Eastern Europe city help

[Elliottz28]

Hi, I'm really interested in Eastern Europe and i had always wanted to travel to the czeck republic and poland russia ukraine etc, but reading posts I'm also interested in bulgaria and romania and other more of the southern eastern europe countries. So i was wondering if you have a good list/itenerary of cities to travel too, preferably with night life and fun stuff like that, i'll be 17 during my trip in about a year and im not sure about the drinking laws. So it would be great if anyone could help me out with this, i think my trip will be from a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 months hopefully. thanks

[Elliottz28]

oh yeah, I also dont speak any other language close to fluently except spanish, so how would i go about traveling around there and would it be unpractical?

[tumblezweedz]

It's always possible to travel without knowing the local language, and it's almost inevitable if you're planning to go to several different places, but it's definitely worth picking up a little of the local lingo - for politeness sake, if no other reason. If you can say "excuse me", "please" and "thank you", people will appreciate even that.

Most of my traveling in eastern Europe has been in the north - Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Czech, Slovakia - Hungary's as far south as I've made it. But of the places I've listed, I'd recommend all of them. In Russia, I've only been to Moscow and by train across vast swaths to Kyiv (Kiev) in Ukraine. Though I haven't been there myself, Lviv (Lvov) sounds fabulous, too.

I love the Baltics, at the very least, visit Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, but better if you can throw in some other areas as well - the Kuronian peninsula in Lithuania, as well as Kaunas/Siauliai, Jurmala and the coast in Latvia and I'd love to check out the Estonian coast as well. From Tallinn you can get across to Helsinki, easily.

In Poland, my big draws are Krakow, Gdansk, and Szczecin, with Wroclaw and Warsaw being worth visits, too. (Warsaw's a little too big city for my taste.) Also the Tatra Mountains in the south are beautiful. Slovakia shares the mountainous border and is also lovely. Bratislava is a comparatively small but fun place.

In Hungary I've only stayed in Budapest, which is definitely worth a stop, there are Hungary experts on the boards, so I'll defer to their better judgement. Same with Czech, I've only been to Prague, so I'll let the experts tell you where else to visit.

[worldwidemike]

I agree. Eastern Europe is definitely worthwhile. I wouldn't be surprised in some of the most popular cities, like Prague, if you don't find someone who speaks Spanish in the main tourist areas. Otherwise, if you can "get by" on English, you'll find folks who also speak halting English.

I recommend starting in Prague and the Czech Republic, as it is the most Westernized, and will be a good place to "ease into" Eastern Europe. Can't help you with night spots or clubs, as I normally don't party much when traveling overseas.

I also recommend Bulgaria, especially the towns of Plovdiv and Veliko Turnovo (castle town, built on a ridge above a river junction). Bulgaria is also famous for its beautiful Medieval monasteries.

Good luck, and feel free to ask specific questions about specific countries...

worldwidemike

[beergal]

Eastern Europe always feels like home to me.

I say you would be making a great choice by heading out there depending on your budget and time you could have a fantastic couple of months. however it should be noted that the further East you go and out of the main cities there are less people that speak English but dont let this deter you. I lived in Budapest a couple of years ago and had a brilliant time because of the language barrier at first its great picking up new words and trying to pronounce them. One such instance was when i moved in to an apartment owned by a lady with a surname called Poos...ha ha i was saying all the time oh i live in the poos house and when i started to learn the alphabet i realised the S was pronounced like ssshhh, well anyway im digressing.

As Mike has said there is some amazing history and scenery as well as nightclubs within Eastern Europe...there is always something to do for everyone even a few festivals which are really cheap compared to the ones that we have here in the UK.

If you are looking for a particular route this would definately depend on your budget as many of the capitals are becoming extremely expensive i couldnt believe the price increase when i went back to budapest in december. I would definately recommend the Baltics and the beer is really cheap. Hungary has great open air nightclubs including the one on Buda hills Zold.

Prague has a great nightlife, but like Riga be prepared for the mass influx of British stag parties that go there.

[elfmaiden]

Czech Rep is really amazing.

I had alot of fun in Prague but stopping at the little place of Cesky Krumlov absolutely made me dizzy with fun. The locals are so full of personality and life, and believe me they will take the time with you if you are polite and pleasant with them!

I need to explore more of Eastern Europe. It's just too amazing!

