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PLAN YOUR TRIP
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you create the perfect trip.
25
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24
» Hungarian goulash
Castles
Beaches
Transylvanian fortresses,
Don’t associate Eastern
RusWith more cobbled squares, Europe with beaches? You’re Bohemian chateaux,
sian kremlins: Eastern
ancient churches and
certainly not alone, but
Europe offers a huge range
–
labyrinthine back streets
you’re definitely wrong
of royal dwellings and seats
than perhaps the rest of
between the Adriatic,
of political power that
the world combined, there
Baltic and Black Seas, not
have survived the centuries
is simply nowhere better
to mention pristine lakes
old
amazingly intact.
in the world to explore
and rivers across the region,
towns than Eastern Europe. definitely plan on being able Bran Castle, Romania Better
It’s
known as Dracula’s Castle
Prague, Czech Republic
to take it easy on a beautiaslove
despite having fairly tenuous
hard not to fall instantly in
ful stretch of sand during
himself,
and
sociations with the man
with the spires, churches
your trip.
is
Old Towns
this Transylvanian beauty
lanes of the incredibly preserved Beaches, Croatia Perhaps the
straight out of a horror movie
in
Staré Město (p277)
most impressive beaches
(p698)
Eastern
Kraków, Poland Arguably
Eastern Europe and certainly
imto be
coast
Spiš Castle, Slovakia This
Europe’s nest old town is
the best known, Croatia’s
a ruin,
pressive site may now be
found at the heart of Poland’s
and its thousand-odd islands
surbut its sheer size and situation
royal capital and miraculous
are where the jet set now
make it one of the most popular
vivor (p617)
holiday (p239)
sights in Slovakia (p857)
marble&
Dubrovnik, Croatia The
Curonian Spit, Lithuania
The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
paved streets of the Stradun
Russia Technically one long
are
HeritThe seat of power to medieval
and the fantastical city walls
beach, this Unesco World
alike,
in the
bractown
and
old
nest
tsars and modern tyrants
dunes

the
sand
of
part
age Site of
unlike
to
Moscow’s vast Kremlin is
Balkans (p256)
ing waters is the best place
–
p787)
anywhere else in the world
swim in the Baltic (p507,
Vilnius, Lithuania Europe’s
breathe in the power as you
feels
The
largest baroque old town
Drymades Beach, Albania
sights
wander its incredible
neighmore ‘real’ than its Baltic
stuﬀ of legend among backpack(p743)
on
bours and is a largely unsung
ers, this white-sand beach
Re481)
Karlštejn Castle, Czech
draw to tiny Lithuania (p
Albania’s fast-disappearing
public A true piece of fairy-tale
undeveloped coastline remains
Lviv, Ukraine Western Ukraine’s
Gothic, this Bohemian beauty
its
the one to head for (p65)
repository of culture and
great
near Prague makes for a
town
charmingly multicultural old
Black Sea Coast, Bulgaria
day trip (p301)
is a must-see on any Eastern
Bulgaria boasts the best
but
European trip (p925)
beaches on the Black Sea,
the
we recommend avoiding
Tallinn, Estonia The Estonian
and heading
capital’s old town is as chocolate big resort towns
Tsarevo
or
neverSozopol
it’s
to
instead
box as they come, but
place (p196)
theless an utterly charming
to explore (p340)
Mountains &
Hiking
Great Food &
Drink
Relics of
Communism
One of the hardest regional
that
While it may be dead and
lovstereotypes to break is
Walkers and mountain
buried in almost all of the
in
going east of Berlin means
ers will be spoilt rotten
region, there’s no denying
nothing but cabbage-based
Eastern Europe; it’s crissthat communism has more
delicacies and warm shots
crossed by mountain ranges, than left its mark on the
thick
of vodka at dinnertime.
gentle rolling hills and
countries of Eastern Europe. Nothing could be further
levforest, and hiking of all
Anyone interested in the
– dive in
els is never far away. Routes history of the 20th century’s from the truth
and enjoy Eastern Europe’s
are generally well mainwill find
deliin ‘great experiment’
surprisingly varied and
tained and infrastructure
plenty of monuments and
cious cuisine.
and around national parks
and even
in statues to look at,
has improved immensely
Hungarian Cuisine, Hungary
the odd communist enclave
the past two decades.
Even its brand of communism
apparently frozen in time.
YO U L I K E
PL AN YOUR TRIP I F
IMAGES ©
If You
Like…
the
was famously named after
HunLenin’s Mausoleum, Moscow,
national dish, goulash, and
Russia Come and see comgary still has the best cuisine
a waxy
430)
munism’s mecca, where
and wines in the region (p
Lenin lies in state on impressive
Istria
Istrian delights, Croatia
Red Sq (p747)
no
is packed full of top eateries
FlatMountains, Bulgaria With
word
Stalinist Minsk, Belarus
where slow food is a buzz
fewer than seven mountain
and
tened during WWII, the capital
Buland truﬄes, wild asparagus
in
ranges within its borders,
menu.
city of Belarus was rebuilt
fresh seafood are on the
garia is a hiker’s dream; don’t
a monolithic Stalinist style
local wine
barely There’s also a superb
miss the trails around stunning
during the 1950s and has
scene (p226)
Rila Monastery or the beautiful
changed since (p82)
, p168)
Rodopi Mountains (p164
Nordic cuisine, Estonia
relics
Transdniestr, Moldova As
Excellent dining scenes await
is
Tatra Mountains, Poland
go, a self-proclaimed country
Pärnu:
had
what in Tallinn, Tartu and
There’s great hiking to be
that’s
but
unbeatable,
Nordic
pretty
don’t miss cutting-edge
in Southern Poland’s Tatra
you get in this still-communist
cuisine at Ö in Tallinn, among
Mountains, including around
slice of Moldova (p557)
Lake
others (p351)
wonderful emerald-green
as
Grūto Parkas, Druskininka,
Moldova
Morskie Oko. Use Zakopane
tasting,
outdoor Wine
637)
Lithuania A privately run
the Balkans may
as base for your walks (p
and contro- Hungary and
but
hills museum, this unique
of be known for good wines,
Zlatibor, Serbia The rolling
erent
versial place displays hundreds
this
for something totally diﬀ
statand spectacular views in
abandoned communist-era
are
check out the great and largely
corner of Southern Serbia
of
ues, in grounds that are designed
)
undiscovered viniculture
ideal for gentle hikes (p820
)
to look like one of the Gulag
plucky little Moldova (p556
)
concentration camps (p499
Park,
Slovenský Raj National
and
Slovakia Waterfalls, gorges
thick forests decorate Slovakia’s
outstanding national park
(p860)
1Sights
rBeaches
2 Activities
CCourses
TTours
4Sleeping
5Eating
6 Drinking
3Entertainment
7 Shopping
&
zFestivals
Events
8 & Transport
Information
All reviews are ordered in our authors’ preference, starting with their most preferred option. Additionally:
ON THE ROAD
Sights are arranged in the geographic order that we
suggest you visit them and, within this order, by author
preference.
Your complete guide
Expert reviews, easy-to-use
maps and insider tips.
86 3
Chapel (Kaplinka sv
862
‚
Rumanova
áčs
Mestský Park
(City Park)
#4
æ
Train
Station £
#
Staničné
nám
Miklušovej
Vaznicí
# Bus
›
Station
ná
vá
míro
1
4
kého
4
‚
‚
A
B
Košice
æ Top Sights
....................... B3
Cathedral of St Elizabeth
æ Sights
B2
1 Hlavné Nám ............................................... B1
2 Kunsthalle ............................................... B3
Museum......
3 Lower Gate Underground
..... B3
4 Musical Fountain................................
A2
5 Plague Column ........................................ A2
Room..............
6 Sándor Márai Memorial
.......... B3
7 Shire Hall........................................
................................ B3
8 St Michael's Chapel
ÿ Sleeping
B3
.....................................
9 Chrysso Penzión
......... B2
10 Hotel Slávia.....................................
B3
....................................
11 Hotel Zlatý Dukat
.................... A4
12 K2..........................................
..... B3
13 Penzión Slovakia................................
ova
árik
Pal
Michael’s
gem await- century St
Košice was always a medieval build on Michala) has sporadic entry hours.
ing discovery. New enhancements
to the paintings Lower Gate Underground
an arts scene already home
MUSEUM
of Europe’s loveli- Museum
of Andy Warhol and one
námestie (Hlavné Nám; adult/child €1/0.50; h10am-6pm
est theatres. Its vast oval-shaped
remains
the largest collec- Tue-Sun May-Sep) The underground
(central square) contains
defence
in Slovakia
Košice – lower gate,
tion of historical monuments restaurants of medieval
and waterways datand
chambers, fortifications
and when the buzzing cafes
– were
evening, it’s hard ing from the 13th to 15th centuries
work
open up here of a mellow
at least, want a spir- only uncovered during construction
of
not to love the city or,
nature encroaches in 1996. Get lost in the mazelike passages
ited affair. Out of town,
at the south
Central
delights of
the archaeological excavations
spectacularly with the
network. It’s the base end of the square.
