Eastern Europe
 

I will be in Dusseldorf, Germany for business in late May - would like to go on a two week vacation of the Eastern European capitals - ie -Prague, Budapest, Vienna, - should I make the arrangements on my own - or, am I better off with an organized tour - like Globus, Brendan or Am Ex. My concern with an organized tour is that there will not be enough time to see all that I want to see. Any information, itinerary suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Do it on your own. For Prague, check out http://www.avetravel.cz for good quality hotels/penzions in all price ranges. We used Penzion Balbin--clean, safe, shower & toilet in room, helpful English-speaking staff, & 5-10 minute walk to just about anywhere you want to go. In Budapest, try Dr. Walter Fleps, retired English-speaking lawyer. His home overlooks the city. You get a bathroom, bedroom with terrace view & big breakfast (by Mrs. Fleps) for around $40/night for 2. I don't know how much for 1. His address is Bogar utca 20b, 1022 Budapest, Hungary. His phone number is 36-1-326-8170. You take a bus to the metro & 3 stops you are downtown. Be sure to see the Charles Bridge at night in Prague. Both are inexpensive cities. You can go to the symphony in Prague for less than $20 for a balcony box seat & eat well for less that $15 (with wine). In Budapest the symphony is around $2-15 & you can eat well for less than $10 (with wine). <BR>Take the half-day tour to see to where you may wish to return. They have organized day trips from Prague to Karlovy Vary, Kutna Hora, etc. We found the place to buy tickets across from the Symphony/Opera House. The garnets, puppets & crystal are big in Prague & crystal, dolls, etc. are big in Budapest. Both cities are much less expensive than Vienna. If you take the train try the German rail site at http://bahn.hafas.de for schedule, fare, amenities, etc. information (has English page). Be sure to use Praha for Prague & Wien for Vienna. Buy the tickets there as they are less expensive than in US. You might look at a East European pass for the 3 cities & just buy a ticket from Dusseldorf to the border. If you have a chance to include Berlin, you should. It is just a 4 1/2 hour train ride from there to Prague. Vienna is about a 4-5 hour ride from Prague &, if you go straight to Budapest from Prague, it is an 8-hour trip. Budapest is about 4-hour trip from Vienna. You can take a cruise from Vienna to Budapest or vice versa on the Danube.

We too are going to eastern Europe for easter and have 4 days for Poland. Should we do all 4 in Krakow or do 3 there and 1 as a day trip to Zakopane? Or are there any other suggestions for other places? Thanks a lot. <BR>

Deepa - Definitely plan for 1 of your 4 days in Poland to be spent in Zakopane! It is such a beautiful and peaceful town. Although you could easily spend 4 days in Krakow and not run out of things to see, Zakopane gives you a different insight into Polish culture. Last May, I spent 4 days/nights in Krakow, but that included a full-day trip to Zakopane and 1/2-day trips to Wieliczka (salt mines) and Auschwitz, so 2 full days (and 4 nights) in Krakow. I still wish I had had at least another 1/2 day in Krakow itself. Even so, I would not have missed Zakopane for the world!

I saw a posting from Linda that said to buy the train tickets in Europe. We are going from Budapest to Vienna and Vienna to Prague from May 5-12. Do you think we will still be able to get seats during this season if we wait to buy them in Europe?? Thanks!!