Hi guys. I just want to hear your experiences in Poland, Ukraine, Bosnia and Santorini.. Want to know what should I expect from these places? Like are these more about history? modern architecture?culture?modern/old way of living? good food?good vibes?friendly people? scenic beauty? etc.
P.S. I will definitely do my homework. But just want to listen to first hand experiences first
Thank you for all your time
The only one I can attest to is Poland. Friendly people, surprisingly good cuisine, good historical sites to see especially in Krakow and surrounds, and if you go to the Tatras mountains spectacular scenery. If you want more specifics let me know.
Poland is a pleasure for travelling. Reliable and cheap trains. Excellent English spoken by everybody you're likely to need. (Except the ladies at the ticket windows. But they're sweet and most grateful if you help them by writing down your requested train or bus.) And it's not only Kraków which is interesting. I still have good memories of Wroclaw, Torun, Gdansk, Lódz, Lublin, Zamosc and other places. And good food and beer is everywhere at most affordable prices.
I've not been to Ukraine, but I know a young man (late 20's) that visited Kiev and didn't want to leave. He said the women were especially beautiful and very well dressed versus those in the rest of Europe.
We were in Santorini this past Spring. It's probably the most popular of the Greek islands, and a very beautiful place. But at 6 miles long and 15K people, it's a pretty small place. It's all about tourism and has a small wine industry.
We have visited Poland, Ukraine (twice) and Santorini. Have not been to Bosnia, but have been to Slovenia and Croatia.
Not sure why you want to go to Bosnia, but if you go there, suggest you find a day to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Santorini is an amazing place and we visited there on a cruise. Not sure how you plan to get to the island, but we saw the entire island in one day. The cruise ships sail into the area where a volcano blew up 3500 years ago, leaving the edges of the island, one half of the curved area is Santorini. It is my favorite Greek island, but always overrun with tourists.
Poland, is a wonderful country, we did a one week bus tour there in 1989. I know the country has changed since the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, but probably for the better, with an improved infrastructure. Krakow was the highlight of the trip, since the city was spared destruction by Marshall Zukov in WWII. Warsaw was 99 per cent destroyed. Learn the story of the Warsaw uprising in 1944 when the Red Army was at the Vistula, the Polish partisans rose up to take the city from the Germans. Stalin kept the Red Army from helping the patriots and most were wiped out by the Germans. Gdansk has a lot of history and worth a visit. Auschwitz is a terrible reminder of genocide and may give you nightmares, but I recommend a visit. The Polish people are very friendly and the food is a great surprise. The word for beer in slavic languages, including Polish is pivo.
Ukraine is still recovering from the economic collapse of the Soviet Union. You will see a difference from Poland and W. Europe. However, the people are great. Also, I agree with an earlier poster about the attractive women.
There is much history, with ancient cathedrals and monasteries as well as WWII history. Kiev is worth 3-4 days. Also, a couple of days in Odessa is recommended. Sorry that Sevastopol is now Russian, but that is an interest place.
If you haven't read the history of Ukraine, perhaps you didn't learn that during the 1930s when Stalin was forcing collectivization of the farms, 9-10 million Ukrainians were starved to death in an effort to put a stop to Ukrainian resistance to the collectivization. You will learn about that in Kiev. There are tours from Kiev to Chernobyl, if you wish. I understand that they are short. Perhaps everyone gets a radiation badge! We did not take advantage of that tour. Again, the food is good in Ukraine. I discovered some wonderful borst that I previously had not cared for. It is great in Ukraine.
Prices in Ukraine are low, and I suspect still low in Poland compared to W. Europe.
As for reading up on the history of Poland and Ukraine, you will invariably find yourself reading a lot of Russian history. I recommend a book called the Russian Chronicles. Poland has been independent at times and at times partitioned by the three empires adjoining it. Ukraine's NW half was once a part of the large Polish-Lithuanian Confederation with the Turks controlling the southern half. The Russian Empire slowly absorbed Ukraine and part of Poland. Catherine the Great was largely responsible for incorporating Ukraine into the Russian Empire. Today, most Ukrainians, especially in the eastern part of the country want to keep their independence, with more ethnic Russians in the western part of the country.
Also, there is a lot of Jewish history in Poland and Ukraine. Enjoy your trip.
Hi,
If you're looking for history in Poland and the Ukraine, and Bosnia, it's there, good, bad and the ugly. If you are weak on the history of Poland and central Europe, I heartily suggest the works ( any of them ) by the British historian Norman Davies on Poland, scholarly, grim, comprehensive. and readable. No popular history here. Also, RM Watt's "Bitter Glory" on Poland in the inter-war years. Post-1945 Poland's eastern boundary corresponds roughly to the Curzon line, which was based on linguistic and ethnic factors. It was the country that lost six million at the hands of the German Nazis (obviously), the Soviets, the Ukrainians, in civilain and military losses practically on every front in Europe, ie France, Battle of Britain, Holland, Italy, Germany outside of Poland.