Europe’s grandest cave
deeper into the traMUSEUM
of choice, too, for forays
East Slovak Museum
www.
east.
0309;
622
%
dition-seeped
múzeum;
coat of arms in (Východoslovenské
3; per exhibition
Košice received its city
in Central Europe vsmuzeum.sk; Hviezdoslavovo
9am-1pm Sun) Hidden
1369 before any other city
stronghold of €1; h9am-5pm Tue-Sat,
and for centuries was eastern April 1945 the treasure can be found at the East Slovak
On 5
found the secret stash
the Hungarian kingdom.
– which made Museum. Workers
dating from the 15th to
Košice Government Program
in Czechoslovakia a of 2920 gold coins, renovating a house on
communist dictatorship
here.
18th centuries, while
a romp through varivirtual certainty – got announced
There’s
1935.
in
Hlavná
history, too, showous aspects of regional
prison and a metal
Sights
cased through a former
SQUARE
yard there’s a reloHlavné Nám
foundry. In the museum
are in or around the
1741 wooden church.
Almost all of the sights
square, Hlavná. cated
town’s long plazalike main
surround the cenSleeping
Landscaped flowerbeds
across from the1899
an annual
tral musical fountain,
Information Centre has
the north stands a The City
accommodaState Theatre (p39). To
booklet that lists local
column from 1723. town
dorms open to the
large baroque plague
, art tion, including university
Look for the turn-of-the-20th-century
public in July and August.
%622 4395; www.hotelnouveau Hotel Slávia (
at No 63. Shire Hall
HISTORIC HOTEL €€
slavia.sk; Hlavné Nám 63)
the Košice Govern- oHotel Bankov
Dolný
(1779), at No 27, is where
in 1945; to- (%6324 522 ext 4; www.hotelbankov.sk;
pis) Going
ment Program was proclaimedinside.
2; s €85-135, d €95-145;
Bankov
gallery
art
minor
oldest hotel lies
day there’s a
strong since 1869, Slovakia’s
Košice in a verdant
4km northwest of central
CHURCH
Rooms are
oCathedral of St Elizabeth
location overlooking woodland. old-world
Nám; church free, atgood value, oozing
(Dóm Sv Alžbety; Hlavné
surprisingly
furniture). There’s
Mon, 9am-5pm Tue-Fri,
tractions €1; h1-5pm
charm (beams, period
and brooding 14thand a wellness cen9am-1pm Sat) The dark
an elegant restaurant
taxi service for
Elizabeth wins the
century Cathedral of St
tre. There’s complementary
likely to grace your
prize for the sight most
guests.
You can’t miss EuKošice postcard home.
BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€
cathedral, which Chrysso Penzión
3;
rope’s easternmost Gothic
Below the church, a (%6230 450; www.penzionchrysso.sk; Zvonárska
dominates the square.
design-driven
Ferenc
Think
)
Duke
of
s/d/apt €58/68/78; aW
crypt contains the tomb
to Turkey after details such as silk throws and sleek leather
Rákóczi, who was exiled
Hungarian revolt chairs in chocolate and cream. A wine cellarthe failed 18th-century
downstairs are
bar, terrace and restaurant
against Austria.
the 160 narrow, similarly stylish.
Don’t forget to ascend
the church’s tower
circular stone steps up
the royal staircase
BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€
for city views. Climbing
SEcohotel Dália
Löfferova 1; s
did provides an inteas the monarchs once
(%7994 321; www.hoteldalia.sk;
of Slovakia’s
the rare interlocking
d €74-109; pW) One
rior perspective: note
the south, the 14th- €59-89,
flights of steps. Just to
D
ú Eating
................ B1
14 12 Apoštolov.............................
...........A2
15 Cafe Napoli....................................
16 Cukráreň Aida ..........................................B2
A2
17 Med Malina ...............................................
18 Nech Sa Páči ............................................B3
.B3
19 Smelly Cat .................................................A3
20 Villa Regia ...............................................
û Drinking
..........A2
Caffe Trieste...................................
21
Prce .......................B3
22 Krčma Nositel Radu
.B2
23 Villa Cassa ...............................................
ý Entertainment
...B2
24 Jazz Club ............................................... B1
..........
25 Retro ...............................................
State Philharmonic Košice.....................A4
26
27 State Theatre ...........................................B2
SLOVA K I A
TSE
I GSŠHTI C
A
KO
E
SLOVAKIA S
Hlav
Palac
a
inov
Prib
26
a
Nám
Grešákov
#
ý
Osloboditeîov To Košice
To Steel Aréna (500m)
International
To Kosarné Štúrova
Airport (6km)
(150m)
C
# 12
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‚
3
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a
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welt
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13
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Puš
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4
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#
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#
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fán
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Hlav
ka
# 14
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Dominikánske
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# Cathedral Ü
#
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6
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66
666
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2
500 m
0.25 miles
0
e
#0
B
A
To East Slovak
Museum (100m)
1
Zvo
n á rs k a
Košice
These symbols give vital information for each listing:
o Our author’s recommendation
F No payment required
S A green or sustainable option
% Telephone number
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Your at-a-glance reference
Vital practical information
for a smooth trip.
96 3
962
and therefore comprehen» Exceptions to this rule are
is
sive health insurance
in
Generally speaking, your
Tirana in Albania, Pristina
much
essential.
embassy cannot help
Kosovo, Skopje in Macedonia
your
and
if your emergency is of
and Sarajevo in Bosnia
Potential Illnesses or
post
own making. It will not
Hercegovina, where there
get
Conditions
bail or otherwise act to
is nothing gay- or lesbianto
RABIES
you out of jail.
specic that is accessible
or licks
Spread through bites
If your documents are
visitors.
on
from an infected animal
lost or stolen, your embassy
» Outside large towns, gay
always
a
broken skin, rabies is
can assist you in obtaining
and lesbian life is almost
fatal unless treated promptly
new passport; this is greatly
nonexistent and the internet
a phoand is present throughout
simplified if you have
to
vacis the only realistic way
passyour
of
scan
or
Eastern Europe. To be
gay
tocopy
are
refer make contact with other
cinated, three injections
port. Your embassy may
If you
people.
needed over a month.
you to a lawyer or a doctor,
been
to
are bitten and have not
but it is highly unlikely
assistvaccinated, you will need
provide any financial
your
a course of five injections
Health
ance, no matter what
soon
no
starting 24 hours, or as
emergency.
Eastern Europe poses
injury.
as possible, after the
big health risks to travellers,
have been vaccinated,
you
If
anywhere
with
as
though
are
you will need fewer injections
else in the world there
Gay & Lesbian
seek
be
and have more time to
several things you should
Travellers
medical help.
aware of.
sex
Consensual homosexual
is legal in all of the countries
Availability & Cost of TICK-BORNE
laws
ENCEPHALITIS
of Eastern Europe. The
Health Care
Spread by tick bites, tickis
on the books do not signal to
Good basic health care
encephalitis is a serian open-minded approach
and pharma- borne
available
brain.
the
readily
of
advice ous infection
sexual minorities, however.
for
cists can give valuable
Vaccination is advised
» You are unlikely to raise
are
and sell over-the-counter
a
those in risk areas who
illany eyebrows by sharing
medication for minor
unable to avoid tick bites
advise
room (or a bed) with your
nesses. They can also
in
(such as campers, forestry
help
same-sex partner. But
Two
when more specialised
workers and walkers).
you in
many countries, society
is required and point
of
doses of vaccine will provide
frowns on overt displays
while
the right direction.
and
protection for a year,
aﬀection in any case –
to
The standard of dental
bethree doses provide up
it
even more so when it’s
Anycare is usually good, but
same
three years’ protection.
tween members of the
and
is sensible to have a dental
one hiking in the Baltics
trip.
gender.
of time
check-up before a long
Russia for any length
» Many countries have
Medical care is not always
should consider vaccination,
of
been
online forums and gay
readily available outside
as reported cases have
advocacy groups. Latvia,
major cities, but embassies,
steadily rising.
