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You're almost always better off flying than taking a night train if you're going between two major cities. I took a night train from Rome to Munich for 'the experience' rather than a similarly priced 2 hour flight and it was pretty miserable. I can do some write-ups on some less traveled Eastern European cities/countries (Sarajevo, Mostar, Zadar, Split, Sofia) later on if people want. I also lived in Dublin for a year and know the place like the back of my hand, though it's not a particularly exciting city. I'm moving to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria in less than a month, too.
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Jul 5, 2010 19:11
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Jack Flint posted:I'm heading in that direction next monday for three-ish weeks so any tips are appreciated. Going to at least Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, possibly Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. Interrailing with a ten travel days in 21 days -pass. In Croatia, you're better off exploring the Dalmatian coast than somewhere like Zagreb which is just a big city without a lot of character (it's like a mini-Vienna). Zadar is nice and has some beautiful old churches and a really cool arsenal and citadel as well as some remnants of the old Roman city. Split is a beautiful coastal city that's becoming a bigger tourist destination with each passing year. Its central attraction is the gigantic Roman palace of Diocletian (which is essentially the city center, it's that big), but there's also a lot of really cool bars on the waterfront. Dubrovnik is generally considered one of the most beautiful cities on Earth (I think Mostar is the most beautiful but I'm biased  ) and the walls of the Old City are really cool. If you can, try to get to Bosnia. Aside from the beauty of Mostar, Sarajevo is a city that's really worth seeing for its historical significance, especially if you remember seeing it on the news a decade and a half ago. However, I don't know if you can get to Bosnia on an interrailing pass so you'd have to take a bus.In the region, I'd see the best cities to go see are probably Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Mostar, Sarajevo, and Split. Bulgaria's best sites are outside the cities, like the Rila Monastery and the natural beauty of the Black Sea resorts and the Pirin range. The best city to go see in Bulgaria is definitely Veliko Turnovo. I'm not too well-versed on Serbia or Slovenia and I don't know Romania at all. If you have any specific questions about Croatia, Bosnia, or Bulgaria though feel free to ask!
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Jul 7, 2010 02:54
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schoenfelder posted:also, in sarajevo, eat cevapi at this one place in bascarsija square. i can't for the life of me remember the name but it ends in the number 2, so "somethingsomething 2". they have the best cevapi in the balkans, everybody knows the place. I know what you're talking about, it has a soccer ball on the sign... ah poo poo I can't think of the name either. I don't know if I'd say best cevapi in the Balkans, but it is pretty good Make sure to ask for kajmak with your cevapi!
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Jul 18, 2010 17:12
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Ireland is 18, but a lot of places set an arbitrary age at 21 to keep out the newly minted drinkers who get piss drunk and make a mess of the bar. Usually it's up to the bouncer to decide how strict he wants to be with that rule. I believe it's the same in the UK. 18 to get into bars or buy booze, 21 at some establishments, and 16 to drink in a private residence On the other hand, 14 year olds can get into clubs and drink in Bosnia without any problems.
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Jul 21, 2010 19:14
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Chippay posted:I mostly asked because I'll be with a friend and two people can share a single hotel room, but two people can't share a bed in a hostel. Only amongst the older generations. Generally anyone in their 20s or younger will be able to speak at least some English in Eastern Europe. It isn't a hard rule but English speakers are not particularly difficult to come by anywhere in Europe. A lot of the television and stuff is in English; imagine watching Telemundo all day with English subtitles, eventually you'd pick up some Spanish just by osmosis.
