Hi guys, as some of you know, over the last 18 months Beti has taken me to many European destinations (France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium) and for next year myself and my friends fancied something a little different. The original plan was for a Scandinavian trip but having looked more closely at hotel costs and the summer not being when id ideally like to visit Sweden, Finland, Norway etc we are now discussing doing an eastern European trip instead; Romania, Slovakia, Czech republic etc

My main issue with this is simply that I've never visited the countries previously and know very little about them! :wonder: Before i start reading up on them I wondered if anyone here could share any first hand experience i.e. Where to go, what to see, what not to waste time doing etc etc

There will most likely be three or four vehicles on the trip; a Wrangler, a Cherokee, possibly a 3 series estate and my car and we are allowing around 14 days for the journey.

I know the above is pretty vague but any advice would be most welcome.

The Hungarian Lakes are meant to be very beautiful and that is where the Hungarians go on holiday. I've been to Gdansk and Kwidzyn in Northern Poland and that region is very pretty, plenty of open countryside. I've only been to Prague in the Czech Republic but that was lovely and pictures I've seen of other parts make it look quite Bavarian and good to look at. An interesting choice and should be fun.

Can I ask the intention of the trip? Sightseeing? Walking? Climbing? Off road 4X4 routes? Cities? etc etc

Edmundblackadder - that's great info, thanks.

The purpose of the trip will mainly be to drive the roads, see the places (so scenery for sure) and to meet the people and experience some of the culture. Oh and food is always a big part of my trips also!

Edmundblackadder - that's great info, thanks.

The purpose of the trip will mainly be to drive the roads, see the places (so scenery for sure) and to meet the people and experience some of the culture. Oh and food is always a big part of my trips also!

Was going to suggest a side trip to Poland but it's not exactly a gourmet experience. Nice country though (especially South) & the people are great.

The food in these countries tends to be "earthy". Lots of pork, casseroles, potatoes, rich gravies. Personally I love it but some find it a bit stodgy. The beer is wonderful and prices are cheap. I found the people in each country very friendly. As always, more so as you get out of the cities. The fun bit will be working out the direction/traffic signs as the language, whether Polish, Czech or Hungarian is beyond comprehension. Satnavs will help you there big time.

If you have a Columbus Satnav, make sure to get the Eastern Europe map disk. Czech is included on the Western Europe, but the other´s are not.

The food in these countries tends to be "earthy". Lots of pork, casseroles, potatoes, rich gravies. Personally I love it but some find it a bit stodgy. The beer is wonderful and prices are cheap. I found the people in each country very friendly. As always, more so as you get out of the cities. The fun bit will be working out the direction/traffic signs as the language, whether Polish, Czech or Hungarian is beyond comprehension. Satnavs will help you there big time.

I've spent quite a lot of time in the Czech Republic and it's a fabulous place. Spent some great times in the mountains at Špindlerův Mlýn and Jesenik. Of course you probably want to visit Mlada Boleslav. Outside Prague then English is a bit patchy so a few Czech phrases or even some German will stand you in good stead.

"dobry den", " děkuji", "nashleadanou", "mluvite Anglicky?" etc After Czechs stop laughing at your efforts in my experience they tend to really appreciate that you have tried. And of course "Mám škodu" (I have a Skoda).

Hi guys, as some of you know, over the last 18 months Beti has taken me to many European destinations (France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium) and for next year myself and my friends fancied something a little different. The original plan was for a Scandinavian trip but having looked more closely at hotel costs and the summer not being when id ideally like to visit Sweden, Finland, Norway etc we are now discussing doing an eastern European trip instead; Romania, Slovakia, Czech republic etc

The last two three years in Finland has been so hot that we have to make holiday trips to the cooler countries like Spain and Italy. This Global Warming is just a suffer for arctic people.

But we have the rough roads, ten thousands of lakes, friendly people and the quietness. You can drive miles without seeing anybody, just you and the road. We visited last summer in Norway, the fjords are something amazing. You just cannot found similar from other places in the world.

Don't miss the Scandinavia, everybody should see it before the death. It is once in the lifetime, Central Europe has always been there and will be.

I'll agree those hotel costs, we can't afford those either.

Edited 6 October, 201114 yr by Grumpy Finn

FocusZtec, I can give you no information on your intended destination but I do know you have the best car out of those going

I mentioned on another thread that this is something I would love to do particularly countries outwith the usual tourist destinations. I look forward to hearing about your adventure and perhaps this time next year hopefully I may be planning similar.

Albania? anybody on here been there???

http://www.albaniantourism.com/