Please Critique My Eastern Europe Itinerary
Jun 18th, 2019, 02:47 PM
#41
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dugi_otok You have my most recent itinerary exactly correct. And thank you for your very thoughtful recommendation on a revised itinerary to include Vienna. I had given serious thought to Vienna and did have it in my very first draft itinerary. I ended up dropping it primarily because my cultural interests tend to lie most heavily, relative to Europe, In Mediterranean cultures along with Islamic countries such as Turkey and Morocco. I’m also having a hard time letting Dubrovnik go, which looks stunningly gorgeous.
While I was going to limit my trip to 15 nights, I am now thinking to go as high as 17 nights (which I’ve done many times before) with the following itinerary:
Day 0: Fly Minneapolis to Prague
Nights 1-4: Prague
Day 5: Fly to Budapest
Nights 5-8: Budapest
Day 9: Fly to Sarajevo
Days 9-11: Sarajevo
Day 12: Train to Mostar
Nights 12-13: Mostar w/ 1/2 day trip to Pocitelj
Day 14: Taxi yo Dubrovnik
Nights 14-15: Dubrovnik
Day 16: Train or bus to Split
Nights 16-17: Split
Day 18: Fly home Split to Minneapolis
with this itinerary, there are only 2 flights intra trip. And while I realize there is more moving around here than many would find enjoyable, I’m not sure any of these destinations would merit more than an additional day than I’m planning for each.
Any huge swings and misses with this itinerary?
While I was going to limit my trip to 15 nights, I am now thinking to go as high as 17 nights (which I’ve done many times before) with the following itinerary:
Day 0: Fly Minneapolis to Prague
Nights 1-4: Prague
Day 5: Fly to Budapest
Nights 5-8: Budapest
Day 9: Fly to Sarajevo
Days 9-11: Sarajevo
Day 12: Train to Mostar
Nights 12-13: Mostar w/ 1/2 day trip to Pocitelj
Day 14: Taxi yo Dubrovnik
Nights 14-15: Dubrovnik
Day 16: Train or bus to Split
Nights 16-17: Split
Day 18: Fly home Split to Minneapolis
with this itinerary, there are only 2 flights intra trip. And while I realize there is more moving around here than many would find enjoyable, I’m not sure any of these destinations would merit more than an additional day than I’m planning for each.
Any huge swings and misses with this itinerary?
Jun 18th, 2019, 05:28 PM
#42
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I think we've established that dugi_otok and I see things very differently!
IMO, that's a good think -- people travel for different reasons and with different preferences, so it seems to me that we are giving MinnBeef a range of options. Viva la difference!
IMO, that's a good think -- people travel for different reasons and with different preferences, so it seems to me that we are giving MinnBeef a range of options. Viva la difference!
Jun 23rd, 2019, 04:53 PM
#43
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Vive la différence is correct, kja! *(Or Viva la differenza! as we say in Italian!)
Some additional research noted that the direct train from Prague to Budapest is only 6 1/2 hours which, when all is said and done is not that much longer than flying. *Has anyone trained between the two cities and how is the trip and scenery?
Some additional research noted that the direct train from Prague to Budapest is only 6 1/2 hours which, when all is said and done is not that much longer than flying. *Has anyone trained between the two cities and how is the trip and scenery?
Jun 23rd, 2019, 05:01 PM
#44
I did Vienna to Brno back in 2004 and at that time the Czech trains were pretty bad, Sounds like things are much improved:
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-ro...t-by-train.htm
You might also consider the night train.
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-ro...t-by-train.htm
You might also consider the night train.
Jul 16th, 2019, 05:16 PM
#45
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UPDATE: I booked my flights and will have 17 nights in Eastern Europe for late April and early May 2020. 16 nights are allocated (no hotels booked yet) as follows;
3 nights Prague
4 nights Budapest
3 nights Sarajevo
2 nights Mostar + 1/2 day trip
2 nights Dubrovnik
2 nights Split
That leaves one night to allocate. I’m leaning towards adding it to a 3rd night in Split so that I can use a full day to go sailing. But if I focus on my absolute priorities for Split (Diocletian’s Palace + sailing), I could instead add a 4th night in either Prague or Sarajevo.
As kja kja has said many times, “there are no bad choices, only difficult ones”. Any thoughts from this gang on where you’d add that unallocated night?
3 nights Prague
4 nights Budapest
3 nights Sarajevo
2 nights Mostar + 1/2 day trip
2 nights Dubrovnik
2 nights Split
That leaves one night to allocate. I’m leaning towards adding it to a 3rd night in Split so that I can use a full day to go sailing. But if I focus on my absolute priorities for Split (Diocletian’s Palace + sailing), I could instead add a 4th night in either Prague or Sarajevo.
As kja kja has said many times, “there are no bad choices, only difficult ones”. Any thoughts from this gang on where you’d add that unallocated night?