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Jul 23, 2010 06:08
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Cometa Rossa posted:I figure this wouldn't need its own thread. I'd recommend maybe 5 days or so for Bosnia. But I'd also recommend seeing the Dalmatian coast. It's really one of the most gorgeous places in the world and Split and Zadar are definitely worth seeing (I have never been to Dubrovnik). Honestly, if I was to do the trip, I'd probably go Berlin - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Sarajevo - Mostar - Split - Zadar. Ryanair flies out of Zadar so you can go to Dublin or western Germany from there and get a flight home (not sure whether you're American or what, but Dublin would be the best route if so). I stayed at Hotel Mostar in Mostar and Hotel Alem in Sarajevo last time I was in Bosnia. Both were cheap and more than good enough for the price (Hotel Mostar is a very nice hotel and there was only one other guest when I was there, Alem is smaller and maybe less nice but still plenty good enough and well located, it was a better deal than the place I stayed in Sarajevo before that). They offer breakfast and you should be able to book either online. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Oct 19, 2010 |
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Oct 19, 2010 09:55
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Grenyarnia posted:Alright so for New Year's me and about 15 other people will be in Berlin. Any recommendations for places to go? Also, I heard that you need to purchase tickets for some of the parties? Is this true? Have you ever gone out to a bar or club on New Years? You usually need a ticket, or at least to pay a hefty cover. Sometimes these tickets include free drinks or what have you, too. I've never been in Berlin for New Years, but I suspect it's the same as just about anywhere.
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Dec 8, 2010 23:57
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several wet dogs posted:I wouldn't be concerned if this weren't a government website, but the advice to exercise 'extreme' caution (more than any of our other destinations), the U.S issued warning about possible threats and the lovely list of recent attacks has been, well, a bit of a downer. Should I be legitimately concerned? We'd planned to come home via Istanbul after worming our way up western Turkey. I live in Bulgaria (though on the Macedonian side) and there really hasn't been much hysteria or anything about attacks in Turkey. Two of my colleagues went to Istanbul last week and had no problems, and others were there during the attack in Taksim Square. If you're going to be sticking to western Turkey (I assume Ankara and east to Istanbul in Anatolia, or do you mean Thracian Turkey in Europe?), then you should be fine.
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Dec 9, 2010 10:37
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futurebot 2000 posted:Sometimes governments issue travel warnings for political reasons, the same way they impose import tariffs. It's a good idea to check multiple sources instead of trusting a single government. Less political and more liability reasons. Governments can be sued. several wet dogs posted:That's good to hear, thank you. The general consensus seems to be "you'll be fine", but that website really caught me by surprise. I wasn't concerned at all before I found it! Sounds good. You'll just miss Macedonia and Bulgaria, but there isn't much to see here anyways. Unless you'd be nearby on Valentine's Day and like wine, that is.
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Dec 9, 2010 17:44
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soggybagel posted:Also a side question. I've had friends who have traveled all over the Europe but they were all white. The one asian guy I know when he was in Paris noticed a lot more people talking poo poo to him in French, although he simply chocked that up to the "stereotype" of rudeness, which is in fact kind of a fallacy since there are assholes in every city/country in the world. I don't think they realized he knew French quite well. What I'm asking is as an Asian person myself, is there any countries I guess I should be more 'wary' of? In cosmopolitan Western Europe, there will be tons of Asian immigrants and seeing both Asian-American and native Asian tourists is pretty much the norm. In more remote areas like the Balkans you might get some weird looks and they'll immediately place you as a foreigner (though there are Chinese communities in the former Yugoslavia that have existed for 50 years and some recent immigrants, they're exceptions), but you really shouldn't have any problems beyond that. The only place I've heard of that is notoriously hostile to Asians is Russia, but they're notoriously hostile to just about anyone. Just be prepared to be considered Chinese in Europe, no matter how American your accent, passport, upbringing, and so on. 'American' is a nationality reserved for white Americans, black Americans are 'black' and Asian Americans are 'Chinese.' At least that's been my experience. To summarize, you probably won't have any problems at all. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Dec 13, 2010 |
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Dec 13, 2010 10:06
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Prague is basically tourist Disneyland. None of those cities are remotely dangerous to a person traveling alone unless you're a frail 16 year old shut in who has never left a gated community.
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Dec 13, 2010 20:27
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I really liked the Amsterdam New Europe tour, as well as the Berlin one. Though I have to imagine it depends entirely on the guide, as others have mentioned. They're only a few hours long and as cheap as you want them to be. I ended up tipping about 20 euro in Amsterdam (for two people) we liked the tour so much. I'd skip Dublin on a similar trip, too. You want to have more time in Ireland because Dublin is pretty boring and you really want the time to be able to at least take a bus tour to Newgrange and western Ireland, and maybe up to Belfast as well.
