Italy or Eastern Europe in May?
 

For my 40th birthday in May, I would like to take my wife to either Italy or Eastern Europe. I have been to Tuscany, but I have never been to Eastern Europe.

My concern and questions are:

1. How safe are the Eastern European major cities?

2. Do people recommend renting a car to see these cities or by train? (We have 10 days.)

The major eastern cities are as safe as the western ones, with the standard proviso that you don't try to wander around in strange neighborhoods at night. As for car or train, take your choice. With trains, you can find someone who speaks English to help you along the way. With a rental car in the middle of Bulgaria, you're probably out of luck if you haven't learned to read some of the road signs.

I don't know how far east you might be thinking of, but you might simply try to limit yourself to Poland, the Baltics, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Croatia. Those are certainly as safe as anywhere else, and just as historic and scenic. Good luck.

I've read an interesting suggestion:
Flying to Venice (4 nights), train over the Alps to Vienna (4 nights), Boat to Budapest (3 nights), Train to Prague (4 nights) and leaving from Prague. What do you think of this idea? Are there boats from Vienna to Budapest?

Hi Steve,

Except that we trained to Budapest, we did that trip a few years ago. It's an excellent idea.

Yes, there are boats that trael between Vienna and Budapest.

These places are safe

For views of the Alps you would take the day train from Venice at 1314, with restaurant car. To save a night?s hotel and travel time you would take trains thus, Venice Santa Lucia 08 Padua Drop bags at left luggage, walk to the station square to chose a restaurant, leave in a sleeper at 2316, sleep through the frontier check (because the car conductor has your passport and tickets), reach Vienna South 0838.

You might take the day train with restaurant car from Budapest Nyugati at 1010 to Prague Holesovice at 1709. The train may have travelling thieves, so when you go to lunch you should ask fellow-travellers to mind your bags.

The hydrofoils on the Danube lie low and the valley is wide, so you see little. Rather, you could take the train, perhaps over lunchtime from Vienna West at 1007 to Budapest at 1258. If you choose hydrofoil, websites that will book you are www.holidayhungary.com/hajo/szarnyas.htm
http://www.besthotelz.com/hungary/hy.../hydrofoil.htm
http://www.budapesthotels.com/touris.../mahart.aspare
Another day you can take the local boat just up to Esztergom: please see http://www.budapestinfo.hu/en/programmes/hajos.html.
Please write if I can help further. Welcome back to Europe.
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There is much more to Italy than just Tuscany. IMO the flavor of Italy geometrically increases as you go in any direction away from Tuscany.

Wow, you guys are great! I am not very experienced traveling in Europe, so I would appreciate all the help I can get. (I live in Taiwan now, so I travel more in Asia and the US.) Ira, so it was your itinerary that got my attention. It's good to know who to credit these things.

Dining while taking in the scenery of Alps traveling from Venice to Vienna seems to be a great idea. But how do I book it? Do I stay in the restaurant section the whole time? (I have never traveled in train on continental Europe.) Where do I put my luggage while seating at the dining table?

Also, between these countries, should I expect long wait at the border with our US Passports? How about visa? Do I need them to visit these countries?(Italy, Austria, Hungry, Czek)
Thanks.

Visa req't depends on your citizenry.
Re border waits, you'll have to wait with the rest of the train passengers.

Dear Tomboy,

I hope you are not being sarcastic. (If you are not going to be helpful, why post?)

We can always use more help from posters like ira or ben_haines who offers great tips...without being condescending.

Suggestion: Visit Poland and Slovakia. Driving is reasonably safe. You will see and experience more of each country. Because few travellers visit these countries you will be most welcome. Bus travel is safe. Train travel may be troubled. We have had less trouble driving then using trains. Start in Gdansk and travel south to Bratislava. Tonight we will attend the Lodz Opera House for Swan Lake. Best seats less than $40! Try some University hotels.

You book a normal seat, or do not book at all, from Venice to Vienna, and you see the mountains (I am sorry for my slip: they are the Tauern Mountains) from any saloon car on the train, of which there are plenty, in both classes. The restaurant car is itself a saloon car, but if course you should be there only while eating (or drinking), and should not hold the place by sitting there while others want to eat. So you walk along the train to and from the restaurant car. While I eat, I leave my bags in the kind care of a fellow traveller who is sitting in my car and who is to go the whole way.

An American needs no visa for Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, or the Czech Republic. Frontier checks into or out of the last two countries take two minutes per passenger, and take about 30 minutes for the whole train, which usually carries on rolling for most of the time the checks take place. Between Italy and Austria there are now usually no state frontier checks, though a railways officer may perhaps check your ticket. We are getting somewhere when a railway company takes more interest in your papers than a government does.
You save a day s travel if you take a sleeper between Budapest and Prague. The trouble is that westbound times are Budapest 1940 to Prague 0533. So you might swing your whole trip round, and board a double sleeper at Prague Hlavni about 2300, leave at 2334, reach Budapest 0808, Budapest to Vienna in three hours (I like lunch on the Bartok Bela Express from Budapest Keleti 1305 to Vienna West 1550), and Vienna South 0857, with restaurant car and views, to Venice 1643. Either way, please beware of pickpockets in gangs of three at Prague Hlavni station. You avoid them if you put your tickets and a few dollars of cash in a safe front pocket, and all other valuables, including passports, deep inside your heaviest piece of luggage.
I am sorry for tomboy, not just condescending but also unable to read the words quote our US passports unquote. You ask why he or she bothers to post: I think he or she finds life dull, and takes a six-year-old s pleasure in thumbing his nose at strangers. Evenings of charitable work might lead to adulthood.
May I mention the good introduction to continental rail travel at http://www.seat61.com/, and my note on getting the best from sleepers and couchettes at http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm/ ?
I am sorry Mr Steed has trouble on trains, but am glad to say that I do not. One point he rightly implies is that trains may have travelling thieves, so as I say you need somebody to mind your cases if you leave your seat, and by night need a sleeper, which has a door with lock and fitted chain against theft. I agree that opera and much else are cheap in Budapest Prague, and other cities of central Europe.
Please write again if I can help further.

Ben Haines