Russia
and five-star hoHungary, Poland and
events consulates
have all had gay-pride
tels can usually recommend
TRAVELLER’S
Unfortusome
in recent years.
doctors or clinics. In
DIARRHOEA
rebe
nately, on most occasions,
cases, medical supplies
If you develop diarrhoea,
fluids,
marchers were outnumbered quired in hospital may need
sure to drink plenty of
which
by antigay protesters,
to be bought from a pharpreferably an oral rehydra- A
on
may
arrests
care
in
often ended
macy and nursing
solution (eg Dioralyte).
precau- tion
require
both sides.
be limited. The usual
few loose stools don’t
» Many gays and lesbians
tions apply to help prevent
treatment, but if you start
B
or five
transmission of hepatitis
in Eastern Europe actually
having more than four
they
as
start
parades
should
and HIV/AIDS.
oppose such
stools a day, you
into takIn general health-care
provoke the majority
taking an antibiotic (usually
low
when
an
costs are still relatively
ing an antigay stance
a quinolone drug) and
tend
pay no
in Eastern Europe and
they would otherwise
antidiarrhoeal agent (such
in EU
to be more expensive
heed to the gay and lesbian
as loperamide). If diarrhoea
in nonmore
member states than
population.
is bloody, persists for
in
EU member states; bear
» Despite this don’t-askthan 72 hours or is accompamost
chills
mind, however, that in
nied by fever, shaking,
don’t-tell situation, most
you’ll probpain,
states
capitals
abdominal
non-EU
European
or severe
Eastern
scenes,
ably want to go to a private
you should seek medical
have small, lively gay
or two clinic for anything more
attention.
usually centred on one
than a doctor’s consultation
bars and clubs.
LERS
& L E S B I A N T R AV E L
DIRECTORY A–Z G AY
SCOUNT CARDS
DIRECTORY A–Z D I
be recEuro26 card may not
federations and, sometimes,
ognised in Albania, Moldova,
The number-one guideline on the spot at camping
Monis
Romania, Serbia and
for travelling with children
under
grounds. Visit Camping
tenegro. Both cards go
to avoid packing too much
Card International (www.
different names in different
rg)
activity into the available
the
campingcardinternational.o
countries and give much
time. (Actually, this should
for links to local organisasame discounts and benefits
be the number-one guideline
of participatchildren tions and lists
as an ISIC.
for travelling without
ing camping grounds.
An International Teacher
too.)
is to
Identity Card (ITIC) identifies
The second guideline
Hostel Cards
an instructor
help
Europe the holder as
allow your children to
No hostels in Eastern
may
and offers similar deals.
Hostelplan the trip. Sure, they
require that you be a
All these cards are issued
www.
not have an opinion about
ling International (HI;
by student unions, hostelmember,
Macedonia versus Monteneyouthhihostels.com)
or
they
organisations
arrive,
ling
gro, but once you
but they sometimes charge
opinion
oriented travel agencies;
Some
will certainly have an
less if you have a card.
like to
alternatively see the Internaon the
about how they would
hostels will issue one
Travel Constay, tional Student
spend the day. Furthermore,
.
spot or after a few days’
(www.isic.org)
to
helped
federation
have
bit
a
if your kids
though this might cost
will
home.
plan the itinerary, they
more than getting it at
know what to look forward
to and will be more engaged
Electricity
Senior Cards
are
upon arrival.
Many attractions offer
Plugs in Eastern Europe
A good resource is Lonely
reduced-price admission
the standard round two-pin
65 (or
the
Planet’s Travel with Children
for people over 60 or
variety, sometimes called
Mauare of
by Cathy Lanigan and
sometimes 55 for women).
europlug. If your plugs
are
need
reen Wheeler.
EU residents, especially,
different design, you’ll
in many a
eligible for discounts
an adapter.
you
Practicalities
EU countries. Make sure
» In Eastern Europe most
bring proof of age.
car-rental rms have
of about €20,
fee
a
For
for
60
children’s safety seats
European residents aged
it is
hire at a small cost, but
get a Railplus
them and over can
their
essential that you book
Card as an add-on to
It enin advance.
national rail senior pass.
» The same goes for high
titles the holder to train-fare
chairs and cots; they’re
reductions of about 25%.
standard in many restaurants
Before leaving home,
are
that
and hotels but numbers
check with an agency
–
limited.
caters to senior travel
» The choice of baby food,
such as Elderhostel (www.
ageroadscholar.org) – for
infant formulas, soy and
and
related travel packages
cows’ milk, disposable
often
discounts.
nappies and the like is
Euroas great in the Eastern
it is
Student, Youth &
pean supermarkets as
Teacher Cards
back home.
An International Student
a plasIdentity Card (ISIC) is
tic ID-style card that provides
220v/50hz
Discount Cards
of
discounts on many forms
Camping Card
transport (including airlines
and local transport), cheap
International
or free admission to museThe Camping Card Internaums and sights, and inexpen- Embassies &
tional (CCI) is a campingsive meals in some student
ground ID valid for a year.
Consulates
of a
cafeterias and restaurants.
It can be used instead
not
in to
It’s important to realise
If you’re under 26 but
passport when checking
and
inwhat your embassy can
a student, you are eligible
camping grounds and
get
cannot do to help if you
to apply for an International
cludes third-party insurance.
forinto trouble while travelling
Youth Travel Card (IYTC,
As a result, many camping
you
the
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merly GO25), issued by
grounds will offer discounts
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are bound by the laws
of up to 25% for cardholders. Federation
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Organisations,
country
the
Youth Travel
CCIs are issued by automoor the Euro26 card. The
bile associations, camping
E English-language menu
h Opening hours
c Family-friendly
p Parking
# Pet-friendly
n Nonsmoking
g Bus
a Air-conditioning
f Ferry
i Internet access
m Metro
W Wi-fi access
b Subway
s Swimming pool
j Tram
v Vegetarian selection
d Train
For symbols used on maps, see the Map Legend.
ISBN 978-1-74220-416-1
52999
9 781742 204161
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Eastern
Europe
Estonia
p337
Russia
p739
Latvia p449
Lithuania
p479
Russia (part) p739
Belarus
p79
Poland
p597
Ukraine p913
Czech Republic
p273
Slovenia
p873
Slovakia
p545
Hungary
Romania
p377
p677
Serbia
Croatia
p799
p209
Bosnia &
Hercegovina Montenegro
p107
Moldova
p827
p569
Albania
p46
Bulgaria p151
Kosovo p437
Macedonia
p515
THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY
Tom Masters
Carolyn Bain, Mark Baker, Greg Bloom, Chris Deliso, Marc Di Duca,
Peter Dragicevich, Mark Elliott, Steve Fallon, Anna Kaminski, Anja
Mutić, Brandon Presser, Tim Richards, Tamara Sheward, Luke Waterson
PLAN
YOUR TRIP
Welcome to
Eastern Europe. . . . . . . . . . 6
Eastern Europe Map. . . . . . 8
25 Top Experiences . . . . . 10
Need to Know. . . . . . . . . . 22
If You Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Month by Month. . . . . . . . 28
Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Countries at a Glance. . . 40
ON THE ROAD
ALBANIA . . . . . . . . . . . 46
HIROSHI HIGUCHI/GETTY IMAGES ©
Tirana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Northern Albania . . . . . . . 56
Shkodra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Theth & Valbonë. . . . . . . . . 58
Central Albania. . . . . . . . . 58
Kruja. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Durrës . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Apollonia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Berat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Southern Coast. . . . . . . . . 64
Vlora. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Drymades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Dhërmi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Himara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Vuno & Jal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Saranda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Eastern Albania. . . . . . . . 68
Gjirokastra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Understand Albania. . . . . 70
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . . 74
BELARUS. . . . . . . . . . . 79
HVAR ISLAND, CROATIA
P250
LEE PENGELLY/GETTY IMAGES ©
Minsk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Dudutki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Nyasvizh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Mir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Khatyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Southern Belarus. . . . . . . 92
Brest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Northern Belarus. . . . . . . 96
Vitsebsk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Understand Belarus. . . . . 98
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 102
BOSNIA &
HERCEGOVINA. . . . . 107
OBROVSKÝ WATERFALL,
SLOVAKIA P850
Sarajevo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Jahorina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Bjelašnica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Hercegovina . . . . . . . . . . 123
Mostar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Stolac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Eastern Bosnia &
Hercegovina . . . . . . . . . . 134
Trebinje . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Trebinje to Višegrad. . . . . . 135
Višegrad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Central & Western
Bosnia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Visoko. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Travnik. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Jajce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Banja Luka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Bihać . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Understand Bosnia &
Hercegovina . . . . . . . . . . 143
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 147
BULGARIA. . . . . . . . . 151
Sofia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Boyana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Vitosha Nature Park . . . . . 164
Rila & Pirin
Mountains. . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Rila Monastery . . . . . . . . . 164
Melnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Bansko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Thracian Plain & the
Rodopis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Plovdiv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Smolyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Central Bulgaria. . . . . . . 174
Koprivshtitsa . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Kazanlâk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Veliko Târnovo . . . . . . . . . . 177
Shumen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Ruse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Rusenski Lom Nature .
Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Black Sea Coast. . . . . . . 187
Varna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Contents
North Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Central Coast . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Burgas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
South Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Northwest Bulgaria . . . . 199
Vidin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Belogradchik . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Understand Bulgaria. . 200
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 204
CROATIA . . . . . . . . . . 209
Zagreb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Istria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Pula. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Rovinj. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Poreč . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Kvarner Region. . . . . . . 234
Rijeka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Opatija. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Krk Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Dalmatia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Zadar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Split . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Trogir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Hvar Island . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Korčula Island. . . . . . . . . . 253
Mljet Island. . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Dubrovnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Understand Croatia. . . . 262
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 267
CZECH
REPUBLIC. . . . . . . . . 273
Prague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Karlštejn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Konopiště . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Kutná Hora . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Terezín. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Bohemia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Karlovy Vary . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Loket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Plzeň. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
České Budějovice. . . . . . . . 310
Český Krumlov. . . . . . . . . . 312
Moravia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Brno. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Olomouc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Telč. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Mikulov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Understand Czech
Republic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 332
ESTONIA . . . . . . . . . . 337
Tallinn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Northeastern
Estonia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Lahemaa National .
Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Narva & Around . . . . . . . . 357
Southeastern
Estonia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Tartu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Otepää. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Western Estonia. . . . . . . 363
Pärnu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Viljandi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Soomaa National Park . . 368
Saaremaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Understand Estonia. . . . 370
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 373
HUNGARY . . . . . . . . . 377
Budapest. . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
The Danube Bend. . . . . 398
Szentendre . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Vác . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Visegrád. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Esztergom. . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Northwestern
Hungary. . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Győr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Sopron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Lake Balaton. . . . . . . . . . . 407
South Central
Hungary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Pécs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Southeastern
Hungary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Kecskemét. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Szeged. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Northeastern
Hungary. . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Eger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Tokaj. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
Debrecen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Understand Hungary. . . 427
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 431
KOSOVO. . . . . . . . . . . 437
Pristina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
Peja (Peć) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Prizren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Understand Kosovo . . . 445
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 447
LATVIA. . . . . . . . . . . 449
Rīga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Jūrmala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
Western Latvia. . . . . . . . 470
Cape Kolka .
(Kolkasrags). . . . . . . . . . . 470
Kuldīga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Ventspils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Liepāja. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
Eastern Latvia. . . . . . . . . 472
Sigulda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
Cēsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
Understand Latvia. . . . . 474
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 476
LITHUANIA . . . . . . . . 479
Vilnius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Paneriai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
Trakai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
ON THE ROAD
ANDY RAATZ/GETTY IMAGES ©
RUSSIAN MATRYOSHKA
DOLLS
Kernavė . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Eastern & Southern
Lithuania. . . . . . . . . . . . 498
Aukštaitija National .
Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498
Central Lithuania. . . . . 498
Kaunas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498
Western Lithuania . . . . 504
Palanga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Klaipėda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
Curonian Spit. . . . . . . . . . 507
Understand
Lithuania. . . . . . . . . . . . 509
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . .511
MACEDONIA. . . . . . . 515
Skopje . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
Western Macedonia. . . . 526
Mavrovo National Park . . 526
Ohrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Central Macedonia. . . . . 533
Bitola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
Pelister National Park. . . 534
Prilep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Tikveš Wine Region. . . . . 536
Stobi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
Understand
Macedonia. . . . . . . . . . . . 538
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 541
MOLDOVA. . . . . . . . . 545
POLAND. . . . . . . . . . . 597
Chişinău. . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
Cricova. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556
Mileştii Mici. . . . . . . . . . . . 556
Cojuşna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556
Soroca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557
Transdniestr . . . . . . . . . . 557
Tiraspol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Bendery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Understand Moldova. . . 562
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 565
Warsaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600
Mazovia & Podlasie . . . . 613
Łódź . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
Małopolska . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Kraków. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Lublin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Kozłówka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633
Zamość . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633
Carpathian
Mountains. . . . . . . . . . . . 635
Zakopane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635
Tatra Mountains. . . . . . . . 637
Dunajec Gorge . . . . . . . . . 639
Przemyśl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
Silesia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640
Wrocław. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640
Sudeten Mountains. . . . . 645
Wielkopolska. . . . . . . . . 646
Poznań. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
Pomerania. . . . . . . . . . . 650
Gdańsk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650
Toruń . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658
Szczecin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
Warmia & Masuria. . . . 663
Elbląg-Ostróda Canal. . . .663
Frombork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
Olsztyn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
Great Masurian Lakes. . . 666
Understand Poland . . . 666
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 670
MONTENEGRO. . . . . 569
Bay of Kotor . . . . . . . . . . 572
Herceg Novi . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
Perast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
Kotor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
Tivat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
Adriatic Coast. . . . . . . . . 578
Budva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578
Pržno & Sveti .
Stefan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579
Petrovac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580
Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580
Ulcinj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581
Central Montenegro. . . . 582
Lovćen National Park . . . 582
Cetinje . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Lake Skadar National .
Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Podgorica . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585
Ostrog Monastery . . . . . . 587
Northern Mountains . . 588
Morača Canyon. . . . . . . . . 588
Kolašin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588
Biogradska Gora .
National Park . . . . . . . . . . 589
Durmitor .
National Park . . . . . . . . . . 589
Understand
Montenegro. . . . . . . . . . . 591
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 594
ROMANIA. . . . . . . . . . 677
Bucharest . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Transylvania . . . . . . . . . 690
Sinaia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691
Braşov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694
Sighişoara. . . . . . . . . . . . . 698
Sibiu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Cluj-Napoca . . . . . . . . . . . 702
Crişana & Banat. . . . . . . 705
Contents
Timişoara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Oradea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
Maramureş. . . . . . . . . . . 709
Sighetu Marmaţiei. . . . . . . 710
Valea Izei. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712
Moldavia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
Iaşi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
Suceava. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Southern Bucovina . . . . . . 718
Danube Delta & Black
Sea Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Danube Delta . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Constanţa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Mamaia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 727
Vama Veche. . . . . . . . . . . . 728
Understand Romania. . . 729
Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 733
Understand Serbia. . . . . 822
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 824
SLOVAKIA. . . . . . . . . 827
Moscow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742
Veliky Novgorod. . . . . . . 759
St Petersburg. . . . . . . . . 761
Kaliningrad Region. . . . . 778
Kaliningrad . . . . . . . . . . . . 779
Svetlogorsk . . . . . . . . . . . 786
Kurshskaya Kosa .
National Park . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Understand Russia. . . . . 788
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 792
Bratislava. . . . . . . . . . . . 830
West Slovakia. . . . . . . . 839
Trenčín. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839
Central Slovakia. . . . . . . 841
Žilina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
Malá Fatra National .
Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843
Banská Bystrica & .
Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 846
Tatra Mountains. . . . . . . 847
Poprad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
High Tatras . . . . . . . . . . . . 848
Belá Tatras. . . . . . . . . . . . . 854
East Slovakia. . . . . . . . . . 855
Kežmarok. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855
Pieniny National Park. . . 855
Levoča . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 856
Spišské Podhradie. . . . . . 857
Slovenský Raj & .
Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
Košice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 861
Bardejov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866
Bardejovské Kúpele. . . . . 867
Understand Slovakia. . . 867
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 870
SERBIA. . . . . . . . . . . . 799
SLOVENIA. . . . . . . . . 873
RUSSIA. . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Belgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . 802
Zemun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813
Vojvodina. . . . . . . . . . . . . 813
Novi Sad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814
Subotica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816
Southern Serbia. . . . . . . 817
Niš . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Novi Pazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819
Kopaonik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Zlatibor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Ljubljana . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875
Julian Alps. . . . . . . . . . . . 887
Lake Bled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888
Lake Bohinj. . . . . . . . . . . . 892
Kranjska Gora. . . . . . . . . . 894
Soča Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . 895
Karst & Coast . . . . . . . . 897
Postojna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Škocjan Caves . . . . . . . . . 898
Koper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 899
Piran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900
Portorož. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904
Eastern Slovenia . . . . . 904
Maribor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Ptuj. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Understand Slovenia. . 906
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 908
UKRAINE. . . . . . . . . . 913
Kyiv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 915
Lviv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925
Kamyanets-Podilsky . . . 932
Odesa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934
Crimea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Simferopol . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Yalta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Bakhchysaray . . . . . . . . . 944
Understand Ukraine. . . 946
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 952
SURVIVAL
GUIDE
Directory A-Z. . . . . . . . . . 958
Transport. . . . . . . . . . . . . 971
Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . 979
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999
Map Legend. . . . . . . . . . 1013
ger
ra k
#
_
Elb
^
#
# Ústi
^
e
Plzeň
#
^
Zielona
Góra
SEA
Vi
stu
la
#Wroclaw
^
#
^
#
^
Kielce
Łodź
#
Białystok ^
#
Suwałki ^
RUSSIA
#
Zamość ^
#
^
Lublin
# Brest
^
St Petersburg
# Chernihiv
^
_ Kyiv
#
#
Homel ^
Minsk
#
# Mahileu ^
un _
as
# Kovel
^
St Petersburg
Russia’s ‘Venice of the North’ is
unforgettably beautiful (p761)
Top Experiences ›
RUSSIA
# Moscow
_
#
^
Sumy
# Kharkiv
^
Red Square, Moscow
Russia’s beating, brutal heart
is an amazing place (p746)
Curonian Spit
Wander the dunes of this stunning
natural phenomenon (p507)
#
^
Lake
Ladoga
#
Vitsebsk ^
BELARUS
Nem
#
_
Vilnius
# Hrodna
^
#
^
Kaunas
#
^
Daugavpils
Rēzekne
LATVIA
# Šiauliai
^
#
Rīga_
Gulf of
Rīga
#
^
#
^
Tartu
ESTONIA
#
^
nd 60°N
Narva
in l a
of F
LITHUANIA
# Warsaw
_
#
Olsztyn ^
#
^
Kaliningrad
Curonian Spit
Klaipėda ^
#
#
Liepāja ^
POLAND
#Poznań
^
# Szczecin
^
Nad
Labem
_ Prague
#
Berlin
GERMANY
Bornholm
BALTIC
Öland
Hiiumaa
#
Tallinn _
G ul f
#
_
Helsinki
FINLAND
Saaremaa Pärnu ^
#
Åland
#
Ventspils ^
Gotland
Koszalin ^
#
# Gdańsk ^
Rügen
55°N
DENMARK
#
_
Copenhagen
#
_
20°E
Gulf of
Bothnia
Stockholm
SWEDEN
Lake
Vanern
# Oslo
_
Prague
The Czech capital delights all
visitors with its beauty (p276)
Sk a
10°E
NORWAY
15°E
lga
› Eastern Europe
k
Vo
ga
Katt
Don
ra
Od
#
_
Danu
Sicily
Mostar
#
_
KOSOVO
# Skopje
_
# Niš
^
Kârdzhali
#
]
IONIAN SEA
Corfu
Ohrid
AEGEAN
SEA
Berat
Don’t miss Albania’s ‘town of
a thousand windows’ (p61)
GREECE
#
Berat ^
#
^
Korça
Lesvos
40°N
Sea of
Marmara
# Burgas
^
o
#
^
#
Luhansk ^
# Zaporiyhzhya
^
Danube
Delta
# Odesa
^
Yalta
45°N
Sea of Asov
Black Sea Beaches
Take a break on Bulgaria’s
golden sands (p187)
# Ankara
_
TURKEY
Budapest
Hungary’s capital teems with
unique energy (p379)
Do
BLACK SEA
Transylvania
Medieval castles and stunning
scenery await in Romania (p690)
#
]
#
^
Simferopol
CRIMEA
# Kherson
^
# Donetsk
^
Dnipropetrovsk
High Tatras
Take spectacular hikes in Slovakia’s
marvellous mountains (p848)
# Constanţa
^
# Varna
^
ipr
# Kirovohrad
^
Dn
Ohrid
Macedonia’s holy lake and monastery
enjoy a stunning setting (p527)
BULGARIA
Veliko
# Târnovo
\
RA P LA N INA
Plovdiv ]
#
# Sofia
_
STA
# Montana
^
# Craiova
^
#
Tulcea ^
MOLDOVA
Chişinău
#
^
#
_
Iaşi
# Bucharest
_
ROMANIA
Braşov
#
^
#
^
Suceava
# Chernivtsi
^
TRANSYLVANIA
# Sibiu
^
UKRAINE
Kraków
Poland’s royal capital and great
survivor is a must (p616)
Rod
#
^
ALBANIA
o pi M
ounta
i ns
MACEDONIA
#
Tirana _
#
Shkodra ]
#
#
_
Kotor ]
Kotor
Majestic rock ramparts defend
this Montenegrin charmer (p574)
TYRRHENIAN
SEA
Dubrovnik
Croatia’s finest old town
is simply spectacular (p256)
40 ° N
#
]
MONTENEGRO
# Podgorica Pristina
Dubrovnik ^
Brać
Hvar
#
Split ^
Mostar
Come to see Mostar’s
rebuilt Old Bridge (p124)
# Rome
_
#
^
#
_
BOSNIA &
Belgrade
HERCEGOVINA
SERBIA
#
Sarajevo _
p
ADRIATIC
SEA
#
^
CROATIA Novi Sad
# Pécs
^
#
^
# Timişoara
^
Debrecen
# Budapest ^
_
#
# Lviv
^
#
Bistrita ^
# Cluj^
Napoca
# Uzhhorod
Košice ^
#
^
SLOVAKIA
#
^
#
^
Przemyśl
Zakopane
Lake HUNGARY
Balaton
Szeged
Győr
#
^
Banja Luka
Al
ITALY
c
ar i
D in
#
Zadar ]
Pula
#
]
# Rijeka
^
Trenčín
#
\
# Bratislava
_
# Zagreb
_
va
Sa
#
_
San
Marino
45°N
# Trieste
^
# Ljubljana
_
SLOVENIA
Český Krumlov
A charming, historic Czech town
with a wonderful setting (p312)
Vienna
AUSTRIA
be
A
N
N
20°E
#
]
#
^
Olomouc Kraków
# Brno
^
#
\
P
IA
U
S
25°E
Český
Krumlov
CZECH REPUBLIC
R
Ti
sa
A
H
O
IN
30°E
15°E
C
T
M
TA
35°E
n
33
Itineraries
Whether you’ve got six days or
60, these itineraries provide a
starting point for the trip of a
lifetime. Want more inspiration?
Head online to lonelyplanet.
com/thorntree to chat with other
travellers.
POLAND
É
PRAGUE
Plzeň
Oświęcim •
# Kraków
•
#
•
# Kutná
UKRAINE
Hora
É
É
GERMANY
É
É
•
#
_
#
CZECH REPUBLIC
SLOVAKIA
•
# Eger
_ BRATISLAVA
#
É
É
_
#
AUSTRIA
ROMANIA
É
HUNGARY
BUDAPEST
•
# Pécs
ITALY
SLOVENIA
Adriatic
Sea
CROATIA
SERBIA
BOSNIA
& HERZEGOVINA
Two Weeks
Essential Eastern Europe
Begin your trip in Prague, spending several days absorbing the Old Town, Malá Strana and the magnificent Prague Castle. Don’t miss nearby towns such as beer lovers’
mecca Plzeň and beautiful Kutná Hora.
On day five head by train into Poland and regal Kraków, with its gobsmacking
Old Town and the vast Rynek Główny (Main Market Sq). Spending three nights here allows
you to get to know the Wawel Castle complex, off-beat Kazimierz and a day trip to harrowing Oświęcim (Auschwitz).
On day eight head south to Slovakia, where you’ll pass through magnificent scenery in
the High Tatras before arriving in Bratislava, with its grand castle and wonderful Danube
views.
On day 10 take a boat down the Danube to Budapest, where you can spend hours in
luxurious sulphur baths, explore the famous coffee houses and take in the dazzling art
and architecture of the forward-looking Hungarian capital. From here visit the Hungarian
countryside – try the baroque city of Eger, or Pécs, full of relics from the Turkish occupation.
34
St Petersburg
•
#
FINLAND
É
_ TALLINN
#
Veliky
Novgorod
ESTONIA
Saaremaa
RUSSIA
•
#
•
#
_ LATVIA
#
RĪGA
LITHUANIA
Curonian •
#
VILNIUS
B A LT I C
Spit
# É
_
É
SEA
_ MINSK
#
RUSSIA
BELARUS
É
É
_
WARSAW #
_ KYIV
#
GERMANY
É
Lviv
UKRAINE
•
#
CZECH
REPUBLIC
SLOVAKIA
HUNGARY
É
É
POLAND
AUSTRIA
_
#
É
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
Sigulda
Ventspils
MOSCOW
É
•
#
SWEDEN
•
#
ROMANIA
MOLDOVA
Sea of
Azov
Three Weeks
East of East Tour
Begin in bustling Warsaw, where you can see the reconstructed Old Town and learn
about its dark history. From here, head by train to Lviv, Ukraine’s most beautiful city,
and spend a day enjoying the Old Town’s churches and the undeniable beauty of a
city that is yet to be discovered by the tour-group crowd. From Lviv, continue by train
to fascinating and historic Kyiv, the Jerusalem of East Slavonic culture.
After a few days enjoying the sights in the Ukrainian capital, including the awesome
Caves Monastery Complex, take the sleeper train to the megalopolis Moscow, Europe’s
biggest city and a place of striking extremes, dazzling wealth and gridlocked traffic. Drink
in the history of the Kremlin, see Lenin’s Mausoleum, St Basil’s Cathedral and Red Sq, and
sample the nightlife and fashion for which the city is now rightly famous.
On day 10 get out of Moscow and visit picturesque Veliky Novgorod en route to the
beautiful baroque and neoclassical architecture of mind-blowing St Petersburg. You can
easily spend three or four days in the city itself, although there are abundant sights outside
it as well, such as the tsarist palaces of Petrodvorets or Tsarskoe Selo.
