In 2 weeks am off backpacking around Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Austria.(::excitedly jumping up and down:
I like to be fairly well informed before going so…
Has anyone who has been there got any tips or great unmissable places etc??
Love to hear stories from others about this area.
Cheers.
L
OK. I did the area in 1991 or so and went back to Vienna last year, so here’s mine. Prague is beautiful and a hoot, except for all the American backpackers, heh heh. Perhaps it’s less crowded by now. Budapest is an interesting city-- not as medieval as Prague, but worth the visit. Vienna has a lot to see (can give you a lot of info on it if you’d like)-- chock full of history. The locals are a bit touchy in some ways but if you stay inside the tourist box you can avoid most of their wrath. Salzburg is very very beautiful-- I’d suggest getting up into that alpine part of Austria if you can. Like, go see Graz or someplace that isn’t Vienna. If you are bicycling, there is the Danube river bike path that goes from above Munich along the river to the czech border and perhaps beyond.
hi!
i live in budapest now, so if you’d like some help, e-mail me at ppawinski@hotmail.com and i can talk to you in further detail.
Prague is beautiful, but it’s crowded as hell, especially this time of year. If you like medieval cities, this is the place to be. While you’re in Poland, go visit Krakow. It’s also a pretty medieval city – in a certain respect you can compare it to Prague on a smaller, less touristy level. If you like the mountains, then don’t miss Zakopane in Poland. There’s plenty of beautiful hikes, especially the ones surrounding Morskie Oko, one of the larger (if not largest) mountain lakes in the Tatra Mountains. There’s a nice hike through the Valley of Five Sisters (or something to that effect) which follows a route across five mountain lakes.
It’s a great place to go on a budget.
For the most part, you can skip Slovakia. There are some nice places there – mainly the Mala Fatra National Park and the south side of the Tatras, but other than that it’s worth a miss.
As M.K. said, Budapest is not as medieval as Prague. Well, honestly, it’s not medieval at all, really. The architecture is mostly fin-de-siecle, and quite beautiful as people are slowly beginning to restore the historic buildings. IMHO, Budapest is much more interesting than its sister, Vienna. I find Vienna boring and ridiculously expensive. (Sorry, don’t mean to offend any Wieners.)
You must visit the baths here. Szechenyi is the typical tourist spot, but well worth it. If you’re a guy, go to the Rudas – it’s one of the only original Turkish baths still standing. If you’re a woman, go to Kiraly – the other original Turkish bath I know of. But check on the days. It alternates man-woman days at Kiraly. For the social scene, go to Liszt Ferenc ter (Franz Liszt Square.) This is where all the young Budapesters come to hang out on summer days. Not necessarily my favorite place, but worth a look.
Oh, yeah, and definitely go to the FUBAR (real name: Lanchid Sorozo.) It’s on Fö Street 4. It’s a real local pub, with the occassional tourist. Say “hi” to Robert (the bartended) and tell 'em Pete set ya. Less than $1/beer.
As for Austria, I don’t like Vienna, as I mentioned, but the west is absolutely beautiful. Salzburg is nestled near the mountains, and on the way there, there’s beautiful little resort towns like Mondsee which are formed around these beautiful mountain lakes.
I don’t agree at all. Slovakia is one of my favorite places in the world. Bratislava is less ostentatious than Prague, Vienna or Budapest, but it has its own charm. The old town square is a nice place to drink beer, the people are very warm and friendly, and, if you know what to look for, it has a lot of history. E-mail me direct if you want more information. If you like opera or theater, there is a lot to choose from. The state opera is world class; Peter Dvorsky is Luciano Pavrotti’s favorite tenor.
Outside of Bratislava, the countryside is beautiful. The Vah River valley is full of lovely side valleys and villages, and runs pretty directly from Poland to Hungary. All of the mountain ranges are scenic. The Tatras was in forth place for the winter olympics, and was only passed over for lack of facilities.
That is a problem, Slovakia is a poor country. If you want posh, go elsewhere. But the people are warm and friendly, and if you make an effort, will go well out of their way for you.
And if you do go to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, remember, all the gold you see was mined in Slovakia by slave labor, and expropriated by colonial overlords. You’ll be looking at the spoils of conquest, and, in Slovakia, seeing what happens when stronger powers suck a country dry.