Has anyone planned their own Eastern European holiday? Need some advice/tips for the mentioned countries:
e.g. how to save on transportation and food. And what attractions are worth visiting and not?
Budget itinerary for Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Switzeland
[Deactivated] on 31/03/2014 - 23:33
Comments
Switzerland - expensive and sterile…. very similar to a dentist surgery in every way. The Alps are amazing, but otherwise… not fussed. Wouldn't bother with unless you wanted to ski, and then - can probably do it cheaper in Austria.
Budapest is a definite add to the itinerary… my favourite city last trip, and the food is incredible and cheap. Bratislava was also quite picturesque on the way to Vienna from Budapest on the train (1hr away from Vienna from memory). Cesky Krumlov in Czech is apparently a great spot.
Surely Poland would make the cut? A whole lot of history there, and supposedly very cheap?
From Bulgaria, could head north on trains up through Romania. The salt mines in Turda were amazing, Brasov is beautiful, Sighisoara is worth a day.
Trains are the way to go - even if you pay a little extra and get a sleeper.. that way no accomodation cost but you're getting from A to B. Howver, by no means are they fast like in Western Europe.
Are you travelling with someone else, or solo?
Travelling with a travel partner.
What sort of travel are you looking for? Are you the sort of traveller who sleeps on trains to save on accom or prefer to fly and sleep well? What dates are you planning on? Where are you flying into and out of? It just helps to narrow it down and save time. Any reason you haven't included Poland which can be very interesting and economical?
Also what time of year are you thinking of going? Can be nut-bustingly cold in a lot of those places during the depths of winter. Not difficult to keep warm if you dress appropriately, but does have to be taken into consideration.
I wonder why you lump Switzerland together with Eastern Europe. It's way off in a different price league. When I was there I mentally converted to Euros, it was less depressing than converting to AUD. Beautiful mountains and lakes though.
have you searched the lonelyplanet.com/thorntree and looked at relevant branches. You can ask relevant questions and the locals will answer. Just go to the chosen destination branch and start reading. The search function is good and you can narrow responses down to a specific time frame e.g. last 6 months. You can also PM people. JoyV
The only country that's expensive on that list is Switzerland. Czech Republic and Bulgaria are quite cheap and Germany and Austria are very reasonable countries for budget travelers. I'm not entirely sure what sort of holiday you're looking for, but Switzerland isn't the most exciting country in Europe (unless you enjoy skiing and winter sports). You can skip Switzerland and go to Hungary (Budapest), which is extremely cheap and a short train ride away from Vienna.
Budget travel options are generally with ryanair and Easyjet for Europe. For Eastern Europe in particular, Wizz Air is not a bad option either. The train prices are reasonable if you book far in advance.