Europe - Eastern Europe & the Caucasus
Messages: 53,173 - Threads: 9,118
May 16, 2013 1:30 PM
lizardy6
last reply
May 17, 2013 1:57 PM
mokummer
2 replies
90 views
location:
Albania
2 weeks itinerary advice Albania needed!
Hi folks,
in May/ June I'll be spending 14 days in Albania , flying in to and out of Tirana. We'll be driving a small rental car. I'm putting together an itinerary now, so far it's
May 24: Fly into Tirana
May 25: Visit Tirana
May 26: Travel Tirana -> Berat
May 27-28: Visit Berat and surroundings, Apollonia, Osum canyon
May 29: Travel Berat -> Himara
May 30-Jun 1: Himara, relaxing, maybe a day trip to Butrint (??)
Jun 2: Travel Berat -> Girokaster
Jun 3: Visit Girokaster
Jun 4-6: Travel Girokaster -> Korca/ Pogradec/ Ohrid Lake and visit surroundings (??)
Jun 7: Back to Tirana
Jun 8: Fly out of Tirana
How does that sound, where would you spend more time, where less? Are we missing anything really impressive on the way?
I'd especially welcome your advice as to:
+ Are the driving distances per day realistic?
+ Is a day trip to Butrint/ the Blue Eye from eithe...
more »
May 16, 2013 12:57 PM
Moondogginjerzee
last reply
May 17, 2013 1:16 PM
daveelmstrom
7 replies
206 views
Best experiences in Eastern Europe!!
Whats up travel folk??
So I'm happy to say I'm busting my European cherry and taking my first trip there!! I'll be spending 6 weeks, almost entirely in Eastern Europe (before flying back to New York City from Amsterdam). I have USA passport, budget isn't really tight. Ill be there end of June to beginning of August. Ill fly into Sweden to see a friend for 3 days, then fly to Berlin to see another friend a few days, after that i have no plan.
SO, I'd like to know everyone's favorite experiences in Eastern Europe. What are some of your favorite cities? Favorite tours or treks? Best places for tasty cuisine? What are your favorite places to party? I immerse myself into a bit of everything when I travel. Some cities, some towns, parties, nature, photography, beaches, mountains, castles, you name it. I'm just curious what people think are a "must see" or "must do" Just hoping to comp...
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May 16, 2013 11:38 AM
papadon
last reply
May 17, 2013 1:09 PM
daveelmstrom
4 replies
112 views
location:
Croatia
athens to dubrovnik
I am in Athens and want to go to Dubrovnik in two weeks while balanciing cost versus hassle. Direct flights are prohibitively expensive ($550). I can fly to Sarajevo for less than half that and take a bus. Or I can take a bus thru Albania and Montenegro. Recommendations? How much of a hassle is it to cross those borders (I have a US passport).
I was going directly to Dubrovnik from Athens on the theory that the earlier in the summer I go the less crowded (and perhaps cheaper) it would be. Is there really that big a difference between early June and Mid June? Perhaps I should just wander my way up the coast (time is not a factor).
As always, very grateful to the TTree.
May 16, 2013 11:08 AM
laughoutloud
last reply
May 17, 2013 9:36 AM
anillos_de_satu...
2 replies
77 views
airlines out of Istanbul to Athens
I would like to take a break from Turkey to visit Athens. Any suggestions on cheap fllights?
May 16, 2013 11:07 AM
laughoutloud
last reply
May 18, 2013 12:46 AM
sarikanarya
3 replies
117 views
location:
Turkey
late night transport from airport to Istanbul
What is the best way to get from the airport into Istanbul around midnight? I will be arriving Sept 16
16 day itinerary suggestions for Istanbul - Tblisi - Yerevan overland
I'm drawing out a preliminary itinerary for a (budget) overland trip from Istanbul to Yerevan in late June using public transport/taxi/minibus that spans 16 days. We need to be in Yerevan by the end of the 16 days to catch a flight.
Through Turkey, we plan on following the Black Sea coast via Safranbolu, Amasya, Trabzon, Ezurum then Kars, where will will cross the border into Georgia at Turkgozu and skip Batumi. We are setting aside about 7 days for this journey. Do we have enough time? Should we instead skip Ezurum/Kars/another city and head from Trabzon to Batumi?
In Georgia, we will have about 5 days and will want to visit Vardzia for sure, and spend a couple days exploring Tblisi and the surrounding area. I understand there are marshrutka from Akhaltsikhe/Borjomi to Vardzia. Does anyone have recommendations on where to stay overnight near Vardzia that is interesting and has...
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May 16, 2013 8:59 AM
katindenver
last reply
May 16, 2013 9:21 AM
katindenver
2 replies
79 views
location:
Turkey
Horseback riding recommendations in Cappadocia
Me again. Speaking of Cappadocia, I really want to ride horses there - any suggestions for a good agency? I used to ride, so I've got plenty of experience, and I want something that a.) lasts several hours, b.) really explores the history of the area, and c.) gives me a little rein to run around/work the horse (no nose-to-tail trail rides, please). I'm expecting to pay anywhere between $75 and $150 USD for about 4 hours of riding. Thanks so much for your input!
