My wife and I are planning a trip to Easten Europe this spring. We want to start in Istanbul and go to Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro and then fly home from Dubrovnik. We normally use public transportatin, would appreciate ideas on a itinerary. We plan to spend 3-4 weeks, we are seasoned travelers (over 100 countries) and only travel with l carry on each, thanks for any ideas.
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
811 posts
was in bulgaria and romania recently. it's pretty easy to go around but be prepared for trains in less comfy condition if you plan to use them, some of them can be different from what americans are used to. in bulgaria you can first visit sofia with side trip to rila monastary. sofia is small so you don't need a lot of time. plovdiv is nice worth an overnight, and valiko tonovo is also worth an overnight. varna is popular if you can make it. in romania you can see bucharest with an overnight, then on to transylvania. brasov, sibiu, sighisora are all nice little places.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Do you have a copy of RS Eastern Europe Guide Book yet?
If so good. If not I would suggest that you check out all of his guide books elsewhere on this web site that pertain to Eastern Europe as they have lots of good information that we used when traveling thru Eastern Europe.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Mike... can speak to Romania and Croatia where I feel I would not have seen the best it had to offer if I did not have a car. Driving through the farmland and small villages of Romania was wonderful, as well as in the Transyklvania area. It is easy driving... you just have to share the road with the carts and horses. It is beautiful and one of my favorite countries. I would not want to spend less than 5 days is Istanbul, as well as 5-6 days in Romania. I picked up my car in Bucharest and dropped it in Timasoara and then took a train to Budapest, so I could see most of the country and not backtrack. Wish I 'd had more time to visit the north. I also had a car in Croatia, but only stayed in the north...beautiful, but not my all time favorite country. I need to give it another try.
Posted by
Piedmont, OK
80 posts
Hey Mike, I've only been to Montenegro and Bosnia. The must sees for Bosnia would be Sarajevo, Mostar and Kravice Falls. For Montenegro, check out Kotor a walled city situated on the bay of kotor, a drive around the bay of Kotor one of the most beautiful drives and lovcen national park a mountain peak above Kotor with great views of the bay. Erich