Why so little intrest in Eastern Europe?

Aside from a minor disagreement about what countries constitute "Eastern Europe", I would also not make the generalization of "little interest" (although of course everything is relative). There is ample evidence that interest in places that were formally off-the-radar for most folks has been increasing rapidly, not staying flat. Croatia is a perfect example. Tourism there has grown like gangbusters...it's partly due to cruise stops and probably more so due to marketing. Never underestimate the power of marketing, familiarity, and perceived comfort. Places like Italy, France, and England have been in the public imagination for decades and have dominated the cultural stage - places like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia have not. I grew up in Poland and I am amazed how many tour groups are now going into cities other than Krakow. Even Rick Steves writes about it and glossy DK books exist, whereas this was not always the case (the perception was that everything is sad, grey and full of communist buildings). Remember that "Eastern Europe" was behind the iron curtain for a long time and this had tremendous affect on perceptions and ability to travel there. Some of those countries never developed the robust tourist infrastructure or marketing power that others in Western Europe have because they were so closed off. Now they're playing catch-up, and tourist dollars are limited and will always flow to the "big ticket" places first.

Regarding logistics: transportation systems, connections, and quality of infrastructure are not equal between Western/Eastern Europe because the standard of living is not equal in general. Trains can run at 30 mph in Bulgaria and Romania - that would be considered underperforming by Western European standards (not as much investment in the train system). Paris, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam are more competitive flight markets than say Krakow or Bucharest, although budget carriers are certainly breaking barriers. I wouldn't say transportation infrastructure is as much a barrier as language and just "not knowing what's out there". I think there may be a certain fear of the unknown for some countries which doesn't make sense rationally, but it's there. Most Americans also care about what their friends and family thinks so there are no bragging rights for the Balkans, Ukraine, Russia (ok there may be some for Russia) but more like blank stares.

Croatia, Czechia and Hungary though are historically in Central rather than Eastern Europe. So maybe there is even less interest in Eastern Europe then ... although Baltic states countries are certainly not backward with receiving tourists.

I agree with previous posts, for the most part.

Even within "Western" Europe, check this board to see how many answers are given to a question about some destination that's not Paris-London-Rome-Venice-Normandy-Bavaria-Florence-Barcelona.

Only a tiny percentage of Americans travel to Europe at all, and likely a much smaller percentage that go more than once. London-Paris-Rome are the must sees, and everything else comes secondary. There is still an Iron Curtain perception that makes anything east of Germany seem forbidden - I had an educated person ask me if we were allowed to travel in Poland. Let's face it, the people who are tuned in to the RS travel style or visit this site are much more likely to visit the back door countries than the average tourist. That will change, but it seems unlikely that Bratislava and Kiev will ever be the draw that Paris is. Most people say they want adventure and new cultural experiences, but really they just want comfort and the security of the familiar.

@ rob in cal....Based on your posting, that is a perfect reason for not relying primarily on a guide book to do planning for a trip, esp one seen through American lens. I don't. When I plan / research my trips, RS books aren't even consulted. Your comments are accurate on places that are part of the American tourist radar, 45 years ago Bavaria was the American "comfort zone" in Germany , it still is overwhelmingly. As for not going to "eastern Europe" as defined by them, that's absolutely correct. On my three trips to Poland, small towns and big cities, I saw very few Americans on the trains or in town relative to other nationalities, esp Germans. But that was over ten to fourteen years ago. Maybe it may be different now. Brno was interesting, even as a glimpse, will be going back because of the time constraint this time. A number of the places in Moravia are well worth going to.

On going to the former DDR, my view is I doubt it. American tourists won't go there. Even in the tourist areas of Dresden, you would more likely hear Russian than North American English. I recommend going to eastern Germany, it's different, plain and simple, people and atmosphere wise, geographically, linguistically, ie, the locals won't address you in English. If you don't like that happening to you, go there.

"...a lot of interesting places being missed out on...." How true of eastern Germany. In Saxony and Brandenburg. Places like Weimar, Naumburg an der Saale, Leipzig, Jena, Magdaburg, Erfurt, Schwerin, Stralsund, Greifswald, Neustrelitz, Potsdam, and the small towns.

And Quedlinburg and Görlitz.

Shhhhhhhh. You'll turn Minsk into Cinque Terre.

Marketing and popularity are the kiss of death. Just sayin'.

I think the U.S. tourist iron fence was and still is at a line between Vienna or Venice and Amsterdam. Everything northeast of that is "here there be dragons".

I believe Americans don't travel to Eastern and Central Europe as much as they do Western Europe. I base that solely on observations, rather than data.