Jenn

[Elliottz28]

thanks for the response, that was fast. my budget would be probably around 4,000-5000 but i dont need to spend all of it
im most specifically interested in Odessa and bratislava (because i have a friend just west of bratislava) krakow seems like many people liked that city the most in Poland and also varna in bulgaria sounded like fun but i dont know much about these cities. I would rather spend more time in each city than to see a bunch but only get to spend a day there.


Also i was wondering about working out in eastern europe and i was wondering if its unrealistic to try to work out there, or impossible, i know each country's laws differ, but if any one out there tried this it would be great to hear about it


thanx

[tumblezweedz]

Just to clarify, do you mean working out, or working in Eastern Europe? I'm guessing by your question about laws, you want to work there. There are no laws regulating exercise, as far as I'm aware!

As for finding employment, that could be a little more challenging. With the exception of jobs teaching english, you'd probably have to have a working knowledge of the local language before you'd be considered, and there is plenty of competition (ie. unemployment) for good jobs in the area. You'd also have to get residency permits and what not, and are probably looking at a longer stay - even language schools prefer to hire for longer than 2 months at a time...

If you mean to return and work longer term, check out opportunities on your travels.

[chelseafc05]

to words for ya man.. go to easter europe

[Esterina]

^^^He's in Romania right now !

Eastern Europe is a fascinating world to discover. The deeper you'll travel into it, the less familiar the culture will seem to you, and the cheapest life will get. I love this area of the planet ! Not always the easiest to travel though, because outside large cities, few people speak english. Knowing german, french or russian is helpful, otherwise learn the basics (hello, thank you, etc.) and locals will appreciate the effort and do their best communicate with you.

If you go to Odessa, I'd say no need to go to Varna ! Pretty much the same, I believe (I went to Varna).

45 to 60 days is enough to have a good taste of Eastern Europe ! Trains are very slow (they stop everywhere, even the "express"), so keep that in mind while building up your itinerary. You can't cover that much of a distance in the continent, unless you want a "road trip" ! If it is possible, read a lot, make a very very rough itinerary, and be prepare to change it every week. You may fall in love with one country and want to spend a few weeks getting to know it.

If you do want to see Russia, you'll have to get your visa before leaving home, and for that, you'll need to book in advance your first nights and get a letter of invitation from the hotel. So that requires preparation, you can't improvise much with Russia, same for Ukraine.

As Omisan said, to start in Prague (and I'd add Budapest or Krakow) is a good idea.

Budget wise, depending on how much comfort you want, think of a daily amount somewhere around $25-$40, lodging, food, internet, 1-2 beers, and local and international transportation included.

I don't know about the drinking laws... They are probably pretty loose, as I've seen kids drinking beers in wedding parties and on the street (sad... ). I guess travel books like Lonely Planet will provide such info.

*sigh* Eastern Europe, I miss you.

[Elliottz28]

Thanks everyone you've been a big help!!

so what did you mean by Russia and Ukraione not being easy to improvise? you mean that they have strict laws and I'd have to get permisson to do anything?

Most people say that fall is a better time to travel to Europe, i was wondering if u all think that it would be worth changing around some plans to travel in the fall. So what Im getting is to start off in Prague or Krakow or a big city and then travel around to smaller ones basically as you please and not have a real firm itnerary or anything? 2 months will be a little strange because i've never traveled alone before but it seems like some other people have done the same and were fine and loved it so I'm gonna go for it.

[tumblezweedz]

In Russia for sure, and maybe Ukraine, you have to get visas and list where you will be staying, so that makes it a bit harder to wing things, but they aren't the police states they were when I went. You can still go independently, you just have to have a more prepared itinerary then in places like Poland where it's easy to move around.

Fall can be a beautiful time to travel, though you can start getting into weather issues if you leave it too late. My in-laws came to visit us in Lithuania in October, and were surprised to wake up to a few inches of snow one morning. Usually the "fall is best" rule applies to western Europe, where summer is bad because of the crush of tourists. Since fewer tourists visit eastern Europe, summer isn't as bad a time to travel there, if that's when you have time. Personally, I love September just about anywhere, so if you can bump your trip to say, the last two weeks of August through the first two weeks of October, you'll probably get the best of the best of the best. In that case, I'd probably start in the more northerly end of things and work my way south, to make the most of the weather, and to avoid the heat and crowds of August in the south.

[expatben]

If you're going to Poland go to Wroclaw (pronounced Vrotswav) its very beautiful. I have also heard good things about Krakov or Prague. Summer is good but don't go in the Winter as friends I have there tell me that Poland can look very grey bleak and depressing in the Winter.