What countries should we visit in Eastern Europe? We definitely want to visit Romania and then are considering Krakow, Prague and possibly Bulgaria or Budapest. Can you help us. I need your recommendations. Thanks for your help.

You allude to five countries; three of them are in central Europe. For a good overview of travel and tourism in all five, and all of the countries in Eastern Europe, you might want to take a look at www.inmypocket.com

Best wishes,

Rex

does slovenia count as eastern europe? perhaps not. i took a weekend break there last year (easy jet started flying from STN). amazingly cool place.

I think where Rex wanted to refer you to was

http://www.inyourpocket.com

Great information there on everything Eastern and Central Europe!

Whoops! You're right - - my mistake!

You might want to look at my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34659808

and Clifton's.

You specifically mentioned the countries of Romania & Bulgaria, yet the cities of Krakow, Prague & Budapest. Where in the countries mentioned did you want to visit? How much time will have have for this trip, keeping in mind that you must allow for travel time to/from each destination. What are your interests when visiting? These are just starter questions that can help the Fodorite family help you plan the best trip possible. Might turn out that a visit to just 1 or 2 places may be the better way to go.

Thanks for the advice. Currently we are planning on traveling for 2-1/2 to 3 weeks. In Romania, we'd like to go to Buccovina to see the painted churches, and also Transylvania. In Bulgaria, I'm not sure where we'll go, but I've heard that the countryside is amazing. Is it worth visiting? I've been to Prague and loved it and think Krakow might be similarly wonderful. We've never been to Budapest and am wondering if we should trade off Bulgaria for Budapest.

Thanks for your advice.

Hi
Are you going to be driving? Where is your starting point? I've been in Romania but not Bulgaria, I have read that the roads in Bulgaria are not the best and the tourist infrastructure is not that good. I would trade off Bulgaria for Budapest at this time. Hungary is a very nice country to visit and you could spend time visiting Pecs, Eger and some of the other places. Krakow is also a very nice city and there are places to visit around it. Prague, you've visited but have you been to Ceskey Krumlov, Telc or some of the other places in the Czech Rep. 2 1/2-3 wks may seem like a long time, but taking into account travel, seeing more of each country and what your personal tastes are, it seems like a lot to visit in that time. I usually don't like to visit for a day most of the important areas because they require more than it.
enjoy your trip

Thanks for all of the advice. We are not planning on driving ourselves, but would prefer to hire someone to hire someone who can drive us in places that make sense, such as Romania and not Prague where we can easily get around ourselves.
Any other thoughts about Bulgaria vs Budapest?

Hi
I was planning to go to Bulgaria this year, but more I read of the lack of tourist infrastructure outside of Sofia and the Black seas area, the less interested I became. As an example of infrastructure, hot water is nice especially in the morning.

Practical Geography: Europe is an idea or a concept. It is a Western idea. As a matter of fact, Eastern Europe begins at Moscow and extends to the Ural Mountains. Pretty big! Another calculation shows, Central Europe extending from Berlin to Moscow. Theoretically the only countries in Eastern Europe are some of Russia and a bit Of Ukraine.

Before saying anything, I would like to note that I am a native Bulgarian, who has travelled extensively and lived abroad for relatively long periods of time. So while I do not want to answer the question of "Is Bulgaria worth visiting?" for fear I may be partial, I would very much want to address the question of infrastructure, because I feel I do have grounds for comparison. I travel outside of Sofia just about every weekend to bigger towns and smaller villages, and I am yet to encounter a hotel or a guesthouse without running hot water. Admittedly, I speak of hotels, which are average and above average. A number of hotels have pools and other amenities, but of course you have to do some research. The average hotel room is spacious compared to "western european standards." Some family-run hotels and guesthouses are especially nice because of the home-cooked breakfast in the morning. Roads, on the other hand, are below average. There are some good ones, some bad ones, and some under construction. That being said, I have to add that I don't believe the question of infrastructure should be the main determinant when deciding on a country to visit.
Budapest vs. Sofia (or Bulgaria)--they are really very different and in the end it depends on what interests you more. Budapest has much more of a "western european" feel to it, it is undoubtedly a very beautiful city, on the banks of the Danube river, and very much worth visiting. Sofia, on the other hand, is not as interesting as Budapest (in my opinion), though it has its numerous charming spots. But the Bulgarian countryside has much more to offer and to really see the country and get a feel for it, you ought to venture outside of Sofia (which, of course, would require more than a couple of days). If well planned and researched in advance, Bulgaria can be a truly unique experience.
Good luck with your choosing, and if you have any further questions about Bulgaria, I would be more than happy to help.

Tsvetana, thank you for your full response on Bulgaria. I am an amateur photographer but love to take lots of photos, especially of the people and landscapes. If I visit Bulgaria, for me, I would be very interested in going to the countryside outside of Sofia to see how people live. What you say that there are enough differences between Romania and Bulgaria to visit both? I'd probably spend 3 days in Bulgaria. I know that is never enough to stay in one countrty, but am hoping that I'd be able to see some interesting sites.

What would be interesting to see and photograph outside of Sofia?

Please take a look at these links:
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/koprivchtitsa
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/bojentsi
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/tryavna
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/elena
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/sopot
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/tirnovo