Three weeks to travel in Summer 2015

Open-jaw works great when traveling by train. Train tickets are pretty cheap in Eastern Europe, and so is the European East pass, which covers Austria, Hungary, Czech Rep, and Slovakia from $220. Poland has it's own pass, starting at about $150 for an adult. Real cost comparisons will be easier when your itinerary is planned, so work on that aspect first.

If you're getting a car rental quote, there are extra fees if you want to pick up and drop off in different countries; you also must let the agency know all the countries where you plan to drive.

Austria, sure, everyone should see Vienna, Melk, the Wachau Valley and I guess a few other places. But know that Vienna is what it is and has been for 50 years and will be for the next 50 years; MacDonaldized. On the other hand Hungary is right on the verge of becoming MacDonaldized and other parts of Central Europe aren't that far behind. So if you want to see them pre-Western Influenced the sooner you get there the better.

Hungary is good for 10 days very easily between Budapest, Pecs, Eger, Gyor

The route from Istanbul through Bulgaria to Sofia is pretty amazing as well. Mountains, lakes, rivers, villages, horse drawn wagons. (another week). We did a repeat of Bulgaria earlier this year and drove on to Istanbul. Great time.

Then north to Romania. Some of the best preserved medieval architecture left in Europe. Great people, gypsy villages and castles. (another week) I think Transylvania is one of my favorite places in the world for getting lost in ancient history.

You can do a lot of this for about $350 a day including transportation and lodging, guides, fees, etc. All but the food.

I love Slovakia too, but its hard to work in with Romania and Bulgaria but it does excellent with Hungary and Ukraine and Austria. Yes, Ukraine. The war is a long way from Lviv and the Ukrainian Carpathians. Slovakia has some absolutely stunning castles, incredible mountains. We will be heading back on trip number 3 in the fall of next year (fishing). For that you would do a week in Austria, a week in Slovakia and a week in Hungary and a week in Ukraine.

Then you can get really off the wall. Don't know what your budget is, but if you set up a base someplace like Budapest and take bonzi trips on short, inexpensive, non-stop air trips. Budapest to Jerusalem or Moscow or Istanbul for instance. Each is about $350 rt.

These are experiences that have an expiration date. But don't expect it to be just real, real easy. Forget the train passes outside of Hungary and Slovakia. Rick has Europe through the Back Door; this is Europe through the basement window.

We spend a lot of time in the region. Let me know if I can help.

Oh, and if Hungary does make your list then do it last.

The best plan is usually a fairly straight route by train, with open-jaw flights. Start in Budapest, then train to Vienna/Bratislava (they are close), and then Krakow to Warsaw - maybe cram in Prague too. With 3 weeks, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy all the cities and some day trips.

I can't speak to Poland, but the trains in Hungary and Austria (and Czech Republic) are very good and you won't want a car in the cities. You may want to rent a car for a couple of days here and there to explore the countryside. There are usually huge drop-off charges if you rent in one country and return in another. Generally point-to-ppoint train tickets are less expensive than rail passes. You can get more information on trains at "The Man in Seat Sixty-One" http://www.seat61.com/

I don't think a Eurailpass is worth the expense. Trains in Poland are fine, I took them a couple of years ago. Very inexpensive, too.

First, do not buy a rail pass. These are no longer the bargain they were 20 years ago. Buy point to point tickets. The link above provides outstanding detail on the railpass vs. point to point debate. Unfortunately, this site also sells passes, so you will always have staff here guiding you in that direction.

As for suggestions, Vienna would be a good starting point for your trip, in my opinion. Lots of history here - palaces, empresses galore. Lots also for kids. When you are finished with Vienna, I would suggest heading south to Graz for a couple of days (a visit to the Zotter Chocolate Factory is a must). Then stop in Ljubljana. Rent a car from here and use this city as a base to explore my favorite country, Slovenia. Piran and the Lake Bled area are amazing. Then you might consider dipping into Northern Croatia. Skip Zagreb and make your way to the Plitvice Lakes. I really like the coast in this part of Croatia - Sibenik is a gem as is Trogir and Zadar. Split is an all time favorite city of mine. I am not suggesting that you stay in all of these places, but maybe pick one as a base and do day trips. You'll need to make your way back up to Slovenia to drop off the car. We have taken our kids to all of these places - very fun and very memorable (and definitely not "McDonaldized").

