Showing posts with label eastern europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eastern europe. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Hungary articles

Here are some great articles and links relating to travel in Hungary.

 
Budapest
Budapest's hidden Jewish ghetto
Mini guide to Budapest's spas
A Danube-led tour of Budapest
Ghosts of Budapest's past
Budapest with children
Budget or blow-out: Budapest
Budapest's art & architecture
10 Things to do for free in Budapest
Free things to do in Budapest
Budapest's Beautiful Christmas Markets
Belle Epoque Budapest: The 7 Must-See Historical Destinations From An Opulent Era
Budapest Guide: Inside the 8th District
Clear Your Saturday Night for Budapest's Spa-rties
Budapest for free 


Countryside
Welcome to cowboy country 



Food & drink
The One Dish to Eat in Budapest 
Budapest's ruin pubs
Budapest's best ruin bars
Six secrets of Hungarian cuisine 
Beginner's guide to Hungarian wine


Health & welness
Mini guide to Budapest's spas
Clear Your Saturday Night for Budapest's Spa-rties


Western Hungary
 A medieval weekend in Sopron 


Debrecen & the east
Wild Debrecen - a weekend in Hungary's second city




Bulgaria and Romania articles

Here are some great articles and links relating to travel in Bulgaria and Romania.


Active & adventure
A snow shoeing weekend in Bulgaria
Speed cycling in Romania


Bucharest, Danube & southern Romania
Bucharest's new old city

Mini guide to Bucharest 

Home of the Roma kings 
Top 10 free things to do in Bucharest 
Bucharest's Palace of Parliament
In Bucharest, the Old Town Sees New Life


Bulgaria
Bulgaria's best beaches


Danube, nature & wildlife
Wildlife watching in the Danube Delta 
The Danube's wildest corners  
A sail through Romania's Iron Gates


Food & drink
A guide to Bulgaria's wineries
Plum crazy in Romania
A guide to Romanian cuisine 


History
In search of the real Dracula 
Bulgaria's gold rush 
Bulgaria's historic highlights


Moldavia & Eastern Romania
Romania's Prince Charles walk



Photo essays
Transylvania


Plovdiv & southern Bulgaria
A walking tour of Old Plovdiv


Romania
Hats, trash & bones in Romania
Romania's top world heritage sites

 

Sofia & Western Bulgaria
Short break in Sofia



Timisoara & Western Romania
A hidden city unearthed



Transylvania and Central Romania
A stranger in BrasovMystical tales from Transylvania
Transylvania's medieval tradition
Romania's country heart 
Mini guide to Transylvania 
Discovering the charms of Romania's heartland 
Hay. Beautiful 
Cluj-Napoca city guide 
Cluj-Napoca - Romania's burgeoning art capital 
10 Things you need to know before you visit Transylvania





Thursday, July 30, 2015

Poland and Belarus articles

Here are some great articles and links relating to travel in Poland and Belarus.


Art & culture
Auschwitz
Historical sites near Kraków


Belarus
Belarus travel guide
Belovezhskaya National Park 
Ten reasons to visit Minsk


Gdańsk
A perfect day in Gdańsk
Can you take a weekend break in Gdansk, Poland for under £100? 



Kraków




Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Russia & Ukraine articles

Here are some great articles and links relating to travel in Russia and Ukraine.


Arts & culture
Arts explode from Soviet shackles
Russian summer 
After Fashion Week: How Moscow Does Street Style


Carpathians & Western Ukraine
Curative waters in the Carpathians 


Chernobyl
Toxic cuisine in Chernobyl
A day trip to Chernobyl
Chernobyl - unlikely tourist spot
5 Things I wish I'd known before visiting Chernobyl
Long-Term Study Shows What's Happening To Wildlife Around Chernobyl


Crimea & Black Sea coast
My city: Odessa
Ukraine's odd beach paradise 
A portrait of Odessa 
A jewel in two crowns
Russia’s Pitch to Vacationers: Crimea Is for Patriots



Food & drink
Ukraine's coffee brewing roots
Ukraine's culinary delights


Golden Ring & rural Russia
Journeying back in Russian history
Wolves & Vodka 



History & culture
Inside the Kremlin Walls
Remnants of Russia's past
The legacy of the Soviet Union
The bookends of Russia's history 
Hitler's Ukrainian bunker revealed 
Ukraine's pagan holidays



Kiev
Mini guide to Kiev
Weekend in Kiev


Moscow
Inside the Kremlin Walls
On the road: Moscow
The dated future of Russia's Star City
Peeking into Star City
One day in Moscow
Living in Moscow
Moscow's Bolshoi theatre returns
Remnants of Russia's past
The legacy of the Soviet Union
Mini guide to Moscow
Top 10 Moscow attractions
Moscow in pictures
Moscow's Red Square
A perfect day in Moscow
Contemporary creative Moscow
Fancy a cheap meal in Moscow?  Try the exotic disco 
Moscow must do's
Kremlin & Red square
Moody Moscow
Moscow monuments
A Moscow of Dancing Feet, Under an Iron Fist