I suggest visiting Lviv which was the Polish city of Lwow in the inter-war years, and the city of Lemberg in Austria-Hungary prior to 1914. A good friend of mine, also American, went specifically from Kiev to Lviv by train (an adventure in itself) in 2006 to see the remnants of the old Lemberg.
My trips to Poland (have not been to the other places listed) have only been in the form of three trips, all within a few years from 2001-05. Good, inexpensive food, lovely people, hospitable, etc. I am not of any Polish background, had read up on lots of the history within the framework of modern European history but was not convinced enough to go. We went the first time in 2001 to Warsaw and Krakow. I just regret we didn't factor in more time to prolong the stay in either place by a day or two.
See Gdansk and the lower Vistula area. Not all the towns in that area were devastated in 1945. I went to one of them as a day trip by bus from Torun. in 2005. Taking that short boat ride on the Vistula was an adventure. Who would have thought I made it to the Vistula? Definitely go to Warsaw and Krakow, as a matter of course. Going by train and the discount carriers, it is simply easy to spend a month only in Poland, if you're tracking down culture, architecture, history sites, small towns and big urban centers.
Do not try to add Ukraine and Bosnia to the trip just because they look like they are relatively close to a route between Poland and Athens. THEY ARE NOT easy to connect by either train or air. Flying to Athens from almost any other part of Europe (but not Ukraine or Bosnia) is affordable and much faster, as noted on your last question. See www.skyscanner.com for flights and http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en for train schedules, although some in this region are not yet added, since the Dec. 11 schedule change.
Hi,
If you're going Krakow to Sarajevo, I suggest breaking it up two days, go Krakow to Munich, then Munich to Sarajevo, using both night and day trains...can be done, depends upon your time schedule and travel style.
I don’t get where the criticism is coming from. It’s almost doable using mostly discount airline, non-stop flights: The only thing I couldn’t figure out was Bosnia; maybe if you changed in Belgrade you could get to Athens? Otherwise the trip could be: Someplace to Santorini to Athens to Warsaw to Lviv to Kiev to home presumably. But I suspect you have a plan.
I haven’t been to Greece in 30 years so I won’t comment on that. As for Poland, nope, haven’t made it yet. Maybe Fred will chime in as he knows it well. That leaves Ukraine. I absolutely love Ukraine. Of course its such a large country that I guess its pretty dumb of me to judge the entire country by the little I saw. So, speaking of Kiev and Odessa; its well worth the time and effort. Before you go, watch on Netflix “Winter on Fire”. If you love underdogs, people who adore their homeland, the persecuted, the abused, and the victimized who just don’t give up, then these are your people. So impressed that I spent last night planning the return trip in May of next year.
Two places you might want to put into play are Budapest and Belgrade. If for no other reason they are both outstanding hubs for discount airlines. You can reach all your destinations out of one of the two. Budapest to Kyiv for instance is under $100. Belgrade to Athens is also under $100. Then a good second reason is they are both amazing locations.
I can only speak about Bosnia, having spent some time in Mostar a couple of months ago. My husband and I traveled to Paris, Croatia, Bosnia, and Slovenia - all were wonderful but there was something about Bosnia that has stuck with us. The people were very friendly and the landscape (we drove from Dubrovnik to Mostar then to Plitvice Lakes) was hauntingly beautiful. It was also really cheap! The mixture of cultures, religions, etc. was very interesting - it almost felt like we weren't in Europe. We cannot wait to go back and highly recommend going there.
I have been to Poland twice and of all the countries in Europe, that is the one that impressed me the most. I would hover around Krakow and then take off into the villages. There are some companies that do a "wooden architecture tour" where you will see churches that were built hundreds of years ago and have been restored. I went to two in Blizne and Lutcza. Also, make sure you go to at least one skansen. These are outdoor folk museums.
The food is wonderful, the people are kind and gracious and the trip will be far less expensive than in other parts of Europe.
I could write a book about it, and I did, but I am not sure if I am allowed to mention it. It is about learning genealogy to study your immigrant ancestors, finding living family members and visiting them! I've done all of that with much gratitude going to Rick Steves!
We were in Bosnia this October, as part of a trip where we visited Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro. We stayed in Sarajevo and visited Mostar. Sarajevo was fascinating. I really enjoyed seeing cultures combine, and all of the recent history was very interesting too. Unlike Croatia and Slovenia, in Bosnia you can still see the scars from the war, and it really brings home how horrible it was. We loved Sarajevo! It has a very lived in feeling, unlike some other cities where the tourists have taken over. (i.e. Prague) Everyone we met was kind and friendly. Food was not great, meat and cabbage, which isn't my favorite, but very cheap!! I don't know now many of you are traveling together but I have a great recommendation for Airbnb in Sarajevo! We took a day tour with a gentleman named Ervin, (toorico tours) he took us all around Sarajevo and was fabulous. It was the highlight of our trip.
