We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will probably
be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're considering
less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that some of the
former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains -- well-preserved
historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.

Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
eastern Europe?

We'll use a Continental Airlines gateway, probably Frankfurt but possibly
Amsterdam (via their codeshare partner KLM), and either train or plane from
there. I'd like to include a visit to Krakow. We've travelled through
Germany quite a bit (not eastern Europe, of course), and have visited Prague
and Budapest.

Thanks in advance for recommendations.

"Marcin Musiolik" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Definetely Eastern Europe is worth visiting. Good that you will start from
    > Krakow as it is one the most beatiful city in Poland with plenty of
    > tourist attractions.
    > Also maybe good for you will be visiting Zakopane for a while. It is
    > small, but very popular city in Tatra Mountains and it takes only 1 hour
    > to get there by train from Krakow.

Um, most trains take 3.5 to 4 hours. The quickest is 3.06

tim

"Gerald Oliver Swift" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "MÃ¥rten Trolin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >> PTRAVEL wrote:
    >>> We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will
    >>> probably be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're
    >>> considering less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing
    >>> that some of the former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains --
    >>> well-preserved historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of
    >>> old-world charm, etc.
    >>> Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations
    >>> in eastern Europe?
    >> You could consider visiting Riga and/or Vilnius. They both have nice old
    >> towns, and not that many tourists. Hotel prices are still quite low, as
    >> are prices in restaurants. Check http://www.inyourpocket.com for
    >> additional info!
    >> MÃ¥rten
    > Alternatively, you might consider Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Kosice (Slovakia),

I must have missed the sights of Kosice (apart from the cathedral,
then covered in the compulsory scafolding IIRC). Levoca is the place
to go in eastern Slovakia.

tim

Definetely Eastern Europe is worth visiting. Good that you will start from
Krakow as it is one the most beatiful city in Poland with plenty of tourist
attractions.

Also maybe good for you will be visiting Zakopane for a while. It is small,
but very popular city in Tatra Mountains and it takes only 1 hour to get
there by train from Krakow.

If you have any questions or want to get more information about Poland do
not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Marcin
www.travellingpoland.com


"PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]. com...
    > We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will
    > probably be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're
    > considering less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that
    > some of the former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains --
    > well-preserved historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of
    > old-world charm, etc.
    > Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
    > eastern Europe?
    > We'll use a Continental Airlines gateway, probably Frankfurt but possibly
    > Amsterdam (via their codeshare partner KLM), and either train or plane
    > from there. I'd like to include a visit to Krakow. We've travelled
    > through Germany quite a bit (not eastern Europe, of course), and have
    > visited Prague and Budapest.
    > Thanks in advance for recommendations.
    >

"PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected] .com>...
    > We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will probably
    > be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're considering
    > less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that some of the
    > former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria,

Bulgaria is surely well-worth visiting, but it is not a former USSR
state.

    > are real bargains -- well-preserved
    > historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.
    >
    > Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
    > eastern Europe?
    >
    > We'll use a Continental Airlines gateway, probably Frankfurt but possibly
    > Amsterdam (via their codeshare partner KLM), and either train or plane from
    > there. I'd like to include a visit to Krakow. We've travelled through
    > Germany quite a bit (not eastern Europe, of course), and have visited Prague
    > and Budapest.
    >
    > Thanks in advance for recommendations.

Try the Adriatic coast, which is very scenic all the way from
northwestern Croatia down through Montenegro.

Bjorn

PTRAVEL wrote:

    > We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will probably
    > be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're considering
    > less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that some of the
    > former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains -- well-preserved
    > historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.
    >
    > Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
    > eastern Europe?

You could consider visiting Riga and/or Vilnius. They both have nice old
towns, and not that many tourists. Hotel prices are still quite low, as
are prices in restaurants. Check http://www.inyourpocket.com for
additional info!

MÃ¥rten

"MÃ¥rten Trolin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > PTRAVEL wrote:
    >> We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will
    >> probably be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're
    >> considering less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that
    >> some of the former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains --
    >> well-preserved historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of
    >> old-world charm, etc.
    >> Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
    >> eastern Europe?
    > You could consider visiting Riga and/or Vilnius. They both have nice old
    > towns, and not that many tourists. Hotel prices are still quite low, as
    > are prices in restaurants. Check http://www.inyourpocket.com for
    > additional info!
    > MÃ¥rten


Alternatively, you might consider Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Kosice (Slovakia),
Daugavpils (Latvia), Szeged (Hungary) or Novi Sad (Serb & Monty),
all of which (rather surprisingly) have even fewer tourists than Riga,
Vilnius, Tallinn, Budapest, Prague, Ljubljana or any of the other "see
Eastern European Capital City by Budget Airline.com".

Plus, the hotels in these lesser known (read - totally unheard of by the
"see Eastern European Capital City by Budget Airline.com" brigade will
probably be so delighted to welcome you to their
totally-off-the-beaten-track destinations that they just might offer to pay
you just to stay there!

"tim" <[email protected]> writes:

    >> Also maybe good for you will be visiting Zakopane for a while. It is
    >> small, but very popular city in Tatra Mountains and it takes only 1 hour
    >> to get there by train from Krakow.
    > Um, most trains take 3.5 to 4 hours. The quickest is 3.06

Forget trains. It's 2 hours by bus.

