How to best use 3 weeks between Helsinki and Athens for a family of 4

For three weeks the options are maybe not endless, but there are many to choose from. If you've already been to Tallinn, a good start can be to take the overnight ferry to Stockholm and spend some time there before travelling south. Although Tallinn is worth returning to and you could also travel south through the Baltic countries.

You could argue that visiting a concentration camp is too intense even for an adult, but still an important thing to do. You know your daugthers so we can't really give any advice. But if the older one really wants to visit Auschwitz, the younger one can do something else during that time.

There are nonstop flights from Helsinki to Budapest and nonstop flights from Budapest to Athens. Depending on the time of year and the date, the two legs combined could be as low as $200 ... not horribly cheap, but not bad either. A nice hotel in Budapest can still be had for under $175, and a lot less depending on your taste; and short term rentals (great for families) for well under $100. Four nights is "okay" and Six nights is "optimal". And this would take you in the right direction with no back tracking ... and it is the arguably the most beautiful city in Europe and definately among the most interesting destinations in Europe (but I am very biased).

I like Romania a lot too, but you have to cover a lot of ground to fully appreciate it. So figure nothing short of a full week with maybe 10 days being optimal.

My favorite Budapest Video. https://youtu.be/1nd5AtZIrTk?feature=shared

Badger is right about tons of options with a month, especially if you don’t especially need to spend time in Helsinki or Tallinn.

How about heading from Tallinn to Riga, then Vilnius? You can rent a car or take the sightseeing transfer bus (or just the inexpensive regular bus). I haven’t done this yet (and am going in the opposite direction) but car rental seems affordable, even with a one way drop fee.

From Vilnius, depending day of the week, you could get a cheap Wizz Air flight to Krakow for a week. I really like Krakow and there is plenty to see/do besides Auschwitz. From Krakow, you could fly, train, or transfer van to Budapest for a week, before heading on to the next adventure. Of course, you could also spend a week elsewhere in Poland easily, but you mentioned Budapest - and I happen to love Budapest myself.

I realize that is covering a lot of ground, but without Helsinki or Tallin, it’s only 4 stops in 4 weeks.

I read too quick and just realized you were talking about spending all three weeks between the two points. With that sort of time, follow your heart.

BUT, if you really want to think out of the box and see somehting really new, land in Bucharest. I know a guide that will show you 10 days of Romania then drop you at the Bulgarian border where I know another guide that could keep you busy in Bulgaria for 10 days and then take you to the Greek border if not all the way to Athens. Both countries are beaufiful and full of treasures. Both guides are the best. PM if you are interested and I can put you in touch. Not that stopping off in Budapest on the way is a bad idea either.

Okay, another idea. But first I have to admit i am utterly facinated and in love wiht Eastern Europe.

Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest. That will give you an average of 5 nights each. Do some research and you might prefer 3 nights in one and 6 nights in another. You could substitute Sofia for Bucharest and get a little closer to Greece, but with city stays you want a lot close to the city for a day trip or two and Bucharest has more of that. With kids city stays might be easier. Unpack once ever five days more or less. But enough variety to open the world.

Thank you so much for those replies! That helps us a lot. What transport do you recommend from Vilnius to Krakow? Should we stop in Warsaw for a couple of days first?

I recommend the train, and I recommend a couple of stops along the way. Warsaw in an obvious stop, and you really should not ignore Białystok either.

As you can see, there are many wonderful possibilities between Helsinki and Athens. I just want to highlight the challenges of overland travel in much of that area so you don't get tempted into magical thinking about how quickly you can move from place to place. Cross-border train and bus routes often connect only major cities, leading to less-direct routes than you might expect. You could unknowingly design an itinerary with multiple full-day transfers on buses--or on trains that are no faster than buses. The second 8-hour trip like that might find your family a bit fractious. I wouldn't spend a lot of time digging into the glories of destinations along the way without also researching the transportation connections. Anything other than flying may be a lot more difficult than you anticipate, especially when there's a border to be crossed along the way.

I've spent a good bit of time in both Lithuania and Poland and think they're great destinations (you could easily spend every bit of your time in Poland), but getting from Vilnius to Bialystok or Warsaw will be slower than you might expect. You'll definitely want to avoid Kaliningrad, and I would also be avoiding Belarus.

When I traveled through the eastern Balkans in 2015, I figured I covered about 30 mph whether I was on a train or a bus, and I don't think there's any rail transportation from Bulgaria to Greece these days.

I hate having to fly in the middle of a trip, but I think that's what you're looking at here. I don't have anything in particular to suggest; you've gotten a lot of great ideas already. It's just traveling between them that's going to be tough without considerable time in airports.

acraven is right about checking your transportation before planning stops. And you mentioned a priority being unpacking fewer times. If it were just me, I would be taking Badger’s suggestion of train and an extra overnight stop (breaking up a long journey to Warsaw), then train to Krakow.

But I also don’t mind flying those short hops (1 hr flight plus airport time Vilnius to Warsaw) when I have more limited time. Only you can decide how many stops you want to make and whether you prefer train or flying. And exactly how many nights you have. Warsaw also has an easy flight to Budapest, if you decide to wind up there.

You will want to be sure you have easy access to your final destination from wherever you decide to end this portion of your trip. I have not checked Warsaw or Krakow to Athens.

Thanks everyone! This has been so helpful to allow me to make a plan. I’m thinking 2-3 nights in the Balkan cities - shorter in the two we’ve seen before- then from Vilnius to Krakow perhaps including Warsaw, then Krakow to Budapest, perhaps with a diversion to Vienna. Then fly Budapest to Athens. ( Just fyi We are on an around the world ticket from Australia to US to Helsinki then Singapore to Melbourne. So Helsinki was chosen for us. The entire trip is 11 weeks with 6 in Europe. Like I said, Greece and Italy are at the end and we’re meeting friends there so it’s the Helsinki to Athens leg we’re trying to plan. Thank you!!

Krakow to Vienna: cheap flights and being so close and not seeing it for at least 3 nights would be a shame. Then a 2.5 hour train for a week in Budapest.