Jul 16th, 2019, 07:01 PM
#46
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Yep, no bad choices, but some difficult ones for sure! If I were you, these are the things I would consider:
- How likely are you to return to any of these locations? Prague and Budapest are probably the easiest to reach, and so the easiest to include in a subsequent trip.
- How sensitive are you to jet lag? Or to put that differently, how much time will you actually have to enjoy Prague?
- How comfortable are you with seeing only a select set of the highlights of these places?
- I assume Pocitelj is a high priority for you, as that part of your plan has remained constant. Depending on when you reach Mostar, you might be able to cut a night there, as Mostar itself doesn't take long to see.
- Consider skipping Budapest on this trip adding the time to Prague, Sarajevo, and Split, perhaps giving the extra night to Split so you can get to the Plitvice Lakes. Just a thought!
Jul 16th, 2019, 09:37 PM
#47
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Lean a little more and add a night to Split with a full day sailing.
Keep 2 nights in Mostar. You may make a spur-of-the-moment decision to include a visit to Medjugorje with your day trip to Pocitelj.
Keep 2 nights in Mostar. You may make a spur-of-the-moment decision to include a visit to Medjugorje with your day trip to Pocitelj.
Jul 16th, 2019, 10:27 PM
#48
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I'd add a night to Prague by all means. It has by far the most to offer among all cities on your list and it's a place you can easily fall in love with and hard to leave. That is if you do your homework and are well prepared to discover the real Prague. It's easy to follow the tourist trail all the time and get frustreted and disappointed by Prague in that case.
If you want to add a night in Split, consider spending 2 nights in Sarajevo. The flight from Budapest arrives around 11am, so with 2 nights you'll have at least 1 and a half days in Sarajevo, which is perfectly adequate given how long you're spending in other cities.
BTW, you're not going anywhere near Eastern Europe on this trip. ;-)
You're going to Central Europe and Southeast Europe(aka the Balkans).
If you want to add a night in Split, consider spending 2 nights in Sarajevo. The flight from Budapest arrives around 11am, so with 2 nights you'll have at least 1 and a half days in Sarajevo, which is perfectly adequate given how long you're spending in other cities.
BTW, you're not going anywhere near Eastern Europe on this trip. ;-)
You're going to Central Europe and Southeast Europe(aka the Balkans).
Last edited by BDKR; Jul 16th, 2019 at 10:32 PM.
Jul 31st, 2019, 05:28 PM
#51
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Everyone-
Thank you all for your input. I much appreciate everyone’s thoughts on where to add my extra night and I took all of your recommendations and comments into account in making my decision.
In the end, I’ve decided to add the extra night to Prague, giving me four nights in what looks to be an incredibly beautiful city. My reasons were several fold. First, as it’s my arrival city for my trip, I didn’t relish the idea of leaving it after just 48 hours + my jet lag day (albeit close to a full jet lag day). Secondly, the city look unbelievably beautiful with so much to see that I know I could not have fit it all into 3 days. Finally in response to kja’s question, I’m NOT sure I’ll ever return to this pet of the world again, so better to fully experience it as best I can on his trip. My other option was to add it to Split to give me 3 nights there. In the end, I decided that if I use my arrival day (roughly 3/4 of a day) to see Diocletian’s palace and the following day to go sailing, I’ll have covered the sights that appeal to me most, at least from what I can read about the city.
So in the end, my trip will be;
Prague- 4 nights
Budapest- 4 nights
Sarajevo- 3 nights
Mostar + day trip- 2 nights
Dubrovnik- 2 nights
Split- 2 nights
Thank you again for all of your feedback. I’m sure I will have more questions on other topics as I plan my trip in more detail.
Thank you all for your input. I much appreciate everyone’s thoughts on where to add my extra night and I took all of your recommendations and comments into account in making my decision.
In the end, I’ve decided to add the extra night to Prague, giving me four nights in what looks to be an incredibly beautiful city. My reasons were several fold. First, as it’s my arrival city for my trip, I didn’t relish the idea of leaving it after just 48 hours + my jet lag day (albeit close to a full jet lag day). Secondly, the city look unbelievably beautiful with so much to see that I know I could not have fit it all into 3 days. Finally in response to kja’s question, I’m NOT sure I’ll ever return to this pet of the world again, so better to fully experience it as best I can on his trip. My other option was to add it to Split to give me 3 nights there. In the end, I decided that if I use my arrival day (roughly 3/4 of a day) to see Diocletian’s palace and the following day to go sailing, I’ll have covered the sights that appeal to me most, at least from what I can read about the city.
So in the end, my trip will be;
Prague- 4 nights
Budapest- 4 nights
Sarajevo- 3 nights
Mostar + day trip- 2 nights
Dubrovnik- 2 nights
Split- 2 nights
Thank you again for all of your feedback. I’m sure I will have more questions on other topics as I plan my trip in more detail.
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