MJ

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 20:58:23 +0200, MÃ¥rten Trolin <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >PTRAVEL wrote:
    >> We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will probably
    >> be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're considering
    >> less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that some of the
    >> former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains -- well-preserved
    >> historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.
    >>
    >> Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
    >> eastern Europe?
    >You could consider visiting Riga and/or Vilnius. They both have nice old
    >towns, and not that many tourists. Hotel prices are still quite low, as
    >are prices in restaurants. Check http://www.inyourpocket.com for
    >additional info!

I would agree with that. Lithuania is good value all round, and is
very interesting, especially at a cultural level, where the folk all
seem to be strangely superstitious. Definitely my favourite of the
Baltics. Riga has a market which is just collosal and superb.

In the rest of eastern Europe, I rate Poland highly, just because I
kinda like the people, and the fact that tourism is minimal outside
Krakow.

Also, Slovakia is great, and gets better the further you get away from
Bratislava.

Best of all though, in my opinion, is Romania, which is just plain
amazing, and unforgettable. It doesn't bear any real resemblance to
anywhere else on earth (except for the tourist void of Moldova), is
friendly, cheap, and very interesting. Much of the country feels like
it's 200 years behind the rest of the planet. If it's low prices and
few tourists that you want, you need go no further!!!
---
DFM

If you are in Zakopane. just cross the border to Slovakia
taking a bus to Poprad.
slovakia is still very cheap..
you will find private accomodation at reasonable rates while a good meal
will hardly cost more than 400 slovak crowns.
from Poprad you can reach the High tatras national park and towns like
Kosice and Presov.
by train or bus you can enter Hungary
the town of Sopron is definetely a must.
from Budapest again you can enter yugoslavia via Novi sad.. go down to
Beograd.
from Beograd you can reach by train or Bus Sofia and so on.
a town that i would not miss is Sarajevo.
"PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]. com...
    > We're beginning to think about our next trip to Europe, which will
probably
    > be this coming spring. Money is very tight this year, so we're
considering
    > less expensive destinations. I seem to remember hearing that some of the
    > former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains -- well-preserved
    > historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.
    > Am I remembering this right? Any recommendations on good destinations in
    > eastern Europe?
    > We'll use a Continental Airlines gateway, probably Frankfurt but possibly
    > Amsterdam (via their codeshare partner KLM), and either train or plane
from
    > there. I'd like to include a visit to Krakow. We've travelled through
    > Germany quite a bit (not eastern Europe, of course), and have visited
Prague
    > and Budapest.
    > Thanks in advance for recommendations.

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 23:27:27 +0200, "tim"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >I must have missed the sights of Kosice (apart from the cathedral,
    >then covered in the compulsory scafolding IIRC). Levoca is the place
    >to go in eastern Slovakia.

And when you go there, don't miss out on walking up to the church on
the hill for a nice view of the town. There is a big grassy bit out
the front thats a good place to sit and have a picnic (or get sloshed,
as you prefer).
---
DFM

On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 05:46:58 GMT, "tile" <[email protected]> wrote:

    > If you are in Zakopane. just cross the border to Slovakia
    >taking a bus to Poprad.
    >slovakia is still very cheap..
    >you will find private accomodation at reasonable rates while a good meal
    >will hardly cost more than 400 slovak crowns.
    >from Poprad you can reach the High tatras national park and towns like
    >Kosice and Presov.

Poprad itself is a crappy town with loads of soviet-styled appartment
blocks and little else, and I would not reccommend staying there. It's
really little more than a convenient transport hub. Stay somewhere in
the Tatras instead if possible.

    >by train or bus you can enter Hungary
    >the town of Sopron is definetely a must.

I really did not think much of Sopron. The town itself seemed really
plain, although there is a nice national park nearby. Did I miss
something special in the town, or what?
---
DFM

"PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected] .com>...

    > I seem to remember hearing that some of the
    > former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains -- well-preserved
    > historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.
    >
How ignorant is it possible to become? First, there was 15 Soviet
REPUBLICS, not states (if you ever should be stupid enough to mention
Canada, remember that the state-alike-thing is called PROVINCES, not
states). Second everbody is supposed to know that Bulgaria was not one
of them. Jeses Christ!

Jan

Gerald Oliver Swift schrieb:

    > Alternatively, you might consider Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Kosice (Slovakia),
    > Daugavpils (Latvia), Szeged (Hungary) or Novi Sad (Serb & Monty),
    > all of which (rather surprisingly) have even fewer tourists than Riga,
    > Vilnius, Tallinn, Budapest, Prague, Ljubljana or any of the other "see
    > Eastern European Capital City by Budget Airline.com".

I haven't been to most of these places (yet), but I do recommend visiting
Szeged, a rather nice town worth a day-trip at least.

(Incidentally, they do have tourists there; however most of them are
probably Hungarians.)

Daugavpils, as I remember it, was rather boring however - except for the
tram network, of course, but then you probably don't share my interest in
trams ...

... Martin

?ystein <[email protected]> wrote:
    > "PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> I seem to remember hearing that some of the
    >> former USSR states, e.g. Bulgaria, are real bargains -- well-preserved
    >> historical sites, relatively few tourists, lots of old-world charm, etc.
    >
    > How ignorant is it possible to become? First, there was 15 Soviet
    > REPUBLICS, not states (if you ever should be stupid enough to mention
    > Canada, remember that the state-alike-thing is called PROVINCES, not
    > states). Second everbody is supposed to know that Bulgaria was not one
    > of them. Jeses Christ!

Canada, like Bulgaria, is a state.

miguel
--
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