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Dec 14, 2010 10:26
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I was told on a tour that mushrooms are illegal but truffles aren't, or something like that. It's all on a technicality. I'm not a huge fan of smoking, but Amsterdam is kind of ironic in that it's iconic as a place for smoking weed but is in practice likely one of the absolutely worst places to be high. Wouldn't be surprised if a few stoned tourists a day get taken out by bikes. It's also an awesome, awesome city and I wish I could've spent more than a few days there. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Jan 16, 2011 |
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Jan 16, 2011 15:28
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greazeball posted:There are thousands of people migrating from economically depressed areas of the EU to every city to fight tooth and nail for custodial jobs that pay 5x a good salary in Bulgaria, Romania or Poland. This is true. Keep in mind that there are also lots of Macedonians who hold Bulgarian passports as a result of the wonky rules of Balkan national identity, as well. You're going to be competing against EU citizens who have the right to work in that country, and the hiring manager will actually be breaking a law by hiring you over them. The only reason he'd do it is to be able to pay you under the table and below the minimum wage. I don't really understand the appeal of packing up and moving to Germany from the United States without any real definable goals for the move. German language proficiency probably isn't going to help you get into graduate school (unless you're studying German history, for instance) and you can learn the language in classes in the US. You probably saw a lot of cool stuff in Berlin when you were there for a week, but strip away the museums and touristy stuff and it's really not significantly different from most large American cities. If your desire is to get out of West Virginia into a more 'cosmopolitan' setting, why try to take a huge questionable leap to Europe rather than a short hop to New York, Boston, or Chicago? One possible option for Europe is applying for a Fulbright Fellowship; some countries provide a minimum stipend for dependents. I'm currently a Fulbrighter in Bulgaria. German Fulbrighters need to have significant background in the language, however. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 11:28 on Jan 24, 2011 |
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Jan 24, 2011 11:25
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brother penguin posted:So, I was thinking about taking the last three weeks of my seven-week trip to go elsewhere in Europe! The problem is, I don't really have a clue where to go, how to get there, how much to expect to spend, etc. I'm a loving retard, I guess is what I'm getting at... The Balkans. The answer is always the Balkans. 3 weeks is enough time to go from Slovenia to Istanbul (my recommended itinerary: Ljubljana -> Zadar -> Split -> Dubrovnik? -> Mostar -> Sarajevo -> Belgrade -> Sofia -> Thessaloniki -> Istanbul). You could always start in Istanbul too. (recommended itinerary: Istanbul -> Thessaloniki -> Sofia -> Skopje -> Ohrid -> Tirana -> Kotor -> Dubrovnik -> Mostar -> Sarajevo -> Zagreb -> Zadar, because you can fly RyanAir cheaply to Dublin and it's pretty cheap to fly from Dublin to the US) It won't be as expensive as three weeks in Western Europe, and you'll get to see tons of different countries with a lot of history and interesting stuff, just as the weather starts to get really nice. greazeball posted:I think you wanted to visit more than one country and in that case you'll need a new SIM in each so it's probably not worth the hassle. You'll still be able to use the phone and send SMSs in an emergency. You don't need a new SIM. At least, assuming you buy a card from a Europe-wide carrier like Vodafone or T-Mobile. Never had a problem with my O2 SIM in any country, either. Even my current mTel (Bulgarian) phone can at least text if not call anywhere I am in Europe because the company is owned by Vodafone. In fact, for some odd reason, texting UK phones while in the UK from my Bulgarian phone cost less than texting Bulgarian phones while in Bulgaria. I don't know.
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Mar 15, 2011 09:46
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EricBauman posted:But you might not be able to add prepaid credits to it outside of Bulgaria. This could be a problem. Even with Bulgarian phones I can add prepaid credit online. With O2 or Vodafone or any other major carrier I can't imagine this being a problem, especially if he'll only be in western Europe where most of these carriers have brick and mortar stores anyways.
