Two weeks - Prague, Czech Republic and then...where?

Prague is pretty centrally located, and other interesting cities like Dresden and Cesky Krumlov are a couple of hours away--as is Vienna. But if you're looking for a less expensive place, Poland is to the east and much of it is like going back in time.
You mentioned Romania, but it's more east of Budapest. Of course Croatia is quite a distance south and there are a number of other countries to see at the same on the eastern side of the Adriatic.

I would say that southern Poland would fit your criteria quite nicely. The southern area of what is now Poland has been at the "crossroads of empires" since the middle ages, between the Kingdom of Poland, the Holy Roman Empire, Hapsburg Austria, the Bohemian Kingdom, Prussia, and the Russian Empire, which gives this area quite a deep and rich history.

Even though it is in the heart of Europe, I would say that southern Poland (save for Kraków) is definitely off the international tourist radar. The best way to see this land would be from a car. One could take the 4 hr bus from Prague to Wrocław, in the south western corner, rent a car, and then work one's way eastward and fly out of Kraków.

For potential sites:

Wrocław - the historic capital of the lower Silesia region, in 2016, the city was named a European Capital of Culture and is home to Centennial Hall which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old center is quite unique, as it incorporates a little of every country that has ruled the city - from Silesian Gothic to Austrian Baroque and German Modernist.

Sudeten Mountains - a forested mountain range along the border between Poland, Czechia, and Germany. The Sudetes were mostly spared from the horrors of WWII, as most of the fighting went north, so many of the small historical German spa towns and related sites are well preserved.

Zamek Książ - (Schloss Fürstenstein) a large, originally medieval castle of the Duchy of Pleß, that overlooks the Pełcznica river gorge. During WW2 the Germans built underground tunnels here. In these tunnels is apparently where the train filled with Nazi gold is hidden. This tunnel network was part of Project Riese, which was a secret Nazi project consisting of several underground megastructures (for yet unknown reasons).

Protestant Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica - UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the largest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe, built after the 30 Years War, when this area was part of the Austrian Empire.

Schloss Pleß at Pszczyna - Baroque style chateau, which used to be owned by the von Pleß family. The interior is very well preserved and many of the original stuff are all still there. It is also historically important as this is the place where Kaiser Wilhelm II had his HQ for the eastern front during WW1.

Katowice - largest city in the Upper Silesia historic region, a vibrant center of Silesian culture. Its modern architecture contrasts its architecture from the early 1900s, historic reminders of Katowice's German and Communist past. Especially nice to visit in April with its numerous flowering lilac trees.

Kraków - The former royal capital of Poland, with its historic center designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kraków is a historical and visual gem. Its home to one of the most magnificent (and largest) squares in Europe. The lively squares and backstreets of the former Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, symbolizes the dynamic renewal of the city.

These are just some of the larger sites one can see, there are still many smaller, yet equally interesting, places waiting to be discovered. The best part - everything is dirt cheap, I mean the water is more expensive than the beer over there. Throughout the region, you will find some petty good Polish Pilsner and authentic medieval honey-mead.

My first thought was Poland, and Carlos' recommendations sound so good that I think I might be ready to plan a return and see some of them--I did Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk and then Prague in 2015 and it was one of my most favorite trips. Poland is quite beautiful, full of intriguing history, great food, kind people and also cheap.

Another vote for Poland. I first visited Prague in 2005, when I too fell in love with it, and in 2012 I returned at the end of a trip to Poland. I started in Gdansk, then worked my way down by train to Torun, Wroclaw, and Krakow (bypassed Warsaw). Then I trained to Olomouc, Czech Republic for a few nights, then rented a car in Brno and drove through Moravia and southern Bohemia, with stops in towns like Telc, Jindrichuv Hradec, Trebon, and Cesky Krumlov. I returned the car in Prague and spent the last few nights there.

Honestly, although I enjoyed a few of the towns in southern Bohemia, I really preferred Poland. (Except for Prague.) The Czech countryside is lovely with rolling green hills, but the towns all kind of ran together for me. Almost every town has a "plague column" (a monument to the plague victims). By contrast, the Polish countryside is kind of flat and not so pretty, but the towns are really interesting: not as charming really as the Czech towns but some old-town charm mixed in with communist-era sprawl. Somehow I found this endearing and refreshing, very different from tourist-friendly western Europe. And of course there's a lot of history in these towns. Krakow of course is near Auschwitz. Gdansk has some unique Cold War history.

FYI, Prague is so popular and touristy these days that you should expect it to be much busier in the spring than it was in the winter. It can be obnoxious to have to wade through crowds of tourists walking across the Charles Bridge into the old town. I'd love to go back to Prague again but probably not in tourist season.

We also really enjoyed Poland. With only 2 weeks, part of which you want to spend in Prague, you will have to be pretty selective about where you go. I really like what Carlos suggested. We may have to go back to see some of what we missed!

Hi,

I would heartily recommend Poland too for all the above mentioned reasons especially those listed and suggested by Carlos, all the more so if you're into the history and geography of east-central Europe.

The Polish areas of Silesia and also the lower Vistula area are particularly interesting from the historical standpoint. Not all those towns were devastated in 1945, some were bypassed by the Soviets, ie survived undamaged. Keep in mind that while Katowice is the largest town in Upper Silesia area, it (Kattowitz) was also its province capital.

@ Carlos...While it's basically accurate historically that the Sudetenland escaped the horrors of war in 1945, since the Soviet offensives were focused up north, also bypassing and thus sparing Krakow, the population experienced some pretty awful events during the Expulsion, ie the Sudeten Heimatsvertriebenen.

At one end of the Nibelungen Bridge in Linz is a memorial plaque (Gedenktafel) written only in German dedicated to those Sudetens who made it out. I've seen it...poignant.

Wow! Lots of love for Poland, I noticed! My New Year's trip was originally going to include a trip north through Liberec, CZ, then up to Görlitz, Germany, then over to Jelenia Góra and back down to Prague. Instead, I found a good opportunity to fly direct to Tel Aviv and took a day tour of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I hate that I missed Germany and Poland, but I knew I'd be heading back to Europe long before I'd be able to make it to Israel again.

I think I'm going to start plotting and planning using the suggestions here. Thanks!

@BamaNoggin - thanks for the update, enjoy your trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, I'd say that they definitely have a rich and multi-cultural history too! :)

@Carlos - My trip to Israel was back in January. I'm just planning for an upcoming trip in the next year or so that looks like it's going to include southern Poland. I've been marking suggested locations onto Google Maps to start plotting out a strategy. :-)

@BamaNoggin - oh ok, I understand now, my mistake :)
I hope you enjoy your planing, I often find it quite fun myself! Let us know if you have any specific questions that come up during your planning process.