Road trip through the Balkans - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!



Go Back   TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards! > Backpacker College Student Travel Message Boards > Where ya going? & Specific country info! > Europe: Eastern

Europe: Eastern From Russia to Croatia, the Danube, Iron Curtain era vestiges, Pilzner beer, Czech it out!

Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-03-2008, 07:17 PM   #1
Members
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Halifax, NS, Canada
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default Road trip through the Balkans

So a couple good friends are traveling around the world and said they were gonna be at Oktoberfest at the start of Oct, haven't seen them in a while and figured what the hell, lets go, I enjoyed it last time I was there.

Anyways this leaves me with 11 more days to fill. Me and another friend have already see most of western Europe and limited east, so I'm thinking the Balkans would be a nice area to hit up. Lots of close different countries, and was curious if anyone has experience there.

We think a car would be the best way to go. I only glanced, but the places in Germany I looked were hesitant about cars going to Slovakia/Poland, so I can only imagine what they'd say about Albania.... Anyone know of anyway to rent a car with no holds barred?


Also whats good to see there? Any suggestions? How common is English? We really are looking for a different and unconventional trip here. Is safety a concern? I read NE ALbainia/Kosavo is a bit shakey. Reading a bit it seems like its a very cost effective route.
seadog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2008, 07:45 PM   #2
french touch
 
Esterina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Québec
Posts: 3,246
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

How about renting a car outside Germanay, in the first country you intend to visit ? I'm sure it'd be less expensive also. Renting a car is a great idea, no difficulty to see the countryside!

11 days isn't much. You'll have time for 2 or 3 countries at the very most I guess, if you wish to get a feel of the places and cultures.

I haven't been to the ex-Yougoslavien countries but would highly recommend Romania that I loved. And the Hungarian countryside is pretty and very "eastern europish" if I may say.

As for english, the deeper you get into Eastern Europe, the less it is spoken. No problem in the tourist areas, but very problematic on beaten paths. The youth usually know enough to help you out, but some have for second language german instead.

Keep us updated of your decisions ! :D
__________________

people are people


Esterina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2008, 09:24 PM   #3
TPunk Moderator
 
Elizabeth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 1,401
Thanks: 0
Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Where are you now? Germany? I don't see the advantage of renting a car over taking the train. If you're near Berlin you can cross Poland on a night train and be in Krakow by morning. If you're in the south you can surely reach Budapest in about half a day via Austria. From Budapest, Romania and Ukraine are close. I would not rent a car. The driving in these countries is insane. Example: in Chisinau my taxi driver was a. going well over the speed limit (if its even posted), and b. decided to pass the car in front of us. Only it was a 2 way street and we almost hit the guy coming the other way! Depending on where you are, you might be more susceptible to being a target for a bribe or theft because of your rental car. Unless of course its a hunk o' junk on wheels.

With the exception of Albania and Moldova (?) all these countries have a well developed rail network. Consequently those without good rail service have good bus service. I agree with Esther. Try Romania and/or Ukraine. Both can be done by rail, are a great value, and enough English is spoken for you to get by. In Romania a lot of people, if they don't speak English, speak another romance language. In Ukraine the languages you will most encounter are Ukrainian (in the west only), Russian, English, and if you're close to a neighboring country, that country's language. Both have little or no tourists and a lot of character.
Elizabeth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 06:57 AM   #4
Members
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Halifax, NS, Canada
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

I'm in Canada now, and the reason we were leaning towards a car was simply because there was going to be 4 of us, and our schedule is going to be cramped on account of my limited time, and we really don't know where/what we want to do. We're very spur of the moment type people, and that typically doesn't lend itself well to deals on train tickets.
seadog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 08:22 AM   #5
french touch
 
Esterina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Québec
Posts: 3,246
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

If the cost is the main reason you are renting a car, well you need to know that transportation in E.E. is very cheap. I mean very. And certainly cheaper than renting a car. I've read a car was around 25 euros per day plus gaz at 1,3 euro, while trains, even first class, are ridiculously affordable. So, if you tend to stick to major cities and tourist areas, busses and trains are certainly an option to consider over renting a car.

