Let's talk about Eastern Europe travel here.Give me your favorite Eastern European spots/suggestions.
>>2647453I'm starting in Vienna and going east from there. Probably to Hungary and then north up to Krakow, Poland.Would really like any recommendations for anything weird and grungy.>urban exploration spots>bomb shelters>underground crypts>abandoned power plants >Cell towers or wind turbines to climb>etc.
>>2647455When are you going and where are you from?
>>2647492From the US. Going on the 21st. I have a bunch of stuff planned out already, but would love to find some things that are less obvious.
>>2647455There's tons of abandoned and unfinished buildings in Bulgaria. Absolutely no one cares if you go poking around. You'll seen teenagers on dates casually walking through them
I've got back from south-east asia and holy shit these countries are so expensive, literally only good thing is to rent it out and live abroad. It's probably cheaper to live now in greece or portugal than in Poland (not to even mention balkans)
>>2647455Poland is a real treasure trove when it comes to exploration of ruins, both urban and rural. The south-west has some abandoned ex-german villages, particularly in the mountain area near the Czech border. The cities also have many abandoned factories and utility buildings, there are also some abandoned ex-warsaw pact military bases and much more.When it comes to the urban exploration specifically, i can recommend Łódź, especially the central and western parts of the city.
>>2647453Greece is not Eastern EuropeDELETE THIS
>>2648009Greek pussy is the best in all of Eastern Europe
>>2648034any good spots to just hang out, bum around, workout, eat good food, get sun, and relax? (also meet women)
>>2647453i swear, i SWEAR i'm not trying to start the millionth argument on this on this board, but i have to ask - is it even worth doing cold war tourism if you can't realistically and/or conveniently visit russia?i know, at least according to people here, that you're not gonna be hassled, even if you go there, since 90% of russians have better things to do than worry about some random american just doing tourist things, but can the former satellite states really scratch a cold war tourism itch?
>>2648009>Greece is not Eastern EuropeSorry, you became a member of the balkans when your trains stopped working
>>2648289How would visiting Russia scratch your cold war tourism itch? Wouldn't you rather go to Gdansk, where the fall of communism started, or even Berlin, which is obviously more recognisable for Westerners? It's not like they'll let you walk around military installations in Russia or something. There are well-designed neighborhoods composed of commie blocks everywhere in Eastern Europe if that's what you want. I'd actually recommend staying in one, but keep in mind that they are expensive exactly because they are easy to live in as opposed to modern monstrosities. There are numbers stations, the Warsaw Pact was founded in Poland as the name suggests... So yeah, how would going to Russia scratch the itch?
>>2648289No. Moscow and St. Petersburg and simply more impressive and imposing that anything the countries in OP have to offer, if you're into that sort of stuff. Plus if anything, most of countries in OP for decades now want to distance themselves from the cold war imagery.
>>2648320>>2648320The fact that you posted a photo of that particular building design is a clear sign that you know nothing about Eastern Europe
>>2648346thats what people who go for>cold war tourismwant to see. they're not interested in>observe these baroque-style buildings. they're the same as those in Western Europe only slightly less. And don't forget the pinnacle of our city's sightseeing - tHE cAtHeDRaL. It's really massive and impressive and has a unique and fascinating history
>>2648375Dude, that particular building is all over Eastern Europe. There are 7 just in Moscow. There is one in Warsaw and in Riga as well I think. Seriously, you chose the worst example you could have for the uniqueness of Russia
>>2648379ok, if you say so.
>>2647455There's a hostel in an old bomb shelter in Brno Czechia that I stayed at in a private room. Shit was real weird and shitty but pretty cool to look back on afterwards.
>>2648388I most certainly do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(Moscow)#Other_cities
>>2647660You're not lying. Inflation in Poland has flatlined recently, but just a year ago the annualized rate was approaching 20%. Insane. I'd expect the same economic factors driving prices higher would apply to other Eastern European countries. Hungary reportedly got hit even worse with inflation.
