The "next" Prague?
 

Saw this question on another message board and decided to bring it here... what lesser-known but amazing big-town or city will become the next Prague? Or what place deserves more attention than it currently gets?

Since I haven't been there in 6 years, I'm not sure it's as relatively undiscovered as it was when I was there, but my vote would be Budapest. What a wonderful city. It seems like it's gaining popularity and a good candidate for the "next Prague," Prague is still my favorite!

Gee I thought Budapest was the Prague before Prague became the Prague. In other words I thought it was "discovered" before Prague was.

I vote for Ljubljana, Slovenia.

"the Prague before Prague became the Prague"??? come on uncle sam \:D/.

Good one, Patrick! Maybe you're right about Budapest being Prague before Prague became Prague, but it sure didn't feel like the Prague before Prague became Prague when I was there 6 years ago :)

Why is this making sense to me ?

Because it makes perfect sense, Scarlett!!

I found the before Prague Prague when I was in Prague last January, but that's probably because I went there in January when the tourists were all in warmer climates ;)

So if Budapest is the Prague before Prague became Prague, then what's the Prague before Budapest became Prague?

Krakow.

Tallinn in Estonia.

Although that's long on its way to being "discovered" so maybe doesn't count as being undiscovered anymore.

I'm leaving for Prague tomorrow so this question just makes me feel out of date! I'll let you know if Prague is still Prague when I return!

Prague, Krakow and Budapest and on a smaller scale Cesky Krumlov have already arrived as destinations for summer holidays from north America and winter weekend breaks from Britain. I agree that Tallinn and Wroclaw are in line to join them within a year or so. Then Vilnius, Riga, and Ljubljana are coming along nicely. Well behind just now are the equally enchanting cities of Lviv, Sibiu and Sigisoara.

I say this on the basis of amounts of questioning on this forum and on the Lonely Planet forum, of e-mails that I get, of my newspaper reading, and of my own judgement of the beauty of each place ? and every one of these is a gem.

I write from London, so am influenced by what places have a no-frills flight from here. Places that do are Tallinn, Prague, Wroclaw, and next year Krakow. Places with such a flight landing at an airport four hours away by good train are Budapest (fly SkyEurope to Bratislava) Cesky Krumlov (fly Easyjet to Prague) and Ljubljana (fly Easyjet or Ryanair to Venice or Trieste). From London Sibiu and Sigisoara are hard to reach by no-frills flight: you fly to Bratislava and carry on overnight in a sleeper to Transylvania. From Venice they are easier, as Volare Airlines fly from there to Bucharest. Vilnius and Lviv can be reached by Air Polonia to Warsaw, then a railway sleeper and for Riga a bus. While no-frills services are best from London (Stansted), many of these cities of central Europe have flights from Paris or Brussels too. I can supply airlines and their web addresses if you name a destination and ask me.

Welcome to the new Europe, which is the old Europe alive again. I am not a fan of Ronald Reagan, but in this matter he is a historic figure (with a little help from his friends). Indeed, all Americans of his generation (which is mine)can be proud of their long and sustained work (Do you remember Elvis Presley in uniform ?).

There, you never expected to see me agree with the correspondent Uncle Sam, did you ? But then again, it is Christmas.

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Very nice post Ben. I'm planning a trip to Eastern Europe, and your post was further impetus to my desires to go there.

What about Dubrovnik, or was it a Prague before the wars?

If you want to see what Prague was like before it was discovered, and well in advance of its becoming the next Prague, go to Czernowizc.

It is an old, walled city that has changed little since before WWII.

It used to be in Rumania, but has since been moved to Ukraine.

By the way, my post of "Krakow" above was not a suggestion for the "next Prague". I think it was "discovered" long ago. I meant that as an answer to the question posed by Sam the Traveler as the 'Prague before Budapest'.

Yes, I am interested in central and eastern Europe too! I am 100% of Lithuanian descent and my husband is 1/2 Polish. Krakow is definitely on my must see list as is Prague, Budapest and Vilnius (of course). To all those Eastern Europe fans, when we finally make the plunge into that part of Europe( with a little trepidation, I confess), I hope you(all) will help me through it. Right now, MY emphasis is on the UK(my first love) with my 2 week trip around the UK coming up in Sept. Judy

Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and Prague; egg bacon and Prague; egg bacon sausage and Prague; Prague bacon sausage and Prague; Prague egg Prague Prague bacon and Prague; Prague sausage Prague Prague bacon Prague tomato and Prague;

Tourists: Prague Prague Prague Prague...

Waitress: ...Prague Prague Prague egg and Prague; Prague Prague Prague Prague Prague baked beans Prague Prague Prague...

Tourists: Prague! Lovely Prague! Lovely Prague!

Fodorite: Haven't you anything without Prague?

Waitress: Only if it's the "next" Prague.

(apologies to Monty Python..)

Krakow is already considered a 'mini' Prague, I think Dubrovik as well as mentioned by jmv.

What an interesting question. I think Americans are about a dozen years behind Europeans in discovering the next new thing. Which is natural given the distance. While Croatia and Slovenia are realitively unvisited by Americans; Italians, Germans and Brits have been going there for years.

I think we will see North Americans venturing further east; Ljubljana (and Bled), Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Mostar and more people will go to Istanbul and other Turkish locales.

God knows Italy needs a break!

How about Dresden?

Dresden is a small rebuilt centre of Electoral Court buildings, then a swathe of Socialist architecture, pretty dull, and then fine nineteenth century villas in the suburbs. It does not build up into a wide city centre of fine old buildings, as other places listed here do.

Dubrovnik is fine within the walls, but that is a very small area. After that it is good nineteenth century seaside, with hotels and harbour.

Ben Haines, London

Guess this means I need to get to Prague before the Wal-Mart store does. Once Wal-Mart moves in, the city dies.

I would exclude from the list of contenders both Dubrovnik (which is an extraordinary town, but it is Brugges, not Prague) and Ljubjana (Which is a nice and pleasant city, but is a long shot from being Prague, either before or after it became Prague).

I would suspect that some city in the Baltic countries will become Prague, but since I never went there myself, I couldn't tell for sure, of course. Romania and Ukraine seems to stil be too "undiscovered" at the moment to become home of the next Prague in a near future, IMO. But they could hide a city which could be Prague before it became Prague, and perhaps i'm going to enquire about this issue next spring.

Bob1

Prague has a Wal-Mart now. Not a big one, but one thats got a fair supply of pork rinds and Mars bars. They lack enough xxx-large shorts, but that's just my own personal opinion. I'm trying to get a job there as a greeter next summer.

Repeat after me (3000 times): Dobre den

Hahahah good one :)

If Patrick = Uncle Sam and Uncle Sam = Degas then is it true that the real Degas became the original Patrick before Sam became an Uncle?

Your post reminds me of the book Prague by ARthur Philipps about a group of twentysomethings who move to Budapest but spend their time wishing they were in Prague!

This is one of the funnier threads I've read. Thanks for the laugh!

Seriously, I did see Prague before it was well known. That was back in the somewhat gloomier days of Soviet occupation and influence. The wonderful thing about Prague was that it hasn't changed a lot afterwards.

My vote for the next Prague is Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Its tourist business is just beginning to take off, and in a few years it will be as popular as Prague when it was "discovered." If you want to know more about Plovdiv, go to www.plovdivcityguide.com. Some volunteer workers also send out a monthly e-mail newsletter giving interesting current and historical information about the city and about other areas of Bulgaria.

A caution: English isn't a very broadly known language in Bulgaria. I get by with my Russian.

Tallin in Estonia - but don't tell everyone. :S-