My wife and I are taking our honeymoon and have settled on two potential eastern european trips. We plan on 10-14 days and are looking for a combination of relaxation and local culture are two choose are 1)Helsinki, Tallinn, St. Petersburg or 2)Prague, Wroclaw, Bratislava and pro's con's recomendations and or insights into any of these destinations is appreciated. Thanks
-Mat
Hello. Congrats on your upcoming marriage. My husband and I just got back from our vacation (first year anniversary for us). While I haven't been to all the places you mentioned we did go to St. Petersburg and then flew to Prague. I would highly recommend both of the cities.
St. Petersburg has amazing architecture, history, and culture. Prague also has great architecture and culture and we found it to be relaxing even with all the tourists. Of course be from being in St. Petersburg the 4 days prior. Feel free to message me if you have more questions.
I have never been to choice #1, but I would skip Bratislava. Have you thought about adding Krakow or Budapest to your list?
Budapest.. Haven't been there yet. Can't wait for my trip. Budapest is at the crossroads of many cultures. Many influences. Magyars, Habsburg,communists. It seems exoctic for a Eastern Europeon Nation. Theres the Thermal baths and the Danube river. Great public transportation.I've heard the food is suppose to be the best in Eastern Europe( French influence). The Opera house rivals Viennas. We where debating betwwen Budapest and Prague, Buda won.
check out other posting on this sight "Budapest..worth a look?"
We just back from a trip (16 nights)that did include both Tallinn and St. Petersburg and we did spend a day in Helsinki last year and have been to Prague twice. Although we haven't been to Wroclaw we have spent time in Warsaw and cannot comment at all on Bratislava.
We love Prague so we are a bit biased. People will say there are too many tourists but it depends on when you go. Wroclaw is on our list and it looks like a great city to visit.
Helsinki is doable in a day and you have the option of seeing more of Finland or taking a boat to Stockholm and even over to Tallinn. Tallinn was a bit overwhelming for us as we were coming from Riga, Latvia and the amount of tourists kind of hit us hard. They just pile off the ships there. We did enjoy Tallinn and found the old town very cute and the restaurants quite good. St. Petersburg is a great city and we could have spent a lot more time there seeing the sights.
If I had to vote even without knowing much about Bratislava I'd say option 2 because I think Prague is a better honeymoon city than St. Petersburg and Wroclaw looks like a wonderful place to visit.
Well, for relaxation, I would choose option 1. Helsinki is a dream to travel in, Tallinn is great, and St Petersburg very beautiful- though travel in Russia is not very simple.
Can I go out on a limb here- have you considered a Baltic cruise? This is your honeymoon, and there are many cruises that do the trip you are mentioning, and also include other cities such as Copenhagen, Olso, Stockholm, etc. If may be worth a look.
I am all about experiencing the local culture and not taking tours. However, on the Baltic cruises, you really do not need tours in any of the stops- except for Russia. It's a thought.
I've been to Bratislava, and it is nice, but would highly recommend substituting Budapest.
Fell free to PM for more info.
Either choice will make for a fantastic honeymoon. We visited all of these on a month long trip last fall.
If you choose #1, with 14 days you could certainly add Riga & Vilnius-two days in each, plus 2 days each in Tallinn & Helsinki, the rest of the time in St Petersburg (at least 3 or 4 days there).
With option #2 I'd suggest you plan 3-4 days split between Warsaw & Krakow (skip Wroclaw if need be). Prague needs at least 3 days. Skip Bratislava (or spend a couple of hours there if you are passing through) and add Budapest.
Have a great trip.
If you change option (2) to Prague, Wroclaw, Budapest, you'll have a great trip. There really isn't much to see or do in Bratislava.
I agree with the others who say to add Budapest in place of Bratislava. Budapest was amazing.
I found St. Petersburg (and Russia in general) as fascinating city. As different from the rest of Europe as the rest of Europe is to the US. Independent travel in Russia is possible and well worth while, but not as easy as in the EU. Consider adding Vilnius as well. I describe it as Prague without all the souvenir stands and tourists.