Northern Lights
Snapping the northern lights
Hunting the aurora
Best of the northern lights
60 Second guide to the northern lights
How to shoot the Northern Lights - a tutorial


Photo essays
Moscow in pictures
Ukraine in pictures 
St. Petersburg photos 
St. Petersburg sites 
St. Petersburg
Moody Moscow
Moscow monuments 
Your shot: Russia
Russia photos


Russia
The best of Russia
Exploring Russia's federal republics 
A crash course in Russian weirdness 
Russian summer
Your shot: Russia
Russia photos 
The Souvenirs to Buy (and Those to Skip) in Russia
Etiquette 101 - Russia
8 Perfect Days in Russia


Siberia & Kamchatka
Five days in Russia's Ring of Fire
A train to nowhere in Siberia
On the road: Ulan Ude 
Lake Baikal's highlights 
A trans-Siberian journey 
Riding the virtual trans-Siberian 
4 Stops you must make on the trans-Siberian railway 
The cauldron, Kamchatka 
10 Stops on the trans-Siberian railway 
A fiery tour of Kamchatka
A guide to the ultimate train journey


St. Petersburg & Karelia
Living in St. Petersburg
My city: St. Petersburg 
White nights in St. Petersburg 
Mini guide to St. Petersburg
Back to the future in St. Petersburg
A train to Karelia  
A writer's guide to understanding St. Petersburg 
A winter's tale in Karelia 
From Russia, with love 
St. Petersburg photos 
St. Petersburg sites 
St. Petersburg
Royal replicas: Peterhof or Versailles?
Where to Go in St. Petersburg



Wildlife & conservation
Russian refuge




Thursday, July 9, 2015

Czech Republic and Slovakia articles

Here are some great articles and links relating to travel in Czech Republic and Slovakia.


Czech Republic
Is this the world's newest country?


Food & drink
Where beer is cheaper than water
Czech beer's surprising facts
Finding the best Czech brew
Get an Authentic Taste of Prague at These Historic Pubs
Prague Has Some of the Best Beer Anywhere—Here's a Pub Crawl to Prove It


Music & Art

Prague's musical journey
Prague's musical sights
9 Alternative stops for Prague's art scene


Photo essays
Voices of Prague
Prague's musical sights



Prague
Where beer is cheaper than water
Mini-guide to Kafka's Prague
Living in Prague
Budget or blow-out: Prague
Side trips from Prague
2 Prague itineraries
Prague's historic cafes
Prague's musical journey
Prague's musical sights
Mini-guide to Prague
The best of Prague
First 24 hours in Prague
9 Alternative stops for Prague's art scene
10 Things to do for free in Prague
Free Prague
Prague must-do's
5 Tips for your next trip to Prague
Get an Authentic Taste of Prague at These Historic Pubs
You Haven't Seen Prague Until You've Seen These Sculptures
Prague Has Some of the Best Beer Anywhere—Here's a Pub Crawl to Prove It
Things to Do in Prague: A Walking Tour of the City's Communist Past
Prague Shopping Find
On the trail of Kafka


Slovakia
A rafting weekend in Slovakia



Croatia and Slovenia articles

Here are some great articles and links relating to travel in Croatia and Slovenia.


Active & adventure
Croatia's adventurous heart
Sailing in Croatia


Croatia
Five curious facts about Croatia
Drawing on experience: Croatia
The perfect trip: Croatia
Living in Croatia
Top 10 Croatian Highlights
The Best of Croatia
An illustrated journey through the Balkan mosaic
Booking the perfect trip to Croatia


Coast & islands
The Adriatic's unexpected enclaves
Mini-guide to Croatia's islands
Dalmatian Coast
The beautiful seas of Croatia
Croatian Islands
Istria, the heart of Croatia
1244 Dalmatian islands
4 Ways to admire the Croatian coastline
A light on the Croatian Coast
The world's most adorable island


Dubrovnik
7 big IF's: Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik's religious heritage
Avoiding the crowds in Dubrovnik
15 Best things to do in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik through local eyes


Food & drink
Croatia's frog leg tradition
Flavours of the Croatian coast
Where to stay and what to eat in Slovenia


Istria
Four Reasons to Explore Istria Now


Ljubljana
10 tips to your stay in Ljubljana
Slovenian river excavation


Photo essays
Alcoves & edges in Croatia
The beautiful seas of Croatia
Croatia in pictures
Europe's borderland
Croatia's Coast
Photos of Slovenia's Magical Mountains, Rivers, and Restaurants