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Mar 16, 2011 12:35
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MentosMan posted:On this topic, what is the best strategy for travelling around Western Europe and banking? Several friends and I are going to be hitting 5 different countries (France, Spain, UK, Germany, Czech Republic) in a month span. Is there any sort of bank we could transfer money into and not get killed by transaction + % fees? When I was studying abroad in Spain, the best strategy was to withdraw 300EU at a time, though that may not be most economical if I have some time to plan Keep in mind certain banks have agreements with other banks. For example, if you have a Bank of America debit card in the UK, you can use a Barclay's ATM with no transaction fee. Definitely worth finding out if your bank has this. Might not help for... well, Bulgaria, but definitely for Western Europe.
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Mar 21, 2011 11:14
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Doctor Malaver posted:Hmm... I have to admit I haven't been there, but my experience with other people is the opposite. I've never heard anyone say Wow you gotta check out Mostar! Maybe it's different for the people from the region. When I think of Mostar the first two things that spring to mind is that the Old bridge was destroyed so it's a copy now, and that the town is ethnically fiercely divided. That shouldn't bother you so go ahead I guess? Still, if you'll travel in summertime, I'd choose a day on the coast over a day in Bosnia. In my opinion, Mostar is the most beautiful city in the world; the shade of the water is just a spectacle unmatched in natural beauty anywhere, and the city itself is small but very nice. Sarajevo is my favorite city in the world, but Mostar is absolutely gorgeous, especially in the summer. Dubrovnik is very upscale and touristy, and Split and Zadar are definitely heading that way as well. I assume he's going to sightsee and not necessarily to party and go clubbing, though. BogginHarry, I've basically done the same itinerary as you planned during one trip through the Western Balkans and it worked out just fine. Belgrade probably isn't worth seeing. Just a warning though, trains in Bosnia are piss poor and you're better off taking a bus anywhere. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Mar 26, 2011 |
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Mar 26, 2011 17:36
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schoenfelder posted:While I agree that with BogginHarry's itinerary it doesn't make sense to take the detour to Belgrade (it's like 8 hours on the bus from Sarajevo), I just wanted to clarify that generally speaking Belgrade is very much worth seeing. Granted, I may be biased but any city that was voted the best place in the world to party the night away (Lonely Planet about Belgrade in their 2010 ranking) should be on a young person's must-see list. And that doesn't even take into account history, culture and cultural life (the avantgarde arts scene in Belgrade is fantastic, the number of festivals is astounding etc.) Not only is it 8 hours on the bus from Sarajevo, you have to take a bus from the real sketchy Lukavica neighborhood in East Sarajevo. Belgrade's okay, but I've never found it any more interesting than any other big, gray Balkan capital. I guess it's marginally better than Sofia, but so is just about anything. I certainly wouldn't give up a few days on the Dalmatian Coast to go to Serbia. I don't really trust Lonely Planet rankings; they had Albania as 2011's #1 place to visit and Albania is like the sketchiest place in Europe. Bulgaria was like #8 and Bulgaria is super boring. I know, I live here.
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Mar 30, 2011 19:01
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B&Bs/guesthouses and hostels that function as such rather than giant backpacker hotels are really amazing and I generally try to stay in them when I have the chance. They're usually cheaper than hotels with similar amenities, and the service and experience is often unbeatable because the employees have a vested interest in you having a good one. I'm sure there are bad ones out there, like the classic B&B run by the old crazy cat woman, but I've yet to have a problem.
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Apr 1, 2011 16:19
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Just use common sense and you won't have your pocket picked. Certain cities (especially in Spain and Italy) are more known for theft but just be sensible and it probably won't happen.
