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I'm going to Europe from Sept 4th - Sept 25th, flying into Heathrow on the 4th. I'm planning on staying there for around 5 days, then I'm not sure, probably head over to Prague then down to Vienna or something and back to London. Anyway, it's all up in the air right now. But for sure I want to stay a few days in London, and then head wherever my money will go the farthest (I'm American). Western Europe is VERY expensive these days, so Eastern Europe is probably the thing to do. Ideas?

Thanks
Steve

5 days is very little for London. No need to fly half the way across the continent as well.

Sure Prague and Vienna are nice. But beyond that Eastern Europe is a big place so it's hard to advise you without more details. What sort of things are you interested in?

Not a ton of people go there, but Slovenia is very nice.

Well in response to seraphim, I was under the impression that Eastern Europe was much cheaper than Western? The exchange rate is awful right now (1.5 us dollars per Euro), and I'm trying to travel relatively cheap. Fares from London to Prague were only 60 bucks round trip, so "flying halfway around the continent" doesn't seem so expensive lol. Anyway, I'm really looking for ideas of where to go.

Stuff I'm interested in seeing:
Geography, mountains, nature, etc. (maybe unrealistic without a car)
History, sights, etc.
A little nightlife.

Seraphim, if 5 days is too little, how much do you think I should be spending in London, and what would be the things one should see? At this point, again with the exchange rate, I was more leaning towards getting a taste of London, then getting to cheaper territory for the rest of the trip.

Again, thanks for the input!

If you're looking for a place between Prague and Vienna, I whole-heartedly recommend going to Cesky Krumlov in the southern part of the Czech Republic. It's pretty much my favorite place on Earth now. Check out some pictures - it's like something out of a fairy tale. The crowds should be emptied out by September too. If you're looking for a hostel, you can't really go wrong with Krumlov House. I was originally staying for two days but was so enamored by the whole place I stayed for four nights.

Father east - head to Krakow. Very relaxing atmosphere and low prices. If you're looking for mountains, you can go to the High Tatra region, which strattles Poland and Slovakia. I just got back from there and it was amazing - no tourists and incredible mountains. Seriously, if someone picked me up and dropped me there, I'd swear I was in the alps.

As for Slovenia, Dubrovnik and Bled are supposed to be pretty nice. Definitely up on my list of places to get to.

Thanks for the reply Kirk. How much cheaper is Eastern europe than Western Europe overall? 2x 3x, etc?

Stephen,

Make sure you get over to Croatia! I just spent a week in Dubrovnik and it was one of the best places I've been to in Europe so far and I've been to over 38 cities and 14 countries on my trip as of now. If you'd like to see more about Dubrovnik visit my travel blog at: http://www.pausethemoment.com . I've documented my entire trip via my blog and I think you'll find a lot of great information on some cities that you'd like to visit.

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Thanks for the reply Kirk. How much cheaper is Eastern europe than Western Europe overall? 2x 3x, etc?

Well, maybe not 3X, but you're money definitely goes a lot farther. Accommodations are probably 50-70% as cheap as in Western European cities, depending on where you go. Food is definitely a lot cheaper - three years ago in Prague I had an appetizer, main course, and three beers for something like 9 dollars. That was before the dollar really started tanking though, and just after many of the Eastern European countries joined the EU. They're still not on the Euro, but their currencies are a lot stronger now though.

Just remember that it's much cheaper outside of major cities - which is nice, because once you get away from the crowds, traveling in Europe is much more fun (IMO). Oh, and Prague is probably the most expensive city now-a-days in Eastern Europe, just so you know.

So do you think London -- Prague by air is even worth it? Or should I be going to another first city right out of London?

I loved Prague. It was my favorite city when I want to Europe last summer. Don't miss it. I would also highly recommend visiting Budapest and Croatia.

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n I want to Europe last summer. Don't miss it. I would also highly recommend visiting Budapest and C

How did you get around? Did you fly between all of the destinations, or take trains?

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So do you think London -- Prague by air is even worth it? Or should I be going to another first city right out of London?

Prague is still definitely worth seeing, but just be mindful of the high crowds (though it should be muted if you're going in September). In my opinion though, get out of Prague as soon as you've seen what you feel like seeing. Most people just go to Prague just to "check off" the Czech Republic from their list, but I think you'll find you'll have a more memorable and enjoyable experience if you get out of your comfort zone a bit.

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How did you get around? Did you fly between all of the destinations, or take trains?

Rail is very easy in the Czech Republic and most other Eastern European countries. I was there three weeks ago and bought point to point tickets the whole way - cheaper than the Eastern Europe rail passes they have now. I'd recommend flying only for distances where (a) it's cheap, and (b) you have a lot of ground to cover. Trains and train stations are much less of a hassle, are more fun, and you get to see the whole country whiz by

Destinations in Eastern Europe I'd recommend are Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Olomouc (the "new" Prague) Budapest, Krakow, Ljubljana, Bled, and Split. I'd also recommend not scampering through everything - pick a few, do 2-3 nights in each, and take your time. Otherwise, it will get pretty exhausting.

I took trains everywhere. All were overnight except one. I would recommend paying extra for a bed because I was unable to sleep without one and then you are beat for the next day. I had friends who flew and if I were to do it again I would consider flights but trains were very easy and I actually liked the pace of them. It allowed some rest between destinations. Flights often do not take you right to the city and a their routes are more limited.

For me, being from eastern Europe (Poland) it's hard to give any useful advice. Somehow, Prague has become THE destination, and it's been already so overrun by tourists at least the last five years.
There are tens of other places you can travel to in Eastern Europe if you want to avoid the crowds - Romania, Slovenia, Albania, Montenegro, Ukraine, or the Baltics.