Shkodra
A wonderfully restored old town-house, the Rose Garden is all clean modern lines dusted with touches of old-fashioned class. Rooms are exceptionally…
Must-see hotels in Eastern Europe
Western Estonia & the Islands
One of Hiiumaa’s loveliest options, this restored mid-19th-century granary has rough-hewn walls, timber beams and five stylish bedrooms. The gorgeous…
Tirana
Tirana's coolest hostel is on a small side street, housed in a design-conscious self-contained house with a leafy garden out the back, a bar lined with…
Ulcinj
Just because it's Ulcinj's only hostel doesn't mean this jolly Pirate rests on its laurels. This is an immaculate, friendly, comfortable and flat-out…
Zadar
Built and designed under strict conservation rules due to its old-town location, this 10-room boutique hotel is an understated and luxurious beauty…
Fruška Gora National Park
Looking for a green getaway? Put this forest oasis at the top of your list. The sprawling complex is modelled on an etno selo (traditional village), with…
Motovun
Perched on the edge of the old town, this gorgeous place has 10 rooms of different styles and configurations – some with shared baths, some with panoramic…
Wallachia
This beautifully maintained, family-owned pension is one of the best-value options in town, with only one drawback: it's about 4km north of the centre…
Zagreb
This adorable B&B in a street-level apartment has four well-appointed rooms decked out by theme – Writers, Crafts, Music and Granny’s. The cosy common…
Lahemaa National Park
This atmospheric farmstead comprises thatch-roofed wooden buildings and a garden full of flowers and sculptures. Sleeping options include two cute rooms…
Moldavia & the Bucovina Monasteries
Family-owned Eden, in an updated farmhouse setting, boasts the nicest rooms in the general area of the Neamţ monasteries. There's an excellent restaurant…
Bulgaria
Marvellously at odds with Shumen's Soviet feel, this unique hotel resembles a Middle Eastern palace with its elegant white archways and elaborate…
Vilnius
In a townhouse built in 1581, rooms at this classy pad have satin drapes, huge comfy beds and, in some cases, original 19th-century frescoes. The opulence…
Romania
This family-owned guesthouse is arguably the area’s most handsome pensiune, with a dozen snug timber-lined rooms, an attractive garden along a babbling…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Holding pole position in manicured gardens on the castle grounds, this elegant 10-room hotel has been returned to its 1908, art nouveau glory. Period…
Presnya
Steps from the hustle and bustle of Tverskaya, this is a delightfully stylish hotel tucked into a quiet courtyard off the Boulevard Ring. Situated on the…
Bay of Kotor
This honey-coloured early-18th-century palazzo on the Dobrota waterfront, 4km north of Kotor's Old Town, has been transformed into a first-rate boutique…
Bucovina
This historic hotel has been extensively refurbished and offers uncommonly good value. The rooms are stylishly modern yet sport period details like high…
St Petersburg
Energetic Italophiles Andrey and Sasha extend the warmest of welcomes to travellers lucky enough to rent out one of their three apartments (by the room or…
Vilnius
With its giant mural and glass dome, the atrium at the Artagonist takes your breath away as you step inside. Each of the individually styled rooms…
Old Town
The Baltic's first Japanese-run hostel occupies the two top floors of a charming old building, with dorms (the four-person one is for females only) and a…
Kotor
If the ghosts of the Bisanti family had any concerns when their 13th-century palazzo was converted into a hostel, they must be overjoyed now. Sympathetic…
Astrakhan
This old luxury pile, dating from the 19th century and situated two blocks from the waterfront, has been given a thoroughly decadent makeover, with…
Bulgaria
Far and away the nicest accommodation option in town. The room decor blends modern elements such as tiled floors and flat-screen TVs with old-fashioned…
Romania
One of the finest small hotels in western Romania, the Italian-owned six-room Picasso is housed in a delightful 19th-century townhouse. Rooms are…
Kaliningrad Region
The name means 'House of the Storyteller', and what a fairy-tale place this is. Named in honour of fantasist Ernst Hoffman, this enchanting guesthouse has…
Plovdiv
This marvellous old building (1868) is more akin to a boutique hotel than a hostel. Remarkably restored by charismatic owner Hristo Giulev and his wife,…
The Carpathians
At Uzhhorod's finest digs the choice between 21st-century predictability, baroque opulence or swish art deco may be a difficult call, as all the rooms…
Kaliningrad Region
Who would have imagined such a smart boutique hotel in Zelenogradsk? The stylish, minimalist design features a lobby awash in colour and light. The rooms…
Sarajevo
Not just an extremely comfortable and friendly family-run hotel, this place invites you to enter into the love story of its owners, Mehmed and Aziza…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Set on the ample lawn of a private residence down a side street in Nasva (the first little settlement west of Kuressaare), Piibutopsu offers four modern,…
Lviv
This hilltop villa stands amid the splendid decay of what used to be a posh fin de siècle residential neighbourhood, 20 minutes on foot from the centre…
Little Bucharest Old Town Hostel
Bucharest
Bucharest's most central hostel, in the middle of the lively historic centre, is superclean, white-walled and well run. Accommodation is over two floors,…
Wallachia
This clean, smart and well-run hotel occupies a nondescript strip of shops along Hwy E70, but it's set back from the highway so noise is not an issue. The…
Central Rīga
Embedded in an apartment block with an antiquated lift taking guests to the reception on the 3rd floor, this place brings you closer to having your own…
Split
You may never want to leave Magdalena's top-floor apartment once you see the old-town view from the dormer window. The three apartments are comfortable…
Adriatic Coast
This pretty little hotel is as cute – and almost as twee – as the name might suggest. Located in a beautifully restored, former royal residence within the…
City Centre
Plush beds, exposed brick walls, high ceilings and mid-century modern furnishings put this Rotermann Quarter hostel at the top of the heap for cheaper…
Central & Eastern Istria
Set on a beautiful stretch of pebbly and rocky shore, this large Rabac resort ticks all of the family-holiday boxes. The rooms are swish and modern, there…
Northern Montenegro
Take one large angular hotel with quirky hexagonal windows, completely gut it, add a heap of rakish, rustic touches, and voila! You get this atmospheric,…