>>2649315It's even worse for things that'd interest your usual tourist like eating out. Restaurants are stupidly fucking expensive compared to pre-Covid, the cheapest food easily doubled in price.
if u wanna see cool shit go to minsk -- what an awful stalinist nightmare. western ukraine is very beautiful and worth visiting and v safe atm. lvyv has lots of old bunkers as bars. i climbed a few towers in the carpathians out in those mountain villages. no one gives a shit except some concerned sheep and cowsi spent 2 months doing balkans. serbia was underwhelming but bosnia was absolutely full of this kind of stuff (sadly). sarajevo, mostar, and tusla especially are just wartorn cities that are unbelievably beautiful in the summer. prepare to eat lots of cevappiK4VT
>>2647453Estonian here, AMA if you're curious.
>>2649418How often do you shit?
What Is worth visting in Czechia outside of Prague, I'm mostly interested in medieval history.Which one Is better, Brno or Bratislava?
>>2649418do you listen to Winny Puhh?
>>2649453Depends on what I ate. Maybe once or twice a day. More often if I got diarrhea.>>2649970No, but they were very popular like a decade ago.
>>2647453shit map, Estonia Latvia and Lithuania should also count as EE
>>2647455Reckon I'll be doing something similar. Flying in to Vienna in August, hitting Hungary and then Romania. I'll stay 3 months, it would be my first euro trip
>>2649895I prefer Brno over Bratislava altough it was before covid when I last was in Bratislava and it might be mainly because of Czech craft beer. Can recommend Super Panda Circus in Brno. Also impressive castle overlooking the city and a nice historical old town.
I know it's easy to get from city to city in Europe, but how easy would it be for me to check out some smaller towns in Romania or Poland without a car?
>>2650874It would actually be very hard. Depends on where you want to go. There are many places with terrible transportation options outside of a car. The common trope is one bus that either comes once a day or it doesn't come at all.
>>2650874Largely depends how small we're talking. 10k+ should be fine but it might be bothersome with time wasted switching buses and such. I used to semi-regularly travel from a big city to a small ~15k town 100km away and it was really easy with a direct bus that went 4-5 times a day. Then the company shat itself during Covid and nobody came to replace them. Now I have to go by car or it'd take twice as long with transfers.Countryside and proper villages, you can forget about it. Like the other Anon said, one bus a day (mostly targeting school kids) or nothing at all. Rural people are married to their cars. You're not getting anywhere without hitchhiking or having four wheels of your own.t. Polish
>>2647453For people that have been to these countries, including Russia: how racist are the people? Like, how likely it is to be treated worse if you have a dark skin tone? How do the locals react if a local girl is with a dark skinned person?
>>2649895Czesky Krumlov in Czech is my favorite small town that I've ever visited in Europe. It has a giant castle overlooking the town. There is a really good bar scene where you can hang with locals. There are a couple kayak rental places in town that will shuttle you on the river and let you float back through the town and pick you up at the brewery on the far side of town. Beer is like 1 euro in every bar. The Airbnbs are cheap and historic. The food is really fucking good. I've heard that České Budějovice is really rad too. I want to go back and do it and Pilsen next time
>>2650700Bratislava is crazy on weekend nights when the weather is nice. The whole fucking city parties outside in old town
>>2651293No one likes darkies here
>>2651355Is that opinion based on unbiased observation and good faith?
>>2651365I'll say this, you will stick out like a sore thumb as a brown person in Czech, especially outside of Prague. If you do any brown skinned things like steal, fight, or cause problems, you won't get away with it.
>>2651387>you will stick out like a sore thumbAnd? I asked if dark people suffer prejudice, not if they're rare, which it's obvious looking at the demographics.
>>2648299>How would visiting Russia scratch your cold war tourism itch?wouldn't it make the most sense to visit the largest republic of the soviet union if i wanted cold war tourism?
>>2647453>Ukraine not eastern europe>Belarus not eastern europe>frickin Russia not eastern europeBUT:>Romania eastern europe>Greece eastern europe> Bulgaria and balkans eastern europeRomanians speak fucking latin adjacent language you know, their culture has to be closer to France or Italy for example. And you are implying they are culturally closer to slavs? Same with greeks?What?