You do need to use caution in the countryside, some areas are still mined so don't wander out of your car. (Siri kindly took us over a mountain that we later learned was still mined.) Just stay on the road and you'll be fine. (If you stop for pictures...which you'll want to because it's beautiful, keep this in mind, don't pull,off road or wander on the shoulder.)
Mostar is beautiful but very busy with tourists. I think most people that come into Bosnia day trip to Mostar. It's pretty but we only spent a couple hours here, Sarajevo was much better in my opinion.
Santorini is a great little island. Very popular with tourists, but there's a reason for that. It's simply beautiful. We were there this September. Rent a quad and zip around the island. The archeological site is a cool thing to visit if you're into that. If you can, wake up early and wonder around town before everyone else gets up! We were surprised at how dry and dusty it was. The red beach was a bust for us, it had a really weird vibe the day we were there, but we really enjoyed swimming down by Ammundi Bay. (And there's a cool rock to jump off of!!) The food in Santorini was wonderful, and so cheap!! The wine wasn't great, we originally planned on going to a winery but skipped that after we'd tried some of the local wines at dinner. Everyone was very nice and friendly. Taverna Romantica in firostefani was a wonderful place for dinner, we were treated like family!
I'm Polish (born there, grew up there), so feel free to PM me with any specific questions about Poland. Since many folks wonder about why a person would go to Bosnia, I will offer my take on Bosnia. Definitely go. So what if it's not on the tourist radar...I flew into Sarajevo from Split (Croatia) and spent 3-4 full days there and really enjoyed the city. I strongly believe reading/learning about the history of Yugoslavia, the Siege of Sarajevo and the Bosnian War in the mid-90s will enhance your visit by a lot. Sarajevo is very interesting and a mix between East and West where several groups, religions, etc. coexisted peacefully - you will see a mix of architectures and a lovely Ottoman/Turkish quarter called Bascarsja (I would find lodging there). Obviously I did not speak the language but had no problems communicating and taking day tours in English. It was really interesting to get the perspective of a local - they have all been affected by the war in the 90s and have a lot of info to share. I had nothing but a great experience there - very humbling and sad history and still a lot of lingering fragmentation along ethnic lines - and wonderful, very inexpensive food and lodging. I also recommend stopping in Mostar and staying overnight. I would definitely go back to Bosnia again, it was a very good trip. People were very kind (except for some aggressive gypsy kids). It definitely felt very different from other European cities so the memory will stick with you.
Agnes, would you say that these places not being on the tourist radar are among the best reasons to go. Wish I had gone to Dubrovnik before the cruise ships found it, glad I knew Budapest 15 years ago and happy I am finding places in Bulgaria and Ukraine before the rest of the tourists do.
Thank you all for the suggestions..to read more..to watch those movies and to go to these places which are definitely not on the tourists radar as of now..Agnes and jlkelman..thank you guys. I will reach out to you for Poland related stuff..As of now, do you think mid April to end may is a good season to visit?
P..s I am averse to cold weather.
If you want better weather in Poland, then definitely go in May (mid to end), not April. It's too questionable in April - it could be good, it could be too cold. And yes, Bosnia is great because it's not clogged with tourists. It doesn't have the gangbuster attractions but you can see the bridge where Gavrilo Princip shot the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and thus lit a lightening rod for the start of WWI. To me, that's plenty "good enough" reason to travel there. If I had more time, I would have made it to Srebrenica, which is another historically significant site for the Bosniaks who were murdered there. The saddest thing I saw in Sarajevo is countless cemeteries filled with war victims of the 90s.
But your locations are literally all over the map. Lviv for instance is a tiny bit dryer in May than it is in April.
Here are a coupe of weather sites:
This one is brilliant in its simplicity: http://www.holiday-weather.com/lviv/averages/may/
This one is amazing in its detail: https://weatherspark.com/averages/33812/5/Lviv-L-vivs-ka-Ukraine
I guess that all the data is relevant at mid month so if you are traveling at the beginning or end of a month you need to do a little averaging.
For Ukraine, Kyiv is worth 2 full days minimum. Three would be a better minimum.
For Odessa, 2 full days minimum.
I haven't been to Lviv yet (scheduled for May '17), I am arriving there from the states and then giving it two full days before heading south to:
Ivano-Frankivsk, one day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivano-Frankivsk}
Kamianets-Podilskyi, one day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamianets-Podilskyi}
Chernivtsi, one day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernivtsi)
Kyiv, 3 full days (repeat visit) then cheap flight to Budapest
Budapest, 7 full days (repeat visit) then home
A bit hurried, and a pretty active trip compared to what we generally do, but there is a reason; I will be back to Ukraine for some fishing in the area between Chernivtsi and Ivano F. in September. I couldn't figure out how to do the sightseeing and fishing in a week so I split it into two trips.
Let me also suggest you be in a major city on May 1st. Its a holiday in most of the old Eastern Block.