There are a couple reasons: prestige, comfort and fear. First, prestige: Western European locations -- especially Italy overall, cities like Paris and London and other locations -- have more prestige than their Eastern European cousins with the American traveler. I love visiting Paris myself and hope to go back there a couple more times before I check out. The other issue is comfort. Western European nations are seen as more comfortable in terms of accommodations and other things. (I've never understood the obsession some Americans have with high-end accommodations; I still travel budget in my 50s.) Finally there is the fear factor. I think the misplaced fear that people in E. Europe don't speak English is part of it. Politics is another misplaced issue with Americans. They are fearful about how they will be seen. Ironically, Eastern Europeans might have a higher regard for Americans than Western Europeans do, though I base that solely on observation.

Americans should travel to Eastern and Central Europe more. I was in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary last year. I loved them all! I especially enjoyed Budapest. I saw some great sites in Eastern Europe, met wonderful people and enjoyed my visit.

Some accurate observations. The perceived fear factor is totally misplaced, but to some Americans it may be true. In my view it's misplaced. That's depending on one's comfort factor (such a generic term) or what one is willing to cope with. The lingua franca in Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, etc is now English, whereas 30-40 years ago it was German. I know French and Americans who were there in the 1970s and 1980s, and not knowing any German had a frustrating time in Yugoslavia and Budapest, since their French and English or Spanish skills were of no help.

Whether Americans in obvious numbers go to the popular tourist cities, namely Prague and Budapest, that doesn't apply to other nationalities, specially Italians, Russians, Asians (Koreans and Chinese). You'll certainly see them in those cities in bus groups or individual travelers and on the train to those cities.

well I have travelled a fair bit in central and eastern Europe and see plenty of Americans on my trips though away from the major cities I can't say I have bumped into many.Maybe it is because a lot of Americans seem to enjoy the packaged tours rather than getting out on their own but I do meet the odd adventurous one now and then, even had lunch with a couple in Segulda in Latvia.I also have several American friends who now live in Prague so these guys have actually travelled and made their homes there.

@ unclegus....Isn't the American expat community in Prague ca. 10,000? That was the figure or more about 20 years ago. I heard it's fewer than that now.

I think Agnes's point about the slow ground transportation is a major one. With so many Americans only able to manage 7- to 14-day vacations, it is tempting to stick with destinations that can be reached within a few hours. You might start out thinking, "Bulgaria would be cool." But when you delve into the logistics it all becomes complicated and seems ill-advised on a short trip. A lot of the (not many) Americans I have run into in obscure parts of Europe have been retired (as I am) or very young and perhaps not yet tethered to a job.

In the immortal words of my late mother when we were discussing the (we assumed limited) tourist infrastructure in Albania circa the early 1990s: "It's not so much that I want to go to Albania, but that I want to have been." And no, I haven't made it to Albania yet myself.

Never underestimate the power of marketing,

That certainly seems to be the reason that everybody and his brother has been going to Iceland. That, and the fact that Icelandair combines low fares to Europe with a free stopover in Iceland for up to 7 days. I'm also seeing a lot being written about visiting Portugal, and the Puglia region of Italy. Maybe those countries/areas are doing a good job of marketing themselves.

I think the patterns are pretty solid because human nature still hasn't changed much over the years. Western Europe is simply closer and more familiar than Eastern Europe. We tend to travel to those places that are comfortable, familiar, and close by. This applies to whether we are going to a neighboring state or somewhere on the other side of the world. Some people crave the unfamiliar, new experiences, and new culture, but many travelers like to stick with what they know. I have some friends who have been to Italy and Ireland multiple times, but haven't ventured beyond those borders very much. It used to bother me that there was so much of Europe they were missing out on, but I came to realize that they were simply doing what they loved to do, and that I am a different type of traveler than them. To each their own.

Human nature may not change, but the cohort of future travelers will be very different than today. They will not have grown up during the Cold War so they will not be saddled with the same preconceptions or fears. Even today's millennials will likely (or already) have different travel patterns as older generations. The internet has really opened up new areas for do-it-yourself travel planning. New York Times travel section and Lonely Planet are hyping up underrated locations and putting them on top lists of "must see" sites. Some people literally need an article or social media to convince them that something is "cool" or even OK so they can tell their family/friends that it's OK. Lame, I know. But that's marketing again. Even the Rick Steves folks are going on tours to Bulgaria (who would have thought there'd be a Bulgaria tour) because they've already cycled through France, England, Italy, etc. Who knows, one day there may even be a Romania tour (although that's probably seen as a risk right now in terms of selling out seats since Rick hasn't written a blue book about Romania yet).