Thank you all for your suggestions. First off, we don't want MacDonaldized experiences. We like to meet locals, immerse in the culture and not take in so many things that our heads spin around. Our 13 year old is fascinated with European history, WW II and the flags of the world. We purchased a used dresser drawer for her and she asked that we put on the flags of the G8 (okay G7) plus several others and wanted a world map laminated on top. So going places and taking in historical monuments and some museums are a must, but we don't want to overload. We've rented cars in Ireland and have used a long-term lease option to travel in Western Europe. I think it would be great to use point-to-point rail and then perhaps rent a car here and there. We don't have to begin/end in Vienna, but it looked like a central location. What other airports would be good, perhaps better, to fly into if the focus of the trip is Central Europe. One other option is to use local airlines like Ryanair to cover some geographic distances. Thanks again.

@Shari, it’s all about the budget and how you value various experiences. If I had a friend with three weeks to kill in Central Europe then (I will be a little redundit here). Maybe I would suggest this (and there are a lot of other options but this is what I have experience with). In Bulgaria and Romania you can hire a guide with a car plus the hotel for about $350 /day; maybe less. Once in Hungary you rely on the trains.
1 Depart US
2 Arrive Sofia, Bulgaria
3 Sofia
4 Sofia to Plovdiv
5 Plovdiv to Nessebar
6 Nessebar to Veliko Tarnovo

7 Veliko Tarnovo to Bucharest, Romania
8 Bucharest
9 Bucharest to Brasov
10 Brasov to Sighisoara
11 Sighisoara to Sibiu
12 Sibiu to Timisoara
13 Timisoara to Budapest
14 Budapest
15 Budapest
16 Budapest to Vienna
17 Vienna
18 Vienna
19 Vienna to Cesky Krumlov
20 Cesky Krumlov to Prague
21 Prague
22 Prague
23 Prague Home

A more conventional trip using trains and shuttles would be:
1. Depart US
2. Arrive Prague, Czech Republic
3. Prague
4. Prague
5. Prague
6. Prague to Cesky Krumlov
7. Cesky Krumlov to Bratislava, Slovakia
8. Bratislava to someplace near Poprad (take some castle tours) in the High Tatras
9. Poprad
10. Poprad to Kosice
11. Kosice to Budapest, Hungary
12. Budapest
13. Budapest
14. Budapest
15. Budapest and Szentendre and river cruise
16. Budapest to Gyor to Pannanhalma Archabbey
17. Gyor to Vienna
18. Vienna
19. Vienna – Melk – Wachau Valley – Vienna
20. Vienna
21. Vienna
22. Vienna to the States

Thanks for that information. Here are some thoughts I had...I would appreciate hearing any feedback. What about starting in Venice, spending a couple of days there, then using GoOpti Shuttle to go from Venice to Ljubliana, Slovenia (I really like what I'm reading about Slovenia). Maybe rent a car for 3-5 days and see the sights. Then take a local flight (OW) to Romania and see some sights; then take a train to Budapest, Hungary. Time permitting, go from Budapest to Vienna, Austria. Fly out of either Budapest or Austria. (or do the trip in reverse).

I’ve never been to Slovenia. We love to fish so it’s on the list for a future trip. If you found a direct flight from Ljubljana to Bucharest that’s great!

You are going to want to spend a minimum of 4 full days in Romania to begin to see the sites. Romania to Budapest isn’t the most fun train ride. Not from experience, but based on reports I’ve heard from other tourists. We drove it once and flew once. From Cluj, Romania on Tarom it’s about $200 one way.

So that takes you to 10 days. Then plan on 5 full days in Budapest, a night in Gyor, and a handful of days in Vienna and the surrounding area and you have a pretty interesting trip.

we rented a car in venice this summer, drove thru the corner of Austria and into Slovenia and stayed at lake bled for 2 nights, then reversed. Slovenia is gorgeous......pm me if you want more spedifics

Hi,

What aspect of European history is she so passionately interested in? Where geographically in Central and East-Cental Europe and in what time period? Also where in Germany or Poland? Specifically, in eastern and northern Germany? Any specific cities/towns and sites, museums, etc?

Much as I use a rail pass on my trips, esp in Austria and Germany, I don't recommend that for Poland. The Global Youth Pass doesn't include Poland, that's the rip off factor. No need for a Pass in Poland.