From Russia take the train to Estonia’s magical capital, Tallinn, where you can soak
up the medieval Old Town and the rural delights of Saaremaa before heading south to
Latvia. The Latvian capital Rīga boasts Europe’s finest collection of art nouveau architecture and is a delightful place to spend a few days. Latvia has plenty of other highlights
to offer though, such as the caves and medieval castles of Sigulda and the breathtaking
Baltic coastline around Ventspils. Finally, cross into Lithuania, where a couple of nights in
charming Vilnius will reveal the Baltic’s least known and most underrated capital. From
Vilnius make a trip to the huge sand dunes and fragile ecological environment of the amazing Curonian Spit. Those who have made the effort to get a visa can then take the train
to the isolated republic of Belarus and its Stalinist-style capital Minsk before re-entering
Poland and heading back to Warsaw.
35
Braşov
•
#
•
#
É
HUNGARY
É
Cluj- •
#
Napoca
AUSTRIA
Julian
Alps
R SLOVENIA
É
É
ROMANIA
CROATIA
_ BUCHAREST
#
É
BOSNIA
& HERCEGOVINA
#
Dalmatian •
Coast
Adriatic
Sea
Veliko
Târnovo •
#
SERBIA
_ SARAJEVO
#
Mostar•
#
É
É
•
#
#
Kotor •
•
# Shkodra
Sveti
Stefan •
#Kruja
_
TIRANA #
ITALY
Black
Sea
_ SOFIA BULGARIA
#
MONTENEGRO
Dubrovnik
•
#
•
# Varna
É
_ SKOPJE
#
MACEDONIA
# Ohrid
É •
•
# Berat
ALBANIA
Ionian
Sea
GREECE
Aegean
Sea
Four Weeks
The Balkans & Beyond
Begin in lively little Slovenia, with a cheap flight to charming Ljubljana. Indulge
in superb scenery and adrenaline-rush mountain sports in the Julian Alps before
heading south to the Croatian coast and working your way through the beaches
along the Dalmatian coast. Stop in Dubrovnik to explore the Old Town, its vast
ramparts and the surrounding islands, which shouldn’t be missed. Take a side trip to Bosnia – perhaps a day trip to Mostar to see the legendary bridge and the interesting multiethnic community that has enjoyed rejuvenation since the Balkan War, or a night or two in
the bustling capital of Sarajevo.
Continue south into Montenegro, one of Europe’s youngest countries. Visit the historic
walled city of Kotor, see the wonderful coastline and surrounding hills, and enjoy some of
the country’s beautiful beaches around Sveti Stefan before heading into Albania.
From the northern city of Shkodra take a bus straight on to Tirana, a mountain-shrouded
ramshackle capital on the rise. Make an excursion to historic Kruja and the gorgeous Unescolisted heritage town of Berat before taking a bus through the mountains into little-explored
Macedonia, ending up in beautiful Ohrid. Spend at least two days here, enjoying the wonderful monastery and swimming in the eponymous lake. Make your way to Skopje, Macedonia’s
fun capital, from where you can head overland into Bulgaria.
Your obvious first stop is Sofia, one of Europe’s best value capitals and a little-known
gem. But there’s more good stuff to come once you continue east to Veliko Târnovo, the
awesome ancient capital and a university town with a dramatic setting over a fast-flowing
river. From here it’s an easy bus to the beach at Varna, complete with marvellous museums,
Roman ruins and open-air nightclubs.
Finally plunge into Romania. Start off in Bucharest for excellent food and nightlife and a
taste of megalomaniac architecture before heading to mythic Transylvania. Use Cluj-Napoca
as your base for visiting the region of Maramureş, then head for the medieval superlatives of
Sibiu and Braşov before reaching the Danube Delta, where you can ogle birds, dine on fish
and enjoy some of the quietest beaches in Europe.
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
_ LJUBLJANA
#
•
#
Danube
Delta
Sibiu
36
LITHUANIA
RUSSIA
MINSK
Belavezhskaya
Pushcha
National Park
RUSSIA
_
#
•
#
•
# Chornobyl
Brest
_ KYIV
#
POLAND
UKRAINE
MOLDOVA
ClujNapoca
•
# ROMANIA
É
HUNGARY
•
#
SERBIA
É
Timişoara
Sibiu
•
#
Iaşi •
#
Tiraspol
_
#
•
#
CHIŞINĂU
É
SLOVAKIA
CROATIA
É
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
•
#
É
É
BELARUS
•
#
Odesa
É
•
# Simferopol
#
Bakhchysaray •
•
# Yalta
•
#
Braşov
BLACK SEA
Four Weeks
On The Edge
Begin with a cheap flight from Western Europe to Timişoara or Cluj-Napoca in
Romania before getting medieval in Sibiu and/or Braşov and making a run to lively
Iaşi, near the Moldovan border.
Here the real adventure starts – cross into Moldova and head for the entertaining
capital, Chişinău, where partying is a way of life and the excellent local wine is plentiful
and cheap, including that from the must-visit vineyards of Cricova. Travel into Transdniestr,
a country that doesn’t officially exist and where the clock has resolutely stopped somewhere
in the mid-1980s. In the fascinating ‘capital’ Tiraspol you’ll feel as if time has stood still
since the Soviet era, though change is slowly happening even here.
Entering Ukraine, make a beeline for the ethnic melting pot at Odesa and enjoy the
relaxed pace of the Black Sea and its raucous nightlife during the summer months. If you
want to check out the rest of the Crimea, head to Simferopol, the area’s capital and transport hub. From here you can make a loop around the peninsula to admire the mountainous
landscapes, the tsarist-era palaces near Yalta, and the fantastic Khan’s Palace and monastery
at Bakhchysaray.
When you have had your fill of sun and sea, head north to Kyiv, which demands several
days’ attention. This modern capital city is at once the ancient seat of Slavic and Orthodox
culture and a modern, industrial Soviet city. Don’t miss the Caves Monastery Complex and
St Sophia’s Cathedral. If you dare, book a tour to Chornobyl and become one of the few
people in the world to visit the towns nearby to the ill-fated reactor No 4.
The final stop on this tour through the most remote parts of the region is Belarus, Europe’s so-called ‘last dictatorship’. Have a blast in monolithic Minsk and find a surprising amount going on in a city dominated by huge Stalinist avenues and Soviet memorials.
Heading southwest, stop at Brest on the border and use it as a base to visit Belavezhskaya
Pushcha National Park, where you’ll be able to see Europe’s largest mammal, the zoobr
(European bison) as well as a host of other wild beauties before crossing back into the EU.
37
•
# St Petersburg
SWEDEN
–
#
DENMARK
Curonian
Spit
Hel
•
#
#•
Łeba •
#•
# Kaliningrad
•
#•
#
É
Malbork
Gdańsk
POLAND
#
Poznań •
GERMANY Wrocław •
#
RUSSIA
BELARUS
UKRAINE
Kraków
Raj &
÷ Slovenský
#
Tatra Mountains
•
#
CZECH
REPUBLIC
BRATISLAVA #
_
AUSTRIA
Lake Balaton
•
# Szeged ROMANIA
#
Novi Sad •
•
#
É
FRANCE
BLACK SEA
É
_ BELGRADE
#
ITALY
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
BULGARIA
•
# Morača Canyon
#•
Kotor •
#
Shkodra
_ TIRANA
#
•
# Berat
•
#
# Gjirokastra
Saranda •
TURKEY
Four Weeks
The Ionian to the Baltic
This trip takes you from Eastern Europe’s south to its northern tip. Arrive in mountainous Albania by ferry from Corfu at the busy port of Saranda, then stay the night
and try to see the glorious ruins of Butrint right on the Greek border. Afterwards,
travel up through Albania to Tirana via either Gjirokastra or Berat – two of Albania’s loveliest old towns. Spend a day or two exploring the Albanian capital before taking the
bus to Shkodra and journeying on to Montenegro.
Don’t miss lovely Kotor and its spectacular setting and old town, before picking up an
overnight sleeper train to Belgrade from Bar, 60km southeast of Kotor. The scenery en
route is spectacular, especially around the Morača Canyon.
Arriving the next morning in Belgrade you’ll be struck by how vibrant and rejuvenated
the Serbian capital is – it’s definitely worth giving it a couple of days. Continue north to
Novi Sad – if you come in July you might catch the EXIT Festival, held annually in the city’s
historic hilltop fortress.
Cross into Hungary at pretty Szeged and head for Lake Balaton for some sublime
swimming. Keep surging north into Slovakia, aiming for plucky traveller favourite Bratislava, where it’s perfectly acceptable to kick back and enjoy the good food and nightlife
for a few days before going on to the incredible scenery of Slovenský Raj National Park.
