Visiting Central/Eastern Europe
January 10, 2005 11:43 PM Subscribe
TravelFilter: I'm hoping to visit central/eastern Europe this summer. Recommendations of what to see and what to skip?
I will be traveling with a friend and will probably spend 1 to 1.5 weeks there. Most likely travel itinerary: London, Paris, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Prauge again, back home.
London is just to visit friends. Paris may or may not happen at all. But the whole point is to see the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, and Hungary. What sites are there along the way or in those cities that we should see? For example, I know Auschwitz will be on our way to Krakow.
And, of course, are there sites that aren't worth stopping at if you're on a tight schedule? For a bit of context, I'm a history major and my emphasis is on this region, so historical stuff will grab my attention.
I will be traveling with a friend and will probably spend 1 to 1.5 weeks there. Most likely travel itinerary: London, Paris, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Prauge again, back home.
London is just to visit friends. Paris may or may not happen at all. But the whole point is to see the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, and Hungary. What sites are there along the way or in those cities that we should see? For example, I know Auschwitz will be on our way to Krakow.
And, of course, are there sites that aren't worth stopping at if you're on a tight schedule? For a bit of context, I'm a history major and my emphasis is on this region, so historical stuff will grab my attention.
If you've got time check out the Ossuary at Kutna Hora(about an hour's train ride SE of Prague). It's a small chapel that's pretty unremarkable from the outside, but inside it's decorated with human bones. About 400,000 bones(or was it people). There's pyramids of bones, crucifixes of bones and a chandelier that includes every bone in the human body. It's one of the strangest things I've ever seen.
posted by isthisthingon at 2:32 AM on January 11, 2005
posted by isthisthingon at 2:32 AM on January 11, 2005
You might visit 60 Andrássy út and the Statue park in Budapest. A visit to Szentendre is nice, too. If you've read Egri Csillagok (or, 'Eclipse of the Crescent Moon'), then a visit to Eger is also called for.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:23 AM on January 11, 2005
posted by Wolfdog at 4:23 AM on January 11, 2005
this sunday's nytimes spoke of Kiev and Ljubljana (and other places) as beautiful and cheap in the area.
posted by amberglow at 5:06 AM on January 11, 2005
posted by amberglow at 5:06 AM on January 11, 2005
I second the indifference to Prague - dip in and then get out soon. It would be a pity to spend too much of your time there.
I just just just finished a two-month Eastern european tour. If you're going the hostel route, feel free to email me (sean dot michaels at gmail dot com) and I can make some recommendations/anti-recommendations for any of the following: Tallinn, Riga, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik.
Isthisthingon's recommendation for the Kutna Hora ossuary is vociferously seconded. I also recommend you try to go to Danubiana, a modern art museum in Slovakia, in the total middle of nowhere (if you don't have a car, as we didn't, it's a wonderfully worthwhile and slightly convoluted trek) - the new building and statue park sit on a serene outcropping in the middle of the Danube. Other than that, however, Bratislava was almost entirely missable.
Krakow is really, really great; you should go to Auschwitz, but plan another day-trip to the Wienicka Salt Mine, where miners have salt-sculpted saints, chapels and reliefs, hundreds of feet underground.
Riga (the capital of Latvia) is also a real treat - and has a slightly more post-communist feel (in a good way, though, unlike Warsaw). And if you decide to go south from Hungary, Sarajevo is wondrously different, and Dubrovnik - well, it's got orange groves and white marble and all of it on the cheap.
posted by Marquis at 5:57 AM on January 11, 2005 [1 favorite]
I just just just finished a two-month Eastern european tour. If you're going the hostel route, feel free to email me (sean dot michaels at gmail dot com) and I can make some recommendations/anti-recommendations for any of the following: Tallinn, Riga, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik.
