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So I've been back from my Caribbean trip and I still haven't put up pictures or a trip report, but I promise I will soon. In the meantime, I've booked a plane ticket for Eastern Europe, where I will be traveling for most of April and May! I'll be flying into Helsinki, spend a couple of days there before I head south for Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava, and Budapest, where I will begin a 2-week tour of the Balkans with Intrepid Travel through Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro and ends in Dubrovnik. I'll continue up the Dalmatian Coast, and end my trip in Slovenia before I fly out of Vienna.
I realize this is quite an ambitious trip, and I'm not sure which is crazier, going to Northern Europe when it's still pretty cold (I barely survived a winter in Paris) or trying to fit all these places into 7 weeks. My original plan was to include Greece in this trip as well, after falling in love with pictures I've seen of the islands, but I figured I should focus on the emerging countries and it wouldn't matter whether I went to Greece this year, 5 years from now or even 5 years ago. All of the EU countries I'll be visiting just joined the Schengen agreement, which means I'll make a lot less border crossings than I would have a year ago, and it will be interesting to see how inclusion in the EU has affected these countries. The only former Eastern bloc countries I've visited are the Czech Republic (just Prague) and the former East Germany (Berlin) if that counts. This will also be my first trip back to Europe since I studied abroad there in 2005, so it'll be an exciting return for me, even though I haven't visited any of the places I'm going to except Vienna. As much as I would have loved to go back to my old favorites (UK, France, Spain, Portugal) my budget just won't allow it this time around. So, that's where the rest of you come in - anyone have any recommendations for me? How long should I stay in each city, what should I eat, what should I see, suggestions on train/bus travel, etc? I'll definitely be spending a lot on transportation, so suggestions on inexpensive (but safe) transport would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! |
First of, totally jealous of the Baltic/Balkans trip!
You will love Krakow!
Secondly, in Budapest, make sure to check out the Terror Museum
Thirdly, check out my top recommendations for Poland - http://matadortravel.com/travel-blog/poland/geotraveler/more-reasons-to-love-poland.
The full article can be found here - http://www.blacktravels.com/PolandAkinmade.html
Will be heading out to the Baltics in the summer as well so I'd love to read your feedback on Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius.
[Just checked and it looks like Club Fusion has closed down till further notice. sucks!]
Hey Valerie! Your trip sounds so exciting! I've only been to Hungary, of the places you listed (well, and Vienna) but I loooved Budapest and stayed for a week.
I stayed in Caterina Hostel, a nice, clean, cheap friendly family-run place on the Pest side, right near Nyugati train station. In Pest, I enjoyed long walks around the old Austro-Hungarian empire-era mansions on Andrassi Ut and around Heroes Square and the parks around it. I thought the baths were over-rated (just a big outdoor swimming pool, really) and I didn't get around to seeing any of the museums/galleries around Heroes Square. The Terror House on Andrassi Ut was AMAZING - it's the building used by both the Fascist and Soviet secret police, and it's been converted to a really tasteful, thoughtfully-done museum/memorial. Get the audio guide, it's worth it, especially as a lot of the displays are more symbolic than informative. I don't know if you're into churches but St. Stephen's was impressive, though not one of my real favourites.
On the Buda side, it's a hell of a climb but the walk up Gellert Hill (the one off to the left, if you're facing the river from the Pest side) is totally worth it. Amazing views of the Parliament, Buda Castle, the river... The top of the main Buda hill, where the 'castle' is, is easier to get to but is also tourism ground zero. The "labyrinth" is weird and I thought seemed contrived. St. Matyas Church is pretty mind-blowing - all hand-painted inside in intricate geometrical designs, you can really see the Islamic influence on the region there. I didn't do a lot of the museums and galleries up here (again) although I did pass a fun half-hour or so at the Marzipan Museum, near Fisherman's Bastion.
It's a little hokey, but I loved the "Soviet Statue Park" - it's a ways outside the city, but there's a daily bus from Deak ter in Pest.
In terms of eating, I think I mentioned Nagycsarnok (Central Market) to you before? It's on the Pest side, near the pedestrianized (and very touristy) shopping street Vaci Utca, and it's great - the produce is downstairs, upstairs is handicrafts and pre-made food - sausages, potato salads, that sort of thing. Great for a cheap hot lunch. Amazing building, also. And if you want a treat, a slightly pricy (by Hungarian standards!) but really fun restaurant on the Pest side is Menza, near the Oktogon metro stop (also near Caterina Hostel). It's a parody of an old soviet-era state-run canteen, and serves gourmet versions of classic Hungarian peasant food. I don't eat beef, but my friends told me the goulash was "divine".
I also took three day trips up the "Danube Bend" to Szentendre, Visegrad and Esztergom (I took the train to the last two, and the bus to Szentendre). Szentendre is a pretty (but filled with day-trippers and bus tours) town with lots of cute handicraft shops and a nice path along the river. Visegrad is a citadel high on a hill above the Danube, with hilarious waxworks showing courtly life in medieval Hungary. Esztergom is a tiny dusty town with a stunning basilica on a hill above the river - again, I don't know if you're into churches, but of the three I'd recommend this one the most. It was the most isolated and least touristy, and the church really is amazing. Be sure to go down to the crypt, where there is a monument to a Hungarian Catholic Bishop who was a big part of the anti-Soviet resistance. The treasury is also jaw-drop-worthy.
Okay, wow, I'll stop now! I had forgotten how much I loved Budapest....
Have a FANTASTIC time! Can't wait to hear all about it.