Crossing the Tatra Mountains into Poland, travel via Kraków to unsung gem Wrocław,
spending a few days in both before dropping in on beautifully restored Poznań. From here,
the Baltic is yours. Try any of the towns along the coast: Hel and Łeba are both recommended for beaches, wildlife and water sports; Malbork is famed for Europe’s biggest Gothic
castle; while bustling Hanseatic Gdańsk (formerly the German Free City of Danzig) is the
thriving port city where WWII broke out and the Solidarity social movement was born. Next
up is the plucky Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad – remember to have sorted your visa
ahead of your arrival – spend some time in the decidedly German city and venture out to see
the Curonian Spit as well. Fly on to St Petersburg, the most northern city in this book, for
several days spent in Eastern Europe’s most beautiful architectural ensemble.
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
NORTH
SEA
38
FINLAND
#
Petrodvorets •
Gulf of
Finland
É
_
#
•
#
Narva
TALLINN
ESTONIA
É
Pärnu
RUSSIA
•
#
#
Saaremaa •
É
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
SWEDEN
•
# St Petersburg
Gulf of
Rīga
•
# Sigulda
_ RĪGA
#
B A LT I C
SEA
LATVIA
•
# Šiauliai
É
LITHUANIA
#
Kaunas •
BELARUS
_ VILNIUS
#
RUSSIA
Two Weeks
Baltic Blast
This trip along the Baltic coast takes you through four very different countries and
across a region that few travellers ever get to know beyond the universally loved
capital cities of Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius. Beginning in the gloriously beautiful Baltic
city of St Petersburg for three nights, see the Hermitage, the Admiralty and vast
Nevsky Prospekt’s mansions and palatial residences. For a real palace, head to the superbly
restored out-of-town Petrodvorets, which belonged to Peter the Great and is positioned
with glorious views over the Baltic.
Travel across the border to Narva, walking across the long bridge connecting Russia and
Estonia while soaking up great views of the castle. Carry on to the Estonian capital Tallinn
for two days and wander the charmingly chocolate-box streets of the 14th- and 15th-century
Old Town before heading to the beautiful, remote and pine-forest-clad island of Saaremaa
for a day or two’s exploration. From Saaremaa, head to the inviting Estonian beach resort
of Pärnu for a slice of Eastern European holidaymaking (think mud baths, Bacchanalian
youth and golden-sand beaches) before continuing south into Latvia.
Stop off in cheerful, castle-rich Sigulda and spend a day or two walking in tranquil landscapes and thick forests of the Gauja National Park before going to Rīga for a couple of
nights. Latvia’s delightful capital, where you can soak up the fantastic architecture, the Old
Town and friendly atmosphere, has plenty to keep you interested for several days. Lithuania
is next up – and it greets you straight away with its astounding hill of crosses in Šiauliai, a
must-see even if there’s no reason to dawdle. Charming university town Kaunas is Lithuania’s second city and boasts a leafy old centre and friendly locals, as well as being just a short
distance away from the chilling Ninth Fort concentration camp.
Finally, end your journey in beautiful Vilnius, the country’s crowning glory, which boasts
the biggest Old Town in the Baltic and is still relatively undiscovered by tour groups. To add
to its quirky kudos, don’t miss the Frank Zappa memorial or the wonderfully idiosyncratic
Užupis Republic, a kernal of counter culture at the city’s heart.
39
BELARUS
WARSAW
_
#
P O LAN D
GERMANY
PL AN YOUR TRIP I T I N E R A R I E S
É
UKRAINE
Oświęcim
CZECH
REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA
É
_
#
AUSTRIA
SLOVENIA
MOLDOVA
BUDAPEST
É
HUNGARY
CROATIA
_ BUCHAREST
#
BOSNIA &
SERBIA
HERCEGOVINA
ITALY
ROMANIA
Adriatic
Sea
SOFIA
MONTENEGRO KOSOVO
ALBANIA
_
#
É
_
PRAGUE #
# Kraków
•
# •
•
# Veliko Târnovo
BULGARIA
•
# Rila Monastery
MACEDONIA
Black
Sea
TURKEY
GREECE
Two Weeks
Eastern Europe 101
Only got two weeks and want to see the most you can in such a limited time? This
itinerary is for you. Start off by flying to the Polish capital Warsaw for one night,
seeing the beautifully restored Old Town and eating delicious pierogi (dumplings)
before taking the train south to Kraków for two nights, giving you time to see the
Old Town, Wawel Castle and Kazimierz, and to do a day trip to Oświęcim (Auschwitz)
before taking the overnight train to Prague for two days of intensive sightseeing – Prague
Castle, Charles Bridge, wandering the Malá Strana and the Old Town and tasting genuine
Czech Beer in a local brewery.
Take another overnight train to Budapest for two nights in Hungary. Soak in the city’s
glorious Gellért Baths, take a cruise on the Danube, see the magnificent Hungarian Parliament building and wander Castle Hill before yet another overnight train to Romania’s much
underrated capital, Bucharest. With a one-night stay you can cover the main sights, including the amazing Palace of Parliament, wander the small historic centre and pick up a sense
of the city’s energy in its bars and clubs.
Continue by train to wonderful and much-overlooked Veliko Târnovo in Northern Bulgaria for one night, a stunning and unusually located university town and a far more ‘every
day’ Eastern European town than most national capitals. While here, find the time to see
the ancient Tsarevets Fortress (and stick around for the nightly summer light show) before
finishing up your two weeks by taking the train to Sofia for two last nights that will give you
a taste of the plucky Bulgarian capital, including the wonderful golden-domed Aleksander
Nevski Church. On your last day take a day trip through the Rila Mountains to the unmissable Rila Monastery, the country’s holiest site and one of the most important monasteries
in Eastern Europe. From here you can fly out of Sofia or continue to bigger air hubs such as
nearby Athens or İstanbul to get a flight home.
Every listing is recommended by our authors, and their
favourite places are listed first
Look out for these icons:
Our author’s top
recommendation
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ALBANIA�� 46 Thracian Plain & .
HUNGARY ��377
Tirana��49
Around Tirana��56
Northern Albania��56
Central Albania��58
Southern Coast ��64
Eastern Albania ��68
Understand Albania��70
Survival Guide�� 74
Budapest��379
The Danube Bend �� 398
Northwestern .
Hungary�� 403
South Central .
Hungary��410
Southeastern .
Hungary�� 414
Northeastern .
Hungary�� 420
Understand Hungary��427
Survival Guide�� 431
BELARUS�� 79
Minsk ��82
Around Minsk��90
Southern Belarus��92
Northern Belarus��96
Understand Belarus��98
Survival Guide�� 102
the Rodopis�� 168
Central Bulgaria��174
Black Sea Coast�� 187
Northwest Bulgaria�� 199
Understand Bulgaria�� 200
Survival Guide�� 204
CROATIA ��209
Zagreb ��211
Istria��226
Kvarner Region��234
Dalmatia ��239
Understand Croatia��262
Survival Guide��267
CZECH
REPUBLIC�� 273
Prague��276
KOSOVO�� 437
Pristina�� 440
Around Pristina �� 443
Understand Kosovo�� 445
Survival Guide��447
BOSNIA &
HERCEGOVINA��107 Around Prague�� 300 LATVIA��449
Sarajevo��110
Around Sarajevo�� 122
Hercegovina �� 123
Eastern Bosnia &
Hercegovina �� 134
Central & Western .
Bosnia �� 136
Understand Bosnia &
Hercegovina �� 143
Survival Guide��147
BULGARIA�� 151
Sofia �� 154
Around Sofia�� 163
Rila & Pirin .
Mountains�� 164
Bohemia�� 304
Moravia �� 316
Understand Czech .
Republic��328
Survival Guide��332
ESTONIA �� 337
Rīga��452
Around Rīga �� 469
Western Latvia��470
Eastern Latvia��472
Understand Latvia�� 474
Survival Guide��476
Tallinn�� 340
Northeastern .
Estonia��356
Southeastern .
Estonia��358
Western Estonia�� 363
Understand Estonia��370
Survival Guide��373
Vilnius��481
Around Vilnius �� 496
Eastern & Southern .
Lithuania�� 498
Central Lithuania�� 498
Western Lithuania �� 504
LITHUANIA �� 479
See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.
On the Road
Understand .
Lithuania�� 509
Survival Guide��511
MACEDONIA��515
Skopje ��517
Western Macedonia��526
Central Macedonia��533
Understand .
Macedonia��538
Survival Guide�� 541
MOLDOVA��545
Chişinău�� 548
Around Chişinău��556
Transdniestr ��557
Understand Moldova��562
Survival Guide��565
MONTENEGRO��569
Bay of Kotor �� 572
Adriatic Coast��578
Central Montenegro��582
Northern Mountains �� 588
Understand .
Montenegro�� 591
Survival Guide�� 594
POLAND�� 597
Warsaw�� 600
Mazovia & Podlasie�� 613
Małopolska �� 616
Carpathian .