Isthisthingon's recommendation for the Kutna Hora ossuary is vociferously seconded. I also recommend you try to go to Danubiana, a modern art museum in Slovakia, in the total middle of nowhere (if you don't have a car, as we didn't, it's a wonderfully worthwhile and slightly convoluted trek) - the new building and statue park sit on a serene outcropping in the middle of the Danube. Other than that, however, Bratislava was almost entirely missable.
Krakow is really, really great; you should go to Auschwitz, but plan another day-trip to the Wienicka Salt Mine, where miners have salt-sculpted saints, chapels and reliefs, hundreds of feet underground.
Riga (the capital of Latvia) is also a real treat - and has a slightly more post-communist feel (in a good way, though, unlike Warsaw). And if you decide to go south from Hungary, Sarajevo is wondrously different, and Dubrovnik - well, it's got orange groves and white marble and all of it on the cheap.
posted by Marquis at 5:57 AM on January 11, 2005 [1 favorite]
I will second the salt mine and add in Malbork Castle in the north of Poland. Vienna is lovely but insanely expensive.
posted by amber_dale at 7:11 AM on January 11, 2005
posted by amber_dale at 7:11 AM on January 11, 2005
Why all the dissing on Prague?
Prague is a lovely city, it's just that most people buy the "it was sooooo much better ten years ago" hype, which is just nonsense. Here's how to visit the city: visit the touristy parts in the early morning, before the tourists are awake. For the rest of the day, anytime you find yourself surrounded by tourists, walk ONE BLOCK away. They will be gone. It's amazing, really. Czechs live in these neighborhoods, and they know how to avoid the tourists. You can too.
Get lost in Old Town, Mala Strana, and Zizkov. Literally lost -- it's the best way to see the city. Follow your nose up those strange stairs, around that 70 degree corner. You will find beautiful, amazing things. Throw your tourist guidebook in the Vltava -- it will only lead you astray. Take no tours. Visit no museums. Only go to the castle if you accidentally wind up there. Make your one intentional destination the neighborhood known as Novy Svet (New World), up behind the castle. And Vysehrad, if you like. The cemetaries there are spectacular.
Ignore Karlova and Wenceslas Square entirely. Ignore the charles bridge, old town square and the castle during the day. Visit the Charles Bridge, but only very very late at night or very very early in the morning. It will take your breath away. Walk up Petrin hill for amazing views of the city without standing in any touristy lines.
And visit Cesky Krumlov. Oh, wow, that town.
posted by jennyjenny at 7:41 AM on January 11, 2005 [1 favorite]
Prague is a lovely city, it's just that most people buy the "it was sooooo much better ten years ago" hype, which is just nonsense. Here's how to visit the city: visit the touristy parts in the early morning, before the tourists are awake. For the rest of the day, anytime you find yourself surrounded by tourists, walk ONE BLOCK away. They will be gone. It's amazing, really. Czechs live in these neighborhoods, and they know how to avoid the tourists. You can too.
Get lost in Old Town, Mala Strana, and Zizkov. Literally lost -- it's the best way to see the city. Follow your nose up those strange stairs, around that 70 degree corner. You will find beautiful, amazing things. Throw your tourist guidebook in the Vltava -- it will only lead you astray. Take no tours. Visit no museums. Only go to the castle if you accidentally wind up there. Make your one intentional destination the neighborhood known as Novy Svet (New World), up behind the castle. And Vysehrad, if you like. The cemetaries there are spectacular.
Ignore Karlova and Wenceslas Square entirely. Ignore the charles bridge, old town square and the castle during the day. Visit the Charles Bridge, but only very very late at night or very very early in the morning. It will take your breath away. Walk up Petrin hill for amazing views of the city without standing in any touristy lines.