Slovenia
Independent spirits
Back to nature in Slovenia
Slovenian river excavation
Where to stay and what to eat in Slovenia
The hidden paradise of Slovenia
Slovenia


Wildlife & conservation
The griffon vultures of Cres


Zagreb & Croatia's interior
Zagreb's secret courtyards
Croatia's adventurous heart
Mini-guide to Zagreb
Croatia's booming capital
7 Things to do for free in Zagreb
A weekend in Zagreb
48 hours in Zagreb
Croatia's Museum of Broken Relationships: Breakups as Art




Wednesday, November 6, 2013

New Europe trips for 2014

In earlier blog posts I wrote about new walking and hiking trips and new cycling trips for 2014.  For less active cultural trips, we offer some great small-group tours.  Below is our lineup of new tours in Europe for 2014.  For more new trips ideas, click on these blog posts: Americas, Asia, Off-the-beaten-track.

Northern Spain: a far cry from the sun-parched south, northern Spain's gentler climate promises lush green countryside, architecturally impressive cities and stunning coastline. Travelling by train through the region's beautiful landscapes makes for an unforgettable experience as we admire the cities of Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona, walk the Picos de Europa and the Camino de Santiago and enjoy a relaxing day in coastal San Sebastian.

Discover Slovakia & the Czech Republic: this is a great chance to visit some of the hidden gems from the former Czechoslovakia. The cultural heritage is superb, with an array of castles, vineyards, towns and villages dating from the middle ages onwards. There is also time in the Tatra Mountains that form some of the region's natural borders, as well as being home to natural phenomena such as the Dobsinska Ice Cave.

Balkan Discoverer: the Balkan Peninsula for many is one of the last undiscovered corners of Europe. Cultural and natural variety abound here, forged over the centuries by numerous political changes and imperial influences from the Byzantine to the Ottoman. We contrast Belgrade, Skopje and Tirana with traditional towns, villages, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and places of untouched natural beauty. Each country offers a different culture, cuisine and tradition to discover, each growing as an independent nation in its own right and taking its place in the modern world. This is a rare chance to see the re-emergence of places kept off limits until relatively recently.

Discover the Baltics: this brand new itinerary explores the highlights of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 12 days. The countryside, national parks and coastal areas of these countries are stunning, adding a touch of wilderness to the history, art, architecture and culture of the cities and towns that we visit as we journey from Tallinn to Vilnius. With street art, sculpture, incredible architecture and fascinating historical sites, this trip will undoubtedly satisfy your cultural hunger. However, the wild and open settings and picturesque landscapes will also feed your imagination.


Classic Russia & Ukraine: discover the hidden secrets, spectacular landscapes and intriguing imperial tales of Russia and Ukraine on this unique journey through the region’s highlights and backroads. Walk in the footsteps of literary greats in staggering St Petersburg, be astounded by the opulent former palaces of the Tsars and behold magical St. Basil’s Cathedral by night. Step off the beaten trail for a Cossack experience in Petrushivka village, sample a hearty home-cooked Ukrainian dinner and work up a sweat of a different kind in a traditional Russian ‘banya’. Perplexing, abstruse and intriguing at every turn, this adventure through Russia and Ukraine is sure to thwart all expectations of this fascinating part of the world.

Athens to Istanbul: explore Greece and Turkey on this whirlwind adventure. Get lost in cities of colourful chaos and natural beauty that must be seen to be believed. With a plethora of ancient treasures to discover, see where democracy began and how life was lived when Zeus called all the shots. Bask in the Grecian sun on lazy beaches and explore ancient ruins and rituals of the past. After days filled with lively adventure, unwind in the evening with a sip of ouzo over a banquet of culinary treats. Yamas!

Armenia, Georgia & Azerbaijan: the Caucasus region of Central Asia holds a wealth of unexplored territories. Wedged between two seas, surrounded by Europe's largest mountain range and straddling two continents, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia are home to some extraordinarily beautiful scenery and incredibly hospitable people. Journey from the fascinating Old City of Baku in Azerbaijan through the quaint towns and glorious hillsides of Georgia, before finishing the adventure in Armenia's laid-back capital, Yerevan. Mixing isolated villages, populous capital cities, ancient castles, breathtaking vistas, abundant natural resources and a flashy nouveau riche, this region of Caucasia offers up a variety of surprising contrasts, fascinating sights and stunning landscapes.

In earlier blog posts I wrote about new walking and hiking trips and new cycling trips for 2014.  For less active cultural trips, we offer some great small-group tours.  For more new trips ideas, click on these blog posts: Americas, Asia, Off-the-beaten-track.