Why visit East Europe?
Austria, Czech & Hungary
When people say they would like to visit Europe, little do they know that the continent holds so much to offer that it is impossible to cover in a limited time period! A better way to cover this continent is to make multiple trips covering adjacent and well connected countries.
So why East Europe? Eastern Europe is a combination of countries like Austria, Czech, Slovak & Hungary , stands apart from its western counterparts , with a diverse culture and heritage and a unique history. Not to forget the unique cuisine beer and folk music. We are not even talking about Balkans here.
For an immersive experience a good 15 days would be our suggestion, but for the time starved people, the best way would be to go for experiences basis ones interest.
I landed at Vienna international airport in the night at around 11.45pm as a solo traveller & boarded and managed to find my way with an impressively advanced tram system for the commute around the city and safely getting around with an actual map. While Google maps conveniently found the best time to lag, the locals could not communicate fluently in English and given the fact that it was midnight , there were just a handful of people out on the road.
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Not only they have an impressive public transport system, the people are friendly and are always happy to help. .
My next stop was Hallstatt, followed by Salzburg, Prague and then Budapest.
After having enough of the cityscape view and activities, a trip to the upcountry hamlet like Hallstatt was just what I needed. If Vienna is about the palaces, night life and museums, Hallstatt in Austria would be a fairy tale land. Almost looks like a postcard image. The lakes and mountains surrounding the town make it a great getaway from the city life.
From Salzburg, I took a train to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, a country that’s known for its ornate castles, native beers and long history.
Did you know that Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world? The people of Czech are passionate about their brewing ever since the 12th century. By the 13th century, Prague had one of the first breweries in the world called ‘Pilsner’ which is still running actively.
The last leg of my travel was to Hugngary, country which before the Holocaust, had a thriving, centuries-old Jewish community. It still houses ‘The Great Synagogue’. Hungary has a great history and boasts of a scenic landscape. Turkish and Roman influence on Hungarian culture includes the popularity of mineral spas, including at thermal Lake Hévíz.
Best time to visit Eastern Europe is from April to October. The other good part about his region is that unlike other parts of Europe, this region is a little lighter on the pocket.
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East European Experiences
october, 2024
Places to visit in Austria, Czech & Hungary
Hallstatt: It is said that mesmerised by its beauty, the Chinese have created a copy of the ancient salt mine village. But only in the original will you discover this truly unique culture with such a history all in a breath-taking mountain setting.
Salzburg: This is the birthplace of Mozzart. Here’s a fun fact, the iconic movie ‘Sound of music’ was shot in the city of Salzburg and is a very popular tour
”More(+)” Prague: Prague is a romantic town with narrow alleys and lovely people and a rich history both ancient and new. Unlike Vienna, the streets are much narrower and the lane alleys are almost adjacent to the trams. The place has an unexplainable charm to it with it’s orange roof homes that look like the palace tops. Budapest: Budapest is blessed with architectural landmarks like the majestic Budapest parliament and the 19th century chain bridge. The reason the chain bridge is so iconic is because it connects the two cities Buda and Pest which is split by the river Danube. Bratislava: One of the thing which was very admiring at Bratislava was a mosque, synagogue and church next to each other, reflecting the understanding and respect for other religion. ”Less(-)”
Top 19 things to do in East Europe
- Explore the Schonbrunn palace & gardens
- Cruise on the Danube river
- Unwind in a lake side apartment in Hallstatt
- Experience something as unusual as taking a dip in ‘Samadhi-bad’, a bath house that allows you to float in complete darkness
- Mozart museum is a must for music lovers
- Explore Belvedere museum, war museum , Leopold museum & Sigmund Freud museum in Vienna.
- Take a selfie with the Maria Theresa (empress) monument
- Go on a ‘microbrewery tour’ & explore many breweries and see the upcountry caves while washing down different types of freshly brewed beer!
- Explore the country side of Hungary. Visit the palaces in Esztergom, the mountains and chateaus in Visegrád and fõ tér square and churches in Szentendre.
- Don’t miss the Czech Beer festival in Prague if you are visiting in the month of May.
- Enjoy the live music at Charles Bridge in Prague
- Try sauerkraut, apple strudel and pastries in Prgaue
- Visit the World War ll Concentration camp. In my opinion, it’s an entirely different experience that appeals to only certain sections as it involves more realistic, gruesome scenes from the past
- Explore the Prague castle and don’t forget to take a selfie at the castle’s view point. The castle is symbolic of the deep history with its Renaissance and gothic influenced buildings.
- Attend a live event near to the astronomical clock tower at Prague
- Experience the life of a salt miner on a short salt mine tour in Hallstatt
- Relax in a Hungarian mineral spa
- Treat your adrenaline rush at the Hallstatt skywalk
- Take a ferry ride in an ancient wooden boat in Hallstatt
Things to note
Contact us to create a customized Eastern Europe itinerary for your self
Our Travellers Say
Going beyonder !!!!! The name was something new and the travel packages was something unique for each destination!
It was highlighted from the beginning that this tour makes sure the travel is enriched with lovely experiences of which ever destination we chose!”More(+)”
So they played a slide show of some of the already done tour itineraries. Some even had a day of learning to cook their local cuisines apart from soaking in to their life, culture.
Strolling around the local streets, cafes and pubs, or a whole day in the beach with an option for the activities we chose to take, if we wish to, apart from a day of local city tour!
This was something unique and we had never heard of or experienced before! They worked out the itinerary which was flexible as per our every need!
And this time with my aged mother along with us and our children too,We remember each day of the trip, each hotel room. Each restaurant, every place we visited even now.
We had the time to take it all in and absorb every memory. My children aged 14 and 8 had the best of their time.
They shopped crazily. My mother was relaxed and had fun too with her swollen knees.
On the whole, it was a beautiful experience, one which we had not experienced before, extremely comfortable for us, our kids as well as to our 70 year old mother.And so I remember the first slide show where I was introduced t “Going Beyonder” and its way of enriching our experience when we travel abroad!
I am already making plans for my next travel in the year 2020 with going beyonder!!!!”Less(-)”
We would like to thank Beyonder team for our most amazing vacation in Austria recently.
It was not a usual trip where you are rushed from one location to another.”More(+)”
It was a wonderfully planned vacation with enough time on our hands to explore Austria and do what we wanted to do the most.
A special thanks to Anand who really took time to understand what kind of experience we wanted out of this vacation and gave us exactly that,
which made this experience extraordinary for us.
And the team is involved all the way through, right from the day you apply for Visa till the day you are back home.
I can certainly say we will be planning many more trips with Beyonder.”Less(-)”