And visit Cesky Krumlov. Oh, wow, that town.
posted by jennyjenny at 7:41 AM on January 11, 2005 [1 favorite]
The shine is off the apple in Prague because it just spent 10 years getting fabulous recommendations from everyone and their grandma. Literally. When I was there the elderly tourgroups swarmed the streets in identical colored jumpsuits. It's s beautiful city, but touristy as all living fuck. Lunch 1 block from the Charles Bridge costs 3x what it does 6 blocks away. Just stupid. I had twice as much fun in Budapest.
posted by scarabic at 8:07 AM on January 11, 2005
posted by scarabic at 8:07 AM on January 11, 2005
Paris is a must I guess, or at least it is for me. As I don't remember all the names of the attractions but the most common ones (Tour Eiffell, the Trocadero (in front of tour), the fantastic museums of art) I'll tell you that none I ever met told me Paris is a disappointement..and I'm talking about people who take pride in snobbing eurodisney as "trash".
Ok it's not a very descriptive recommendation :)
posted by elpapacito at 8:19 AM on January 11, 2005
Ok it's not a very descriptive recommendation :)
posted by elpapacito at 8:19 AM on January 11, 2005
1 to 1.5 weeks ... London, Paris, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Prauge. Is that all? Why not Moscow and Athens while you're at it?
Seriously, slow down. Europe isn't a place to get your ticket punched in a different city every day. You could easily spend 10 days in Paris alone, just as a tourist, and not run out of things to do. And if you take the time to integrate a bit you could spend ten days in any of those cities.
London and Paris are a long way from Eastern Europe. Paris to Vienna is 12 hours by train, at best. My advice: if you want to go to Eastern Europe, skip Paris entirely. Fly from London to Vienna, then take trains to Prague and Budapest. That'll cover your ten days and give you a couple of full days in each city, with time for day side trips.
As for specific recommendations, of your Eastern European cities I've only been to Vienna and Budapest. Vienna is neat and you should go, but I found it a bit dull. I lived for a month in Budapest and it's an awesome city. You have to look a bit deeper for stuff, it's not quite as accessible. But the people are great, the food is fantastic, and there's a lot of neat things to do. Good night cafe scene, amazing architecture, remants of the Empire.
posted by Nelson at 8:33 AM on January 11, 2005
Seriously, slow down. Europe isn't a place to get your ticket punched in a different city every day. You could easily spend 10 days in Paris alone, just as a tourist, and not run out of things to do. And if you take the time to integrate a bit you could spend ten days in any of those cities.
London and Paris are a long way from Eastern Europe. Paris to Vienna is 12 hours by train, at best. My advice: if you want to go to Eastern Europe, skip Paris entirely. Fly from London to Vienna, then take trains to Prague and Budapest. That'll cover your ten days and give you a couple of full days in each city, with time for day side trips.
As for specific recommendations, of your Eastern European cities I've only been to Vienna and Budapest. Vienna is neat and you should go, but I found it a bit dull. I lived for a month in Budapest and it's an awesome city. You have to look a bit deeper for stuff, it's not quite as accessible. But the people are great, the food is fantastic, and there's a lot of neat things to do. Good night cafe scene, amazing architecture, remants of the Empire.
posted by Nelson at 8:33 AM on January 11, 2005
I loved both Budapest and Belgrade. I haven't been to Prague in 15 years so I don't know about that. I'd also recommend Dubrovnik, Croatia, except for the fact that your trip is so short and it's quite a bit south from where you're looking to travel to.
Bratislava for a day would be worth seeing. I was there for a few days in November and enjoyed my visit. Staying in Hotel Kyjev is an interesting experience, as it's a nice example of the fall of communism. There's also a couple of nice jazz clubs in downtown Bratislava that play live music nightly if you're into that kind of thing.
Vienna wasn't nearly as expensive as, say, Innsbruck, but certainly more expensive as anything to the east, so I'd probably skip it.