>>2651286depends on where in Poland probably. In southern Poland we have pretty good bus lines, bus every 15 at most 30 minutes , in 1 hour, 1:30h max i am in Krakow starting from my village
>>2653283OP is retarded, pls understand
>>2649343Where did you bus into UA from? I was in UA in 2020 and wanna go back ! Any more advice or things to share about the balkans? Im thinkin of goin this summer>>2647507Damn bro change your travel time to 2 weeks sooner and we can link up>>2651341Ill be in Cesky Krumlov soon, any other must sees or interesting spots off the main path to suggest?
>>2653283Greece is culturally closer to middle east than EE, but yes, Romania is totally Eastern European.
>>2651403You sound like an ungrateful, stuck up cunt.
>>2653417Eat at Krčma Šatlava while you're in Cesky. We ate there twice in 2 days. Flawless meals. If you're doing Cesky, you might as well do České Budějovice too. The Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora is on my to do list as well.
I've been thinking of visiting Serbia and Kosovo this summer. Initial plan is to fly to Belgrade, spend some time in Serbia and then travel to Kosovo. Flight back home would be from Pristina.If the Serbian border guard at the Belgrade airport would ask about how I'm planning on leaving Serbia and when is it okay to say Pristina? Technically I would be leaving Serbia without crossing it's outer border with it's neighboring countries. But I know that if I would try the opposite then the border guards would not let me cross the Kosovo-Serbia border, as I have entered Serbia illegally.Traveling on an Estonian (EU) passport & ID-card.
>>2654463Don't mention Kosovo to a Serbian border guard. If you need evidence of onward travel, show them your final flight home. If you're specifically asked where you're going to - say you're undecided but looking at getting a train to Montenegro or Budapest next.>>2650874If you're not a total retard, it's easy to visit smaller places in Poland. Public transport is extensive. Though it'd help to know what you mean by 'smaller places'? If you're talking mountain villages and shit, it'll be hard, but if you're talking popular places near big cities, there'll be loads of opportunities (daytrippers out and commuters in). Lots of cities are hooked up to substantial regional train networks, too.
>>2654487My final flight home would be from Pristina. Is it okay to show the border guard that?
>>2654488I've never had a problem visiting Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, or anywhere, even when biking/hiking the border. I have a US and EU passport. I usually give them both and just tell them the truth.
>>2654488Fuck, I'm a retard and read the post too quickly.Last time I was in Serbia I crossed Sofia - Nis with 0 issues or questions.Your EU passport/ID is enough to not warrant questions about onward travel. It's asked if they suspect you're going to overstay and be an illegal. Proof of onward travel isn't an entry requirement, though they reserve the right to ask if they suspect something. Suspicions = fitting the profile of an illegal immigrant, not a backpacker going to what they consider their territory.If asked, never lie on any border. However, do not use the word Kosovo or imply it is an independent country. Your flight back is from Pristina, which is in Serbia for the purposes of getting into Serbia.
>>2654489>>2654490Do you guys have any experience or tips on crossing the Serbian-Kosovo border by bus? Some sources state that when crossing the border by bus that every passenger has to get out, walk to the Serbian border post, then reboard the bus and the same thing again on the Kosovon side. Other places tell me that the border guards would enter the bus and check/stamp the passports of each passenger individually. And then there are mentions on some travel blogs that the bus driver collects the passengers' passports and handles the border crossing for the passengers.I'd rather not give out my passport to some bus driver, but if that's normal at the region then fine by me.
>>2654700Not this specific border, but most others in the region.Giving your passport to the driver is normal. For added fun, he'll even nominate a random passenger to hand the passports back out, who'll call your name with shitty pronunciation. Somebody from the border will probably march up the bus and do a face control to begin, and some people may get called out for specific screening or to have bags checked. Very unlikely that EU travelers will be hassled here.The region is '''moving towards''' creating a mini-shengen zone (the Open Balkan initiative), with tourism being stated as a key part. They're not out to get you.>On 12 May 2022, Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Tatjana Matić talked in Tirana with Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment Mirela Kumbaro about cooperation within the "Open Balkans" initiative, with an emphasis on removing barriers and reaching an agreement in the field of tourism.[29]