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Apr 16, 2011 18:00
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goldboilermark posted:I'm going to be in Europe from June to November, roughly, backpacking in and out of different places. I'm really looking for places with natural beauty. Scottish highlands, for example. Or the Alps. Or the Ring of Kerry (which I've done before, just brilliant). I've been living in China the past 17 months and am hoping to spend some time away from billions of Chinese people spitting near me and gawking at me. It's all about the Balkans.     Ohrid, Macedonia; Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Pirin National Park, Bulgaria; Mount Athos, Greece (you have to make an appointment in advance and can stay/work with the monks for up to a week... if you're a man) That's the actual color of the water in Mostar. It's really something. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Apr 19, 2011 |
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Apr 19, 2011 08:55
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KBD posted:Bit of the opposite question: me and the boyfriend are visiting Sweden and Bosnia in a month, both countries I've grown up in (=jaded). Is there anything in particular I should plan for us to see? What would an American find exciting? I don't want him to miss out on fun tourist stuff on account of my country-blindness. We'll be in Sweden (Gothenburg) for three days, Bosnia for a week. Sarajevo and Mostar in Bosnia. Not sure there's anywhere else worth going. That should fill a week. I recommend Srebrenica to Americans because it's a lot like old concentration camps except it happened in our lifetimes and is still more or less intact and includes the huge graveyard/memorial, which makes it an even more emotional experience if that's possible, but it's nearly impossible to get to without renting a car. I'm a pretty cynical, jaded type and Srebrenica was enough to move me to tears. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Apr 20, 2011 |
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Apr 20, 2011 23:05
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The airport tunnel is worth seeing to imagine what it was actually like, but the museum itself is kind of a disappointment. Still, it's not like it's going to cost you more than 20KM to get out to the place so you should go see it. The old Jewish graveyard overlooking the city is very interesting in a sad sort of way (most of the graves are overturned and riddled with bullet holes) but also in East Sarajevo; we did a siege tour while living there and saw it and the tunnel that way, but I can't recommend you any specific tour group because the NGO I worked for organized it. I liked the Sarajevsko pivara, but I'm pretty sure it's the most expensive restaurant in the city. The bus ride to Mostar is only about 3 hours and not particularly expensive. You can see Mostar in a day and hotels there were pretty cheap so no reason not to go. If you haven't been back to Bosnia in awhile, there's a ton of construction going on in Sarajevo and all sorts of ultra-modern shopping malls and stuff springing up all over the place. It's pretty cool, actually. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 11:16 on Apr 21, 2011 |
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Apr 21, 2011 11:12
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Studentuniverse.com is a really good flight booking site. You don't have to necessarily be a student, as long as you're under the age of 25. When you book, they ask you for confirmation, like a scanned copy of your passport or ID. I got a flight home to NY from Sofia for about $600 on British and American Airlines versus even skyscanner which was quoting me $800 for LOT and about $1200 for that same British/American route (and about $550 for Aerosvit but I read the Kiev-JFK flight is the least reliable route in the world in terms of being canceled and stuff, so $50 for peace of mind is fine). The extra little hassle with e-mailing a scanned passport page was no big deal.
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Apr 22, 2011 12:36
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Senor Science posted:5.Is it feasible to visit Croatia via ferry from Venice for a day trip? If that's not possible, I was thinking of going to Trieste instead for the day, and possibly sightseeing in the city. If that is the case, is it possible to do a short one hour jaunt into Slovenia from Trieste? Rovinj is about a 3 hour ferry ride from Venice and is a nice enough little town, though not significantly different from Italy. Venice to Ljubljana is about a 5 hour train ride; Trieste is about 2 hours from Ljubljana. You'd probably want to spend a night in whichever place you're going to, or else it's just going to be too much for one day.
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Apr 26, 2011 08:56
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GregNorc posted:This sounds cool. But it doesn't address my main issue... I'll be flying in via london, and out via Zürich. What's the best way to arrange this? Right under your nose. Just about any booking site (including studentuniverse.com) has an option for multi-city trips, which is exactly what you describe. GregNorc posted:Also, is there a central site for booking rail trips in Europe? I'm hoping if I book the same company for say, London to Paris as I do from Paris to Zürich, I might be able to get a slightly lower rate. (Plus I just don't want to put my CC # into some random EU site without knowing it's reputable) http://www.eurail.com/home HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Apr 29, 2011 |
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Apr 29, 2011 21:30
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Ziir posted:I wish secondary languages were made a huge deal in the USA Secondary languages are a 'huge deal' in not-USA because the world's pop culture (TV, movies, music, video games, books, magazines, etc.) is all in English - particularly American English. You don't need to learn Russian to play WOW, but a Russian needs to learn English. People pick up a lot more by osmosis than they do through formal classes, and Americans lack that opportunity simply because we're the country exporting much of the world's (pop) culture. I mention the WOW example because I teach English classes on my Fulbright here in Bulgaria, and of the most fluent high school students in my class about 75% of them attribute their speaking ability to video games and WOW in particular. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 20:57 on May 1, 2011 |
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May 1, 2011 20:53
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Pegasus flies from Istanbul and other Turkish cities and is a budget airline. There are also trains and buses.
