Eastern Europe itinerary for May 2011

I would drop Warsaw, start with Krakow, stay 1 day in Zakopane but two days in High Tatras. On Polish side see Morskie oko (lake) right under the highest mountain of Poland Rysy. If you are in shape and weather allows you can conquer it. Well probably not in May. Then cross into Slovakia by bus and stay in Stary Smokovec. 2/3 of High Tatras are in Slovakia, only 1/3 in Poland. There you can take funicular to Hrebienok and do some hikes around. Then by little electrical train you get to Poprad and from there there is a direct train to Prague. That means you would have to drop Wroclaw. From Prague you can do day trip to Kutna Hora but for Karlovy Vary I would recommend overnight. Then Cesky Krumlov, from there to Vienna. Then by hydrofoil (so you have some change from train) to Bratislava and Budapest.

Thanks for your suggestions. 1. I was also contemplating ping Warsaw as I felt that Budapest, Krakow and Prague were the best of the big cities. Just looking for views on whether Warsaw is worth a visit. 2. Zakopane and Vysoké Tatry both look appealing. I do not mind changing the days as you have suggested. How far the 2 towns from each other. It would be best if they can be covered from one place (3 days) itself. 3. Wroclaw will get cut out in this itinerary. What do we miss in Wroclaw? I had gone by reviews that it is a nice town similar somewhat to Venice. 4. Is Bratislava worth a one day stop? Rick Steve guides mostly recommend skipping it if you are covering other places and are short of time. I would love other suggestions on the itinerary because its my first trip to Eastern Europe.

Wroclaw is an amazingly beautiful place. The central town square is I think one of the finest anywhere in Europe. There are several historic churches complete with towers to climb for a view over the city. They are on a series of islands connected by bridges, and the streets in the area are lit at night by gaslamps. It's as peaceful and romantic an area as you could ever wish for. The city really is unlike Venice, except for the fact that there are small bridges everywhere connecting the islands out of which the Old Town is made. To me, it's a lot like Krakow must have been before the hoards of stag and hen parties arrived for all night boozathons. We spent two nights there and were glad to have done so. (Though the National Museum is not much of a highlight. It's mainly Polish art. Unless you have a particular interest in Polish art, you can spend your time better just wandering the back streets and sitting at a cafe.) There are lots of Polish students in Wroclaw, meaning you can find lots of cafes, bars, pubs, and informal eateries. Warsaw is a different scene entirely; much larger, more urban, if also a bit more work-a-day. But it is quite a ways out of your way.

Based on helpful suggestions, I feel Warsaw is better left out of this trip. Perhaps It will go better with a trip to the Baltic States - Russia. But we still need to trim the days more. I particularly feel that Bratislava is not worth a stopover. It can be covered en route from Prague to Budapest as a lunch halt. I feel more comfortable changing less hotels. And if it is not worth a visit also then I would rather fly into Budapest. I have no idea of Bratislava except what I have read in guidebooks and forums. Also I will have to choose between Cesky Krumlov and Wroclaw as it is difficult to accomodate both. Any suggestions (So far I have differing views on Wroclaw and none on Cesky Krumlov)

Look at the map. Wroclaw is out of your way. Cesky Krumlov is a small very picturesque town with an imposing castle above it. I would say one day and overnight. It has some magical feel at night. Then toward Vienna and Budapest. If you have to, skip Bratislava. From Zakopane to Stary Smokovec in Slovakian High Tatras is not that far. There is also a direct bus. It is easier to get to Poprad from Stary Smokovec than from Zakopane to Krakow. There are many more direct trains from Poprad to Prague than from Krakow to Prague. That's why I previously suggested that you stay overnight in Zakopane and also in Stary Smokovec. You can google all these places for suggestion on accommodation, what to see etc.

Thanks for your suggestions. I have made out a small map on Google which marks all major destinations in Blue and day trips in Red. (I've shared a map with you called Eastern Europe: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid= 212894428035979020974.00049a4a04763123b5338) The modified itinerary is like this now based on feedback: 3 - Krakow (salt mines) 1 - Zakopane 2 - High Tatras / Vysoké Tatry 4 - Prague (Karlovy Vary, Kutna Hora) 2 - Cesky Krumlov (Trebon, Telc day trip or cut one day and spend it in Bratislava)
4 - Budapest (Danube Bend, Eger) 16 days (4 Poland, 3 Slovakia, 5 Czech, 4 Hungary) This looks good to me but open to any changes suggested. I could not locate the Zakopane - Stary Smokovec bus. How long does it take? Can we take a cab from Cesky to Bartislava seeing some towns on the way and carry on next day to Budapest. Its a group of 4 well suited for car. Can someone help me with the best transport options to cover the itinerary. I prefer using trains, bus or taxi rather than flights. Great suggestions.

There is a direct bus between Zakopane and Stary Smokovec. It takes 1 hour 22 minutes. The distance is 64 km. Taxi from Cesky Krumlov to Bratislava would be very expensive. If you want to spend some money for taxi then take it from CK to Linz and then train to Vienna. From there either by train or by hydrofoil on Danube river to Budapest.

I think a primary consideration is your flight arrangements are you doing a loop, or starting in one city and ending in another? How are you traveling? By train, car or both? That makes a big difference in planning considerations as you can sometimes save nights by taking an overnight train (some are more comfortable than others), and if you don't have time to circle back, you may have trouble with some train connections, meaning you might want to skip places that don't have an easy train connection. All that said, I'd skip Warsaw and Wroclaw entirely and start in Krakow. I'd trim Prague and Budapest to 3 nights each. I'd also skip Bratislava unless you are taking the train from Prague to Budapest because Bratislava is halfway, so you can take a morning train and then spend 4 hours or so in Bratislava before continuing on to Budapest. In terms of castles, Prague's is the best, although the Budapest complex has an interesting labyrinth. I think you can get a good experience of the Danube in Budapest itself and you'd probably want to spend your entire 3 days there rather than detour to Egar. While you said you're not interested in museums, please consider the Terror Museum in Budapest - it was an amazing experience and really made me feel like I understood the culture. Cesky Krumlov is pretty touristy, I think maybe 1 night would be enough, then you could add that extra night to Budapest or Prague. Have fun!

I am skipping Warsaw and Wroclaw, though Wroclaw photos look very good to spend one night. My flights would be into Krakow and out of Budapest. Since there are no direct connections from India I will use Munich/Zurich for a stopover. The other option is to take a direct flight to Vienna and then do a circle of Cesky, Prague, Krakow, Zakopane, High Tatras, Budapest and back to Vienna. This will save the extra flights. But I am not too keen on Austrian Airlines vis-a-vis Lufthansa. Is there no direct way from Cesky to Budapest via bratislava because Vienna route involves three legs. Also We have been to Vienna and Bratislava would be a new city for a few hours.