Also, I've read that in certain countries thef is a problem and cars need to be kept in a guarded parking. Not sure hostels offer that service. You may want to get more infos on that aspect.

On the other hand, a car will give you a freedom you wouldn't have by travelling by train. Especially that trains and busses are slow. A 100 km stretch may take over 3 hours to be done! Also, you will be able to go off the beaten path no problem. For example, doing Transylvania per car would be a delight!

If you decide to take the car, Definitely rent it at a locals' agency rather than international, otherwise you'll overpay. The newly entered European Union countries are safe, just read carefully the contract as you'd do in Canada.

p.s. I've moved the thread into the forum "Eastern Europe".
__________________

people are people


Esterina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 10:01 AM   #6
T-PUNK SPECIAL FORCES
 
snowball1982's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Posts: 130
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

If by Balkans you mean Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, then I can answer questions for you if required.

The rail systems are hit and miss as they are frequently under construction and whatnot. The busses are dirt cheap though. I took the bus fro, Tallinn, to Tartu, to Riga, to Vilnius and I am sure the the total cost was less than $50 Canadian.

Honestly a lot of the scenery is not that enthralling, but you could make your trip truley unconventional by spending nights in small towns and cities along the way. It is relatively cheap in the smaller areas (Tartu) and in Riga. Booze, accommodation and transit is cheap. Food is not necessarily, and clothing/electronics most certainly is very expensive.

English is not too popular, but the young people can speak it. If I were you, I would go and say fuck the touristey shit, avoid the traps. Don't be like the Brits and go to these cities and get drunk and piss on them. Tallinn and Vilnius are really nice. Stay out of the oldtown in Tallinn and in Riga. Go to old town in Vilnius. See the cities at large. Girls love to talk to english speaking guys in clubs and pubs. The people are shy, but friendly, and wary of strangers. Be a good global citizen and don't reach a state of Euphoria by the cheap/almost free booze prices.

Tallinn - Check out the prison, Baltic Ocean, go on a Bike tour
Riga - Check out the Market-nitelife
Vilnius - Go to the old town and KGB museum.
__________________
*There is an inversely correlated relationship between intelligence and the number of facebook application one has* - some british guy
snowball1982 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 10:02 AM   #7
french touch
 
Esterina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Québec
Posts: 3,246
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

Great infos, however you are talking about the Baltics...
__________________

people are people


Esterina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2008, 02:13 AM   #8
TPunk Emeritus
 
worldwidemike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA
Posts: 3,390
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

I spent a week in Albania and used public transport the whole time. There was one day when a friend and I hired a car to see some ruins that were scattered about the country. So, maybe that is a possibility? Use public transport to get from A to B, then hire a local driver/car for the sightseeing in the area? Essentially, we just went up to a young taxi driver (the younger the person, the more likely they'll speak English), and negotiated with him.

As far as languages in Albania, my friend (the linguist -- a handy type of person to travel with!) was quite disappointed that my Italian was more useful than his Albanian that he'd taught himself. There are lots of Italian tourists in Albania, and folks there are just used to speaking Italian to foreigners. Plus, the TV signal beamed their way with Italian language programs helps...!

Check out my travel log, the link is in my signature. Feel free to ask any questions about Albania/Bulgaria, etc. Good luck!

worldwidemike
__________________
Check out my travel web page at:
Worldwidemike.com
"Life is not measured in the number of breaths we take, but by the places that take our breath away..."
worldwidemike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 12:30 PM   #9
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 5
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

According to me there are many taxi services are available that provides you a car on rent. You can also negotiate with them for cheap rent. You should check it. It is more beneficial for you.
russellthomas is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply






Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:22 AM.



 

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.2.0 (Unregistered)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121