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May 6, 2011 13:15
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Techo is only more danceable than hip-hop if you are awkward and goofy. That said, please don't try to teach yourself how to dance off Youtube, it's really easy to not dance like an rear end.
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May 8, 2011 12:34
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gregarious Ted posted:I'm currently in the process of booking accommodation for Dublin, Berlin, Rome and Paris. I've been using all the sites from the recommendation thread but am looking for some personal goon experiences. Places that are social but not too noisy, close to attractions/city centres and secure. Price isn't really important. I was also thinking of staying in hotels in some of my stopover places (where I'm staying <2 days) just to get a bit of rest from people. I think I stayed at the Circus Hostel in Berlin. It was easy to find, the rooms were really nice, bathrooms were clean, it was relatively cheap (though still one of the more expensive hostels). It has like a 98% rating on hostelworld. The bar in the basement is nice, they had karaoke and a hilarious shrine to David Hasselhoff. Plus it's well-located.
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May 9, 2011 11:22
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Concerned Citizen posted:1. a. I don't need a work permit. Just assume I can prove that I can financially sustain myself. Would a residency permit in an EU country be the best way to go? Where would be the best place to get residency? This comes up way too often. Yes, you need a work permit. Residency and work permits are tied together in the European Union. You can go the EU and get hired and apply for a work permit for one year only. You can get one from home if you apply for a job and are hired, which will only happen if you are highly qualified. However, the European job market is as bad as the American job market at this moment and you will not be hired. You will not get a work permit. European companies can hire Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants to do their menial labor without needing to go through or pay for additional paperwork. Unless you're a medical doctor or engineer or otherwise unduly qualified for a job, you will not find one, either before you come to the EU or while you're here. The best option is to enroll in a university and get a student visa, which will allow you to work part-time as well. Other than that, you're pretty much out of luck. Overstaying your visa by 'a few years' isn't really an option. What if a family member dies and you have to return home? All your stuff is left in Europe and you can't get it back.
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May 13, 2011 09:19
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enki42 posted:Secondly, obviously there's no guarantees, but saying you absolutely will be caught for overstaying a Schengen visa is a massive overstatement. People regularly overstay their visas and even work without getting caught. Your odds are actually quite good so long as you're not crossing Schengen boundaries often and not crossing any borders with a reputation for being tough, like Turkey -> Greece. I knew many, many people who lived and worked in Germany and regularly flew home to visit family, all for multiple years without a residency permit. This is becoming significantly more difficult due to the current political climate in Europe. Schengen border checks and even internal checks are becoming, as Saladman said, much more frequent. I know people who have gotten away with crossing back into Bulgaria after overstaying their visa (though on buses and trains, not in airports). It has, however, occasionally come down to bribes. This is significantly less likely to work in Western Europe, though there you have the benefit of Schengen.
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May 13, 2011 14:12
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The "Teach Yourself" series of books and CDs is pretty decent. It's probably completely unnecessary though. Anywhere you go in Western Europe, especially big tourist centers like Barcelona and Madrid, will have people that speak English, or at worst a menu with pictures that you can point to. There's no need to learn a language outside of some minor things (please, thank you, hello, goodbye, where is ____) if you're only going on a 5 day tour, and I guess you remember those. And as far as I know (I don't speak word of Spanish outside Sesame Street basics) in Barcelona they speak Catalan which is completely different than normal Spanish so your high school Spanish won't help much at all.
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May 17, 2011 09:55
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Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik are all nicer than Rijeka. I liked Split more than Dubrovnik (a little less touristy), Zadar is small. How are you getting to Italy, by ferry? I took a ferry from Zadar to Ancona overnight and it was fine.
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May 19, 2011 07:58
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Drop Belgrade. The guy from Belgrade who posts here regularly will disagree but it's definitely the most missable out of any of those cities. Also Netherlands to Prague is a really long train ride. You might be better off flying.
