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Thoughts on extended central Europe travel

Posted by (Maine) on

Hello, all!

Our family of three (2 adults, one 9yo) is heading to central Europe for 7 weeks in November and December of 2019. We are doing the first three/four weeks as farm stays through WWOOF International (www.wwoofindependents.org) in Slovenia and northern Croatia. This will entail working for a portion of most days, but plenty of time to explore as well. Then we have 3-4 weeks for more travel, and my thoughts were:
1: Budapest - 5 days
2: Kosice, Slovakia - 2 days (because it looks nice and seems sort of between stops 1 and 3)
3: Krakow - 4 days
4: Prague - 4 days
5: Flying or overnight train to Stuttgart, where my sister in law lives, for family time and Christmas markets.

I have a full day and night planned between each of these stops to account for travel/flexibility. My priorities are AFFORDABLE (we can only travel this long if we do it on a super-shoestring!! ;) ) places with lots of family-friendly old towns, castles, ruins, and opportunities to feel a community (i.e. I preferred the tiny Hall, Austria Christmas market over the Champs Elysees Christmas market any day of the week). I'd usually rather stroll than rush. We'll be renting a car for our stay in Slovenia, but otherwise we expect to rely on public transportation, unless there's a can't-miss that needs a car rental for a day or two.

I don't have a questions so much as ... am I on the right track? I am not completely committed to this itinerary yet because I'm still mulling over (like - is it worth it to add Prague into the mix or would something like Wroclaw really cap off this adventure? Maybe Bratislava is better than Kosice from a public transportation perspective...? etc.). This itinerary is based primarily on my stringing together places that seem interesting and affordable, and that I might not make it to in a shorter trip (rather than a list of must-dos or lifelong dreams). I welcome your comments!

Thanks in advance!
Destie

Posted by
32738 posts

Just make sure you have the right work visa. That type of work is considered work in many countries. You don't want to be turned back.

Posted by
908 posts

Just make sure you have the right work visa. That type of work is considered work in many countries. You don't want to be turned back.

Definitely make sure all of your visa requirements are met due to the work issue, even voluntarily. Passport control officers may have questions.

Posted by
23266 posts

Woofing is really open only to EU citizens. While you may not get paid in money, you are receiving compensation via room and board. From the European view point it is work and requires a work visa. So proceed carefully.

You should read this --- https://wwoofindependents.org/visa-information

Posted by
2332 posts

5: Flying or overnight train to Stuttgart,

There are neither direct flights nor night trains between Prague and Stuttgart.
But there are many flights with one change. Depending on the network, that would be somewhere in Europe (e.g., for Star Alliance in Munich, Vienna, Frankfurt or Zurich), and pricewise it's often no difference whether your transfer is in Frankfurt or Amsterdam or elsewere. Alternatively, you could fly to Frankfurt and take the train directly from the airport to Stuttgart (Lufthansa offers this trip as a combined ticket). Check Google Flights.

Posted by
11 posts

Thanks, sla019! I appreciate the thought. I did look at that and couldn’t quite tell what I was seeing.... I’ll keep searching to find the best way to get us from Krakow or Prague to Stuttgart.

I’ll also continue looking on the slovakia board for the most reasonable stopover.

Thanks!
Destie

Posted by
4573 posts

I can't comment on what is pretty or nice to see, particularly at that time of year, but 2 invaluable travel planning sites are seat61 for train travel and rome2rio for seeing your routes on a map and options on mode of transports. It doesn't,however, take into consideration seasonal travel discrepencies and realtime pricing, but it is a good broad picture tool.
I expect you are used to off season travel, but there is a trade off of affordable quaint towns and limited facilities or communications.
Pinterest seems one method to use for those who choose travel spots visually but I would check with chamber of commerce, or alternate sites for realities of what to expect in the throes of early winter. From a short list of alternate locations, use rome2rio for logical move sequences.

Posted by
1428 posts

Central Europe is affordable, beautiful, and more authentic than much of western Europe. Central Europe remains not yet to be littered with chain stores and generic multinational retailers. I love shopping at the various mom-and-pop stores in Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary. Food in Poland and HUngary is fantastic. People there are eager to help tourists and speak English. No grumpy souls like those in Germany. I haven't been to SLovakia and therefore cannot comment.

You will enjoy your trip very much!

Posted by
14507 posts

My recommendation is to go to east central Europe. I heartily recommend Poland, Budapest and the Czechia...well worth your time and money.

True, about grumpy people in Germany, have encountered some over the years but...who cares, it doesn't bother me when dealing with the locals there.

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