As long as there's disposable income and knowledge that alternatives exist, people will seek out new places although not in the same raw numbers as the most popular sites. Just as there is prestige in going somewhere well-known, there is also some prestige in going somewhere where others haven't been. Since the baseline of interest in some countries is so low, the rate of increase in interest will be much higher than over-touristed sites. All it takes is getting the word out, which is no small feat for poorer countries that just don't have a solid tourist infrastructure or know how to market themselves to a wide audience. By the way, this doesn't apply only to Eastern Europe. There has been great lamenting in southern Italy, for example, for why their tourism and marketing is so poor compared to the north. This shows up clearly in their tourism numbers. It's not that they have no cultural treasures in the south, it's simply that they're not getting the word out to people as effectively as say the region of Tuscany. Turkey, on the other hand, has done a great job and the tourism numbers (before all the latest events) have been growing like crazy. Inexpensive Turkish Air flights have only helped, as is enlisting Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi to advertise for them (it's like saying "we have arrived"). Same story as Iceland. Making it easy, a good value, and welcoming for people to travel someplace will increase the tourism numbers, whether in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, or elsewhere. Some people need a lot to nudge them to try something new, whereas others don't require as much.

I first visited Croatia in 1977 when it was still Yugoslavia. I was visiting my future husband. We dated in HS and in 1975 they had to return, work visa was up. He came back for a visit in 1976 on a container ship and got in touch with me. He invited me to visit so I saved my money, and went for 4 weeks the next summer. No one spoke English, no one in the city had even met an American. I Loved it. The culture, people, living conditions, food. Everything about it interesting.

All my friends were worried I was going to a communist country, would I be able to come home, would I be imprisioned, no one knew anything about the country, not even where it was. I visited him for the next four years, alone. No one wanted to visit. No interest whatsoever, nothing. NOW, these same friends/family are bugging us to take them with us. They read all these wonderful articles and see the beautiful pictures of the coast. They still know nothing of the country! Just that it is popular. Oh, and throw in the location for filming Game of Thrones. So marketing and media can make a country the "in" place to be.

But I remember in those early days they had trips to Czechoslavakia, Poland, USSR, Hungary, even China, but not for me, my American passport was not welcome and it was impossible to get visas. I was so curious about what was going on behind that curtain. When we finally took our girls to visit Croatia after the war, 2002, I immediately booked side trips to Prague and Budapest. We went by train and did not encounter many English speaking people. We had a great time though and people didn't think of us as American because my husband spoke Croatian to everyone (he figured we wouldn't get ripped off as much). We returned in 2014 and boy what different cities. I hardly recognized Budapest with all the tourists and outside cafes, and shops, etc. I remember in 2002 going to the national Museum and we were literally the only people there except for the little old ladies who followed us around. I don't know if they were doing their jobs or just curious. It was so hot and not one whiff of a/c.

I do have a point......and this is just from my circle of people in Brooklyn. My age group, late 50's on, didn't have the extra money to make multiple trips to Europe. so if they were only going to go once, maybe twice, they were going to go (a) where their lineage/family was, Italy, Greece, or Ireland mostly, (b) where they knew people spoke English, London, and/or (c) Paris because everyone knows it is the most Romantic City in the world. Most people will tell you their first trip to Europe was London, Paris, or Rome.

And it isn't just Americans. My husband's family never travel outside of Croatia for vacation. Even the ones who can afford it don't go. They say, why should we go to.......when we have the same things here. I have been begging them to come to NY for 35 years, no one has come. We have even offered to foot the bill, no takers. I almost got a niece to come, but she backed out, was going to Rovinj instead.

Sorry for the length, hope a got my point across.

Oh, and as a type on my iPad, another thought popped in - the Internet. Before the Internet, information on the Eastern European countries was scarce. Now every little village has a webpage with alluring pictures and promises of cultural fun and festivals. Years ago, you only knew what the brochures in the travel agent's office told you.

In addition to marketing, never underestimate what cruise ships and tour groups can do for a place. And budget carriers like Ryan Air. All of a sudden, the fares are luring new traffic and the sites show up in glossy mailings (Budapest shows up prominently in every Viking River Cruise brochure). Many people have minimal or moderate knowledge about the place, but once you lower the barriers, some take the bite. I can only imagine that both tour groups and cruise ships will seek growth and will keep expanding to places where they have no (or small) footprint now. Major political changes/liberalization and loosening of travel restrictions (Visa free travel) also have that effect. In know it's not Eastern Europe, but Cuba is a good example. Who (from the US only) would have ever thought they could travel there one day? It had the same iron curtain, "verboten" psychology behind it.