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May 22, 2011 21:49
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Considering the extra bag or overweight bag charges (or bag charges in general), it's hard to blame people for trying to maximize their carry-on space. I'm facing the problem of having to move my entire life out of Bulgaria in a month's time. On the way over I had one gigantic checked bag (which went overweight and cost me $60), a full carry-on, and a full backpack. Seeing as how I'll be bringing back more than I left with, I'm going to need to check two bags this time. Hopefully it will solve the problem of either being overweight, though, and the fee for an extra bag versus an overweight one is the same on AA/BA.
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May 26, 2011 15:04
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Just some fair warning. There's no Bulgaria <-> Greece train service right now, and probably won't be for the foreseeable future. You'll probably have to take a bus from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad or Sofia, then ride the Bulgarian trains.
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Jun 23, 2011 20:40
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Frags posted:Okay, thanks. Can you give me any ideas of what to visit while in Bulgaria? I remember you mentioning that Veliko Turnovo was the city to see; Wikitravel talks about the castle of the old Bulgarian capital and also says that there's various historical museums. Veliko Tarnovo is definitely the place you want to go see in Bulgaria, but there are a few others. If you can make it to the Black Sea, Varna is really nice to spend a couple days in, as are some of the older Black Sea towns like Nesebar and Sozopol which have 'old towns' as well as resort areas. Coming from Greece, Blagoevgrad is nice but there isn't a whole lot to do here. If you like wine, I'd stay for a night in Sandanski, which is about 30 minutes from the Greek border, and take the short bus ride to Melnik. It's an old Bulgarian town and every house has a wine cellar that you can do wine tasting in. Melnishko wine is pretty famous; it was Churchill's favorite and he used to special order casks of the stuff from Melnik. You can spend a day and night in Sofia. One group started offering New Europe-style free tours and a friend of mine is a tour guide. I haven't done it but people who have say it's pretty good, so I'd recommend that. Sofia is generally pretty boring, ugly, and gray but you might as well see it since it will essentially be your transport center up to Romania and Serbia. If you can, try to take a bus from Belgrade to Sarajevo and spend a few days there. I know I say this to everyone, but Sarajevo is something you have to experience if you're spending time in the Balkans. In Romania, Bucharest is worth spending a few days in. But I recommend going up to Brasov. Very beautiful city. Stay in the La Despani guesthouse, I can't recommend that place enough. On the way up to Brasov or back, stop at the ski resort town of Sinaia on the train. From the train station it's about a pleasant 30 minute uphill walk to Peles Castle, which might be the most beautiful building in the world. Bran Castle is the so-called Dracula castle, but is uber-touristy and stuff. Peles has tours, but is much less crowded and far more impressive in my opinion.
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Jun 24, 2011 10:33
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Veetard posted:Since I guess there aren't trains from Greece to Bulgaria, there is one from Thessaloniki to Skopje, Macedonia, and then there's a train from Skopje to Sofia. Macedonia is a great place, too, and ridiculously cheap. Macedonia isn't actually all that cheap, but maybe that's just me living in Bulgaria speaking. Also there is no direct train travel between Bulgaria and Macedonia. There is a bus from Sofia to Skopje. Macedonia is worth visiting, especially Skopje and Ohrid. You can take a bus from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad or Sofia twice daily, there's just no train service. Though with Greece falling apart right now even bus service might be tough to come by. Sofia is still boring and kind of sucks though, but maybe it's just because I know it so well. If you want some cool souvenirs while you're there, there's a flea market near Nevsky Cathedral where people sell stuff from Communist times, like medals, bayonets, pieces of guns, chess sets, lighters... just about anything. blinkeve1826 posted:On a similar note, for all the "Prague is soooooooooooo beautiful, you're gonna loooooooooove it" I got before I left, I'm finding Prague an eye-roll worthy mess of tourists and overpriced crap. I was told three days here wouldn't be enough, but I took a bike tour my first day and wandered around a little bit on my own and feel like that's it. After seeing all the major sights and different types of architechture, what is there? A friend of mine once described Prague as Disney World Eastern Europe, and I think that's about right. It's cool... for a little bit, then you realize how ridiculously touristy it is.
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Jun 28, 2011 18:46
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