Anni_Paul

My wife and I are planning a 7-8 week trip in the summer of 2008 starting in Prague and ending at either of the Adriatic Sea(Croatia)or the Black Sea (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey). We are looking for advice - which way to go, and experiences on cost,particularly keeping the accomodation low to have money for experiences.

JudyC

As not sure about your interests, it's hard to suggest turning east or west, but Croatia in the summer is much much more expensive than Black Sea area.

Clifton

I suspect these would be very different trips with very different experiences between them (for instance, just in transport alone)
Of the countries you listed, I only know Romania, but I know crossing it would be much different in every way than say, crossing Austria to get to Croatia. It's very easy to keep costs low in Romania.

But it depends on what you're looking for, really.

Anni_Paul

We are really just looking to experience the area and the people. We travelled for 2 months through Southeast Asia in every kind of accomodation and enjoyed everything-we want the experience- as much as we can get on a small budget and speaking only English and limited French.

Clifton

Hmmm, I guess I don't feel too awfully qualified to answer to much of either trip, given what I said on my last post.

But on Romania (or pretty much most of Europe if not all), what I can say is that it will very different from SE Asia in terms of people. Then again, I can't imagine anyplace that could be as open and friendly as SE Asia. Still, we found it a little more likely to stumble into random conversations in RO than say, Spain or Hungary.

While the areas you're looking at are likely cheaper than Western Europe (except maybe Croatia from what I've read), I doubt either trip would offer options as cheap as those in SE Asia. I remember staying in a decent $5 a night place south of the Tonle Sap. Never did see prices like that for comparable accommodation in RO. But there are pensions I've seen for $25 or so.

If you do go the Romania route, don't head straight for Bucharest though. Make sure you see a good bit of Transylvania on the way - Sibiu, Sighisoara, Brasov, the walled church villages, etc.

4everywhere

Prague is my all time favorite city. I have been to the Black Sea (by cruise when I was in college, so I don't want to make too much comment....) Last summer, my boyfriend and I spent a little over 2 weeks in Croatia (from Plitivice Park to Trogir/Split, then Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik, and Kotor)

I recommend Croatia, especially before it gets even more popular. There are many opportunities for inexpensive stays in private homes or sobes, and I would happily recommend all of the places we stayed, ranging from 60$US a night up to 125$US. Split Hotel Perestile was super high, but we enjoyed it. In general, hotels, unless they were super super expensive, had very little redeeming qualities over the more personal experiences offered by sobes.

I hope to get back to Croatia and spend some time in Istria, as well as repeat our previous trip! LOVED IT.