Globalization is also making the world smaller and far-off places seem not as unfamiliar. Warsaw (where I was born) has the same international hotels and stores as any other Western European city now (just not as many obviously as other places). It looks like any other modern city. And all kids learn English in school and have for quite some time. It does not use the Euro though, which is another small (perceived) barrier.

About the US passport not being welcomed in Soviet bloc countries in the 1970s, that depended on which country. In 1973 and 1977 I had no problem getting a Czech visa, got it in Paris at the Czech Embassy in '73, show up with 2 photos taken at the train station photo machine and your US passport, be prepared to wait, and have the cash to pay for the visa. When I crossed the border at Cheb for passport control, no problem at all. That was it.

I did the same in Vienna in 1977, got the visa.

East Germany was more stringent, the most Stalinist of the east bloc regimes. They wanted a copy of your itinerary, and addresses of where you were staying, etc Getting a day visa for East Berlin crossing at Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse was no problem either in 1987 or '89, just pay the mandatory amount for the exchange.

Interesting topic, thanks, Rob! Could it also maybe be generational? Are there more young backpackers in the East..? It's probably still easy there to find a room and breakfast for $25 (wouldn't know, just thinking out loud.)

I have so little opportunity to get to Europe, that I end up treading those tried-and-true pathways I'm most familiar with. So, yeah, comfort, probably. Although my "Dream List" does include Prague. I remember reading in that old magazine "European Travel and Life" (ca. 1985) about Prague being like Paris in the 20s with all the Americans there.

I was in Hungary in September 1989; it was still very remote and old-style; lots of carts being pulled by horses, lots of old farm women in dresses, aprons, big farm boots, and headscarves. We were driving the countryside, though, not visiting the cities.

About US backpackers being in less than well known places, I was a little surprised to see US backpackers in Brno in June at the train station, likewise in Graz/Austria a few years back but figured they might be students at the university or Hochschule für Musik. In Prague, obviously, I saw American backpackers in the city and at the main train station.

Eastern Germany is a different story. I would not expect to see them in eastern Germany, unless the person was a student. at Frankfurt an der Oder, Halle an der Saale, Greifswald, Rostock, Leipzig, etc. American backpacking tourists would indeed be surprise in towns like Rostock or Prenzlau or Jena. I've never seen any Americans on the trains in eastern Germany, let alone international tourists , except those heading to Dresden.

Fred, i would have been traveling with a Yugoslavian group and they wouldn't take an American. Also we were no where near any consulates to apply for visas. My husband was a student and hadn't fulfilled his mandatory military obligation so that came into play also. Also, not every visa from Yugoslavia was a multi entry. Different scenarios for different trips/times.

As a side note, he was on a family/group vacation in Czechoslavakia in 1968 when the Russians came in. He remembers all the tanks and soldiers. He said you never saw people get on the buses or in cars so fast and head straight for the boarder. It did dampen his travel a little in those days. We mostly went to Italy.

If the premise of the post is correct, then isn't that a clear indication that you should plan your next trip to Eastern Europe, before tourism effects too much change?

We are foaming at the mouth trying to get to Romania and Bulgaria. It will have to wait another year or two - daughter getting married in 2017, other trips already planned and booked for 2017. Hoping they still stay undiscovered. I know none of my friends/relatives/colleagues have any plans for these countries.

@ Barbara....Thanks for the explanation. I have no direct experience with Yugoslavia in the cold war days, only what I heard from other American/British backpackers who said that Yugoslavia was easy in getting a visa, ie they said one could the visa at the border on the train. Presumably they were correct, I don't know. Aside from getting day visa for East Berlin, I got a visa from only one east bloc country , ie only from the Czechs, the CSSR, in 1973 and 1977, both times easy. Of course, I bailed out in '77 from going to the CSSR from Austria at the last minute, even after I had the visa. In July 1973 the border/passport control at Cheb was easy too, lasted half an hour, yes, the guards had mirrors looking underneath the train, dogs were used by the guards. Czech troops in their ill-tailored uniforms with rifles were walking back and forth on the platform. I was leaning out the window, like others, very hot, no AC naturally, no big deal in watching all this activity on the platform.

Sooooooo, next time you are planning a trip to Western Europe, consider getting out of your comfort factor. From what ever Western City you are in, go to Google Flights and set it up to show you on a map all of the possible Non Stop discount flights; then look for destinations in Eastern Europe. For instance, in the spring, you can fly non stop from Paris to Belgrade or Budapest or Krakow or Warsaw or Kyiv; all for under $175 each way.

When my dd and ds were students in both highschool and univ and in the years after that,they travelled extensively in Eastern Europe. Without a doubt,it was those countries that they enjoyed the most on so many levels,most notably,the absence of hoards of tourists.