to see som interesting places, before you get on the train.

The beaches of Bulgaria, especially Zlatny pyasasy heave nice sand, but i usually suspect the Romanian and Bulgarian beaches of being polluted by the industrial waste coming from different major rivers including the Danube.

guenovnd

For Bulgaria, you should consider the Southern portion of the Black Sea coast -- it is much nicer than the big resorts like Zlatni Piasqci. Consider Sozopol and further South - e.g. Chernomorec -- very near the border with Turkey. You will find secluded beaches and less crowds.
The hotels are nice, local small hotels. You will pay in the range of $50-$100 per night based on which hotel.

guenovnd

I just realized I made a comment about Chernomorec (also a real place near Sozopol), but I really wanted to say SINEMORETZ -- which is a small town 40min or so south of Sozopol....
I have some info on Bulgaria and the Black Sea coast here:
http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?s=Black+Sea

julia_t

For advice on Bulgaria beaches, go to

www.bulgariabeach.com

and check out the discussion board (forum) there.

It's not a website I use because I don't go to Bulgarian beaches, but I do regularly use the sister website in the winter months - www.bulgariaski.com - as I do ski in Bulgaria.

Generally they are a nice helpful bunch of people, most willing to answer any questions, but as with all forums you can sometimes get the odd rogue poster!

AnnelieseGruun

I wouldn't skip Budapest, one full day of visiting is totally worth it, if it fits your schedule. Although I lived there, it is not a biased, it's really one of the greatest Eastern European capitals in my opinion.
There is a good hostel in the center, budapesthostel.com, my cousins stayed there when they visitied, it was clean and well located.

kayaklady80

I have not been to Bulgaria, but I loved the Greek island of Samos, which is off the coast of Turkey. We stayed a bit off the beaten path for 4 days after a high-energy trip around Turkey and it was a perfect way to relax after our travels. I also highly recommend Budapest if you can fit it in. That being said, were you wanting to travel in Turkey beyond Istanbul? There are so many wonderful places to visit in Turkey other than Istanbul, but I'm not sure what your priorities are