May 16, 2013 8:52 AM
katindenver
last reply
May 17, 2013 6:31 AM
swampeastmike
9 replies
229 views
location:
Turkey
Spiders in Turkey?
This, I know, is going to sound like a silly question - of course there are spiders in Turkey, along with scorpions and snakes and whatnot, I know that. I'm just horribly arachnophobic and I was wondering if people have frequent encounters with spiders and scorpions in Turkey (especially in hotels, and ESPECIALLY in the cave hotels of Goreme/Cappadocia)? Should I avoid the cave hotels? I stayed in Indonesia, and while I did see one massive S.O.B. of a spider in the jungle, I never had trouble in my rooms...
May 16, 2013 7:57 AM
dianying
last reply
May 16, 2013 7:57 AM
dianying
0 replies
35 views
location:
Ukraine
Kiev Hotel Reco
Hello, looking for reco on good traveler hotel in Kiev
-good location
-wifi
-reasonable rate for 2 bed room (25-45 Euro a night range)
-ability to book in advance via email in english
May 16, 2013 6:38 AM
hilarynoxon
last reply
May 16, 2013 7:54 AM
Veta
2 replies
89 views
location:
Croatia
Final piece of a Croatia itinerary - help appreciated!
We are a group of 7, representing three generations of a family (ranging from 75 year old grandpa to 4 year old grand daughter). We will be in Slovenia and Croatia for 2+ weeks in July/august and have almost completed our itinerary, but we have one gap and I am looking for advice. So far we have:
July 26 - 31 - Ljubljana (with excursions)
July 31 - August 5 - Zadar (with excursions)
August 8 - 11 - Dubrovnik
August 5 - 8 - we are not sure. We know we'd like to visit Split, but since all our other bases are in cities we thought it might be better to do Split as a day trip and then stay someplace else, smaller/quieter. I realize it's very high season so quiet is all relative. Vis has been recommended to us, but there are two issues: (1) we're having trouble finding appropriate housing and (2) we would then have to ferry back to Split and then take a bus to Dubrovnik. So my questio...
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May 16, 2013 3:48 AM
TJB2905
last reply
May 16, 2013 7:10 AM
fluffy_bunny
4 replies
95 views
location:
Ukraine
Do I need a multip[le entry visa for ukraine to cross through Moldova?
Hello. I'm planning to travel down through Ukraine and into Moldova, then out into Ukraine again. Can I do this on the standard visa issued at the airport or do I need a multiple entry visa? If so, can I get this visa at the airport and how much is it? Anyone done this please? Thanks. Tim.
May 16, 2013 2:27 AM
toeknee83
last reply
May 16, 2013 2:27 AM
toeknee83
0 replies
50 views
location:
Armenia
Mount Aragats
I am travelling to Armenia in July and would like to try and climb Mt. Aragats. Does anyone know of a tour operator that can assist? How long does it take to climb? Is it feasible for a not-professional climber?
Racism in Slovenia - My horrific experience with neo-nazism
Hi Guys,
I had written an article on this thread about a year or so back about a horrendous experience that I had in Slovenia. It was read by a lot of people and circulated around the web as well but when I recently came back here to send the link to a friend who faced a similar experience, I realised it had been taken down and there was no trace of it anywhere.
I am reposting it so that everyone is aware of the dangers they could potentially face (and hence take the required precautions) while travelling in these kind of areas.
The article was as follows:
Indian in Slovenia - My horrific experience with neo-nazism
Hello fellow travellers,
Europe is lovely...atleast most of it is.
Ive recently returned from a backpacking trip around Europe and it was a truly brilliant experience. I went to 7 countries with a couple of my friends after we finished with our studies ...
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May 15, 2013 7:08 PM
pcskey
last reply
May 15, 2013 11:04 PM
sarikanarya
1 replies
75 views
location:
Turkey
Car Requirement
We will be driving to Karagol Sahara National Park 1st week of June. Is a 4wd necessary(we won't be going off-road)?
May 15, 2013 6:46 PM
RobinsNest
last reply
May 16, 2013 7:12 AM
everbrite
3 replies
109 views
location:
Croatia
Budapest & Croatia Heritage Roadtrip help!
My family of 5 and I are hoping to do a "heritage roadtrip" the end of August (2013), including Budapest and Croatia. The kids grandparents are all up in age and they would love nothing more than for us to be able to visit their homelands and come back to share our journey with them. None of the dates for tours I have found online work out for us (my daughter will be out of the country until August 19) and all 3 kids need to be back for college by September 4th or so. The tours also include super expensive hotels and seem to give us NOTHING for our money (which seems to run about $3000pp without even including international airfare from the US!).
My only desire is to spend a few days visiting Budapest and then to visit some highlights of Croatia. We were considering doing a roadtrip and finding our own apartments or rooms to rent (it's difficult because there are five of us) and...
more »
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