Mountains��635
Silesia�� 640
Wielkopolska�� 646
Pomerania�� 650
Warmia & Masuria�� 663
Understand Poland �� 666
Survival Guide��670
ROMANIA��677
Bucharest ��679
Transylvania �� 690
Crişana & Banat��705
Maramureş ��709
Moldavia �� 714
Danube Delta & Black .
Sea Coast ��721
Understand Romania��729
Survival Guide ��733
West Slovakia�� 839
Central Slovakia�� 841
Tatra Mountains��847
East Slovakia��855
Understand Slovakia��867
Survival Guide��870
SLOVENIA�� 873
Ljubljana ��875
Julian Alps��887
Karst & Coast ��897
Eastern Slovenia �� 904
Understand Slovenia�� 906
Survival Guide�� 908
UKRAINE�� 913
RUSSIA�� 739 Kyiv �� 915
Moscow �� 742
Veliky Novgorod��759
St Petersburg�� 761
Kaliningrad Region��778
Understand Russia��788
Survival Guide��792
SERBIA�� 799
Belgrade�� 802
Around Belgrade �� 813
Vojvodina�� 813
Southern Serbia�� 817
Understand Serbia��822
Survival Guide��824
SLOVAKIA�� 827
Bratislava�� 830
Around Bratislava �� 839
Lviv ��925
Kamyanets-Podilsky ��932
Odesa �� 934
Crimea �� 940
Understand Ukraine�� 946
Survival Guide��952
Anja Mutić
Croatia It’s been more than two decades since Anja left her native Croatia. The
journey took her to several countries before she made New York City her base 13
years ago. But the roots are calling and she’s been returning to Croatia frequently
for work and play. She’s happy that Croatia’s beauties are appreciated worldwide
but secretly longs for the time when you could head to Hvar and hear the sound
of crickets instead of blasting music. Anja is online at www.everthenomad.com.
Brandon Presser
Latvia His wanderlust bigger than his wallet, Brandon earned his backpacker
stripes after an epic overland adventure from Morocco to Finland. He then joined
the glamourous ranks of eternal nomadism, and has since travelled to over 75
countries and has contributed to roughly 40 Lonely Planet titles. He is the lead
author of the Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania series, and is always delighted to return
to the Baltic where he puts his Harvard art history degree to good use while
checking out Rīga’s surplus of evocative art nouveau architecture. For more about Brandon, check
out www.brandonpresser.com..
Tim Richards
Poland Tim taught English in Kraków in the 1990s, and was fascinated by Poland’s post-communist transition. He’s returned repeatedly for Lonely Planet,
deepening his relationship with this beautiful, complex country. In 2011 Tim
released a Kindle ebook collecting his media articles about Poland, We Have Here
the Homicide. When he’s not on the road for Lonely Planet, Tim is a freelance
journalist in Melbourne, Australia, writing about travel and the arts. You can find
his blog and social media contacts at www.iwriter.com.au.
Tamara Sheward
Serbia After years of freelance travel writing, rock’n’roll journalism and insalubrious authordom, Tamara joined the Lonely Planet ranks as the presenter of
LPTV’s Roads Less Travelled: Cambodia documentary. Since then, she’s stuck to
covering decidedly less leech-infested destinations, including arctic Russia and
Serbia. She lives between northern Serbia, a mountain shack in Montenegro and
Melbourne with her husband Dušan, whom she never would have met were it not
for some late night ‘researching’ for the last edition of Eastern Europe.
Luke Waterson
Slovakia Dividing his love affair with Slovakia between the castles, the mountains, pirohy (potato dumplings) and (more unexplainably) Soviet architecture,
Luke has, besides contributions to 15 Lonely Planet titles, written for BBC Travel,
the Guardian, Avalon Travel Publishing and a clutch of in-flight magazines (thus
keeping you entertained even in mid-air). He lives on the very edge of Bratislava,
conveniently located for slurping Small Carpathian wine and his favourite (nonwriting) weekend activity is hiking into the hills to a quirky krčma (rural pub).
Read more about Luke at:
lonelyplanet.com/memebers/lukewaterson
Chris Deliso
Macedonia Chris Deliso is an American travel writer and journalist who has
been based in Macedonia for over a decade, writing considerably about the
country since then in a range of world media. In addition to covering Macedonia
for the current book, he has written for Lonely Planet guides to Greece, Crete,
Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. His original enthusiasm for the region and introduction to its cultures and history came with an MPhil in Byzantine Studies at
Oxford University in 1999.
Marc Di Duca
Ukraine Driven by an urge to discover Eastern Europe’s wilder side, Marc first
hit Kyiv one dark, snow-flecked night in early 1998. Many prolonged stints,
countless near misses with Kyiv’s metro doors and a few too many overheated
bus journeys later, he still never misses a chance to fine-tune his Russian while
exploring far-flung nooks of this immense land. Marc has penned guides to
Moscow, Siberia’s Lake Baikal, Russia and the Trans-Siberian Railway; this is his
23rd Lonely Planet contribution.
Read more about Marc at:
lonelyplanet.com/memebers/madidu
Peter Dragicevich
Montenegro After a dozen years working for newspapers and magazines in both
his native New Zealand and Australia, Peter ditched the desk and hit the road.
While it was family ties that first drew him to the Balkans, it’s the history, natural
beauty and intriguing people that keep bringing him back. He wrote Lonely Planet’s first guide to the newly independent Montenegro and has contributed to dozens of other Lonely Planet titles, including four successive editions of this book.
Mark Elliott
Bosnia & Hercegovina British-born travel writer Mark Elliott was only 11 when his
family first dragged him to Sarajevo and stood him in the now defunct concrete
footsteps of Gavrilo Princip. Fortunately no Austro-Hungarian emperors were
passing at the time. He has since visited virtually every corner of Bosnia and
Hercegovina, supping fine Hercegovinian wines with master vintners, talking
philosophy with Serb monks and Sufi mystics, and drinking more Bosnian coffee
than any healthy stomach should be subjected to.
Steve Fallon
Hungary Steve, who has written every edition of the Lonely Planet Hungary guidebook, first visited Magyarország in the early 1980s by chance. It was a brief visit
but he immediately fell in love with thermal baths, Tokaj wine and bableves (bean
soup). Not able to survive on the occasional fleeting fix, he moved to Budapest in
1992, where he could enjoy all three in abundance. Now based in London, Steve
returns to Hungary regularly for all these things and more: pálinka (fruit-flavoured
brandy), art nouveau and the haunting voice of Marta Sebestyén.
Anna Kaminski
Lithuania Having been going to Lithuania since it was still part of the Soviet Union, Anna finds a lot to appreciate about the country, from the familiar relics of
Communism to the cold beetroot soup – a childhood favourite. Vilnius’s cobbled
streets aside, she particularly enjoys revisiting the fishing villages and sand dunes
of Curonian Spit.
OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of
adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed
for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to
Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but
inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling
together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap.
Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London and
Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook
should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.
OUR WRITERS
Tom Masters
Coordinating Author, Albania, Belarus, Kosovo, Moldova Tom is a British writer
and photographer whose work has taken him to some of the strangest and most
challenging countries on earth. Having lived in Russia, travelled to all corners of
Eastern Europe and currently residing in East Berlin, he has a good understanding of what makes the former communist world tick. You can find more of Tom’s
work at www.tommasters.net.
Carolyn Bain
Estonia Melbourne-born Carolyn got her first glimpse behind the Iron Curtain
in Poland in early 1989, while a student in Denmark. It was the year communism
unravelled throughout Eastern Europe, and thus began her fascination. Since
then, on regular visits to the Baltic region she has applauded the renewed independence and flourishing creativity here. Among other destinations, she has
covered Sweden, Denmark and Iceland for Lonely Planet. Estonia holds a special
place in her heart for combining the best of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and coming up with
something heartwarmingly unique.
Mark Baker
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia Based permanently in Prague,
Mark has lived and worked in Eastern Europe for more than 20 years, first as
a journalist for The Economist Group and then for Bloomberg News and Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He travels frequently throughout the region and
counts Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania among his favourite countries in Europe.
In addition to this book, Mark is co-author of the Lonely Planet guides to Prague,
Slovenia, and Romania and Bulgaria.
Greg Bloom
Russia Greg cut his teeth in the former Soviet Union as a journalist and later editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Post. He left Ukraine in 2003, but returns frequently to the
region. In the service of Lonely Planet, he has been detained in Uzbekistan, taken
a shlagbaum to the head in Kyiv, swam in the dying Aral Sea, snowboarded down
volcanoes in Kamchatka and hit 100km/h in a Latvian bobsled. These days Greg
lives in Cambodia. Read about his trips at www.mytripjournal.com/bloomblogs.
Read more about Greg at:
lonelyplanet.com/memebers/gbloom4
OVER MORE
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12th edition – Oct 2013
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