I second Nelson's recommendation to spend more time in fewer places (although I myself am guilty - in July I rode my motorcycle through 13 countries in 4 days - but that trip was about the ride, not the sight-seeing). Since many of your destinations are pretty far apart, you'll be spending a good chunk of every day on a train or plane. Consider at least two nights at each location.
posted by cactus at 9:24 AM on January 11, 2005
Bratislava for a day would be worth seeing. I was there for a few days in November and enjoyed my visit. Staying in Hotel Kyjev is an interesting experience, as it's a nice example of the fall of communism. There's also a couple of nice jazz clubs in downtown Bratislava that play live music nightly if you're into that kind of thing.
Vienna wasn't nearly as expensive as, say, Innsbruck, but certainly more expensive as anything to the east, so I'd probably skip it.
I second Nelson's recommendation to spend more time in fewer places (although I myself am guilty - in July I rode my motorcycle through 13 countries in 4 days - but that trip was about the ride, not the sight-seeing). Since many of your destinations are pretty far apart, you'll be spending a good chunk of every day on a train or plane. Consider at least two nights at each location.
posted by cactus at 9:24 AM on January 11, 2005
I second Wolfdog's suggestion of the Statue Park in Budapest. It's got all the glory-of-communism statues that were taken down from their public placement after the fall. A lot of weird and strange stuff to look at, and a nice walk around place. You can get there really easily via public transportation.
posted by jessamyn at 9:32 AM on January 11, 2005
posted by jessamyn at 9:32 AM on January 11, 2005
Response by poster: Seriously, slow down.
Well, the time we have is limited. It will probably be around 10 days that we'll have. If it were up to me, we'd fly into Prague from New York, but the friend I'll be travelling with wants to stop in London first, which is fine with me, since I've never been there (or to Europe at all, ever). I'd like to skip Paris, just because we don't really have the time.
I sounds like we shouldn't waste time in Prauge, should spend the greatest amount of time in Budapest, make a day trip through Bratislava, and possibly skip Vienna (or another day trip). Thanks for all the recommended sites. FWIW, we'll probably rent a car, just to give us a bit more flexibility to go where and when trains don't.
I hope to visit these countries this summer then go back out next summer for 2-3 months, ideally to Hungary, then travel to the more eastern nations (Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Balkans, etc). But I'm a poor college student (who just happens to have the money for this trip), so I want to make this worth it.
posted by BradNelson at 9:39 AM on January 11, 2005
Well, the time we have is limited. It will probably be around 10 days that we'll have. If it were up to me, we'd fly into Prague from New York, but the friend I'll be travelling with wants to stop in London first, which is fine with me, since I've never been there (or to Europe at all, ever). I'd like to skip Paris, just because we don't really have the time.
I sounds like we shouldn't waste time in Prauge, should spend the greatest amount of time in Budapest, make a day trip through Bratislava, and possibly skip Vienna (or another day trip). Thanks for all the recommended sites. FWIW, we'll probably rent a car, just to give us a bit more flexibility to go where and when trains don't.
I hope to visit these countries this summer then go back out next summer for 2-3 months, ideally to Hungary, then travel to the more eastern nations (Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Balkans, etc). But I'm a poor college student (who just happens to have the money for this trip), so I want to make this worth it.
posted by BradNelson at 9:39 AM on January 11, 2005
I'll tell you that none I ever met told me Paris is a disappointement..and I'm talking about people who take pride in snobbing eurodisney as "trash".
Paris was a diappointment. And Eurodisney is trash.
Actually the thing with Paris is it is like any big city that gets tons of tourists--it can be hard to get into when you don't know anyone there. You can visit nice museums and skate on the surface, but it's hard to get down. The only city I've known to be an exception is Galsgow; they refuse to let you drink alone there.
posted by dame at 12:48 PM on January 11, 2005
Paris was a diappointment. And Eurodisney is trash.
Actually the thing with Paris is it is like any big city that gets tons of tourists--it can be hard to get into when you don't know anyone there. You can visit nice museums and skate on the surface, but it's hard to get down. The only city I've known to be an exception is Galsgow; they refuse to let you drink alone there.
posted by dame at 12:48 PM on January 11, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nicwolff at 12:20 AM on January 11, 2005