Heading to Eastern Europe

[holy king]

I'm going to Hungary too this summer. Thanks to a Ryanair cockup, I have an extra day in Budapest. So I have over a week there now. Is there anywhere relatively close I could go for a day trip, or over one night. How far is it to Vienna from Budapest?

vienna is 2:40 h by train.
you could also go to lake balaton which is a bit to the south west if you're looking for a beach vacation/party.

 

[TheLastOne36]

i think americans have adopted it and call it pierogies.

Polish Immigrants.

I actually was surprised to see Pierogies in the supermarket while I was in Toronto.

I think the added 's' is just pluralization? no?

 

[holy king]

yeah, but that would imply the singular is either pierogie or pierogy.

and of course eastern european immigrants brought it to north america, but like pizza they seem to have integrated it into their own cuisine.

 

[Mirc]

you could also go to lake balaton which is a bit to the south west if you're looking for a beach vacation/party.

The place is cool, but careful in the summer because it might be overcrowded. Certainly worth a couple of hours anyway, regardless of the situation, IMHO. There's not much more that I've been able to see in Hungary apart from Budapest and Balaton, but it's very well connected with every country around it. I'd say a trip to Vienna is an absolute must.

 

[holy king]

you could also go to szeged, a city famous for its goulash, go to a (the?) mexican restaurant and have a chili.
if you get to the right one, they have an amazing assortment of tequillas too.

 

[Shekwan]

Yeah I think Vienna may be on the cards, although I suspect a daytrip to Vienna wouldn't do it justice. Balaton sounds cool but also sounds tourist trap-ish. Then again we could just settle into Budapest, see the sights and find some good spots to socialise. We're there for a festival so its not like we have the whole time to actually explore the city.

The mexican restaurant sounds interesting, although European Mexican restaurants are usually laughably bad. The tequila piques my interest though its a good way to go just for that.

 

[klazlo]

If any of you guys go to Hungary, the Statue Park (www.szoborpark.hu) is a must. It is just outside of Budapest, a fun collection of communist memorabilia, especially the big, classic outdoor statues.

Lake Balaton can be overcrowded, yes, and just try to avoid being ripped off (this might happen in many places in the region if you are from the West). You don't have to go to Szeged to get a good gulyas, just don't go to any fancy restaurant. "Bagolyvar" a mid-range restaurant by the Budapest Zoo is a good place to eat. The Hungarian kitchen is great (unhealthy as well, but only if you live there long enough), the fish soup, the chicken paprikas and the gulyas being especially famous.

And yes, Vienna is a must, and make sure to get to Krakow (I like it better than Prague, it's more authentic). Not very far from Krakow I hope the salt mine of Wieliczka (sp?) is still open. That's cool, if you haven't been in a salt mine before.

 

[Squonk]

Is Zakopane really all that good? I'll be in Poland for like, one week, and my sister (who will be with me at that point) wants to go to Krakow, Zakopane and Warsaw. Is it really worth it?

no it isn't. It's crap, really, just that our late XIX century poets liked to spend time there (because it's close to Krakow, and the mountains are high and nice), and the tradition lingers on, bringing hordes of tourists there. Nothing really nice to see in Zakopane itself, although there are some nice little spots around it - like Niedzica castle over Czorsztyn lake, or Morskie Oko. But it's FULL with tourists, and fairly disappointing.

Krakow, Warsaw, Gdańsk, Auschwitz, Malbork are the classic places to see. You could go to some other big city, or see some other castle, there are many castle ruins in Poland.

 

[Shekwan]

If any of you guys go to Hungary, the Statue Park (www.szoborpark.hu) is a must. It is just outside of Budapest, a fun collection of communist memorabilia, especially the big, classic outdoor statues.

Lake Balaton can be overcrowded, yes, and just try to avoid being ripped off (this might happen in many places in the region if you are from the West). You don't have to go to Szeged to get a good gulyas, just don't go to any fancy restaurant. "Bagolyvar" a mid-range restaurant by the Budapest Zoo is a good place to eat. The Hungarian kitchen is great (unhealthy as well, but only if you live there long enough), the fish soup, the chicken paprikas and the gulyas being especially famous.

And yes, Vienna is a must, and make sure to get to Krakow (I like it better than Prague, it's more authentic). Not very far from Krakow I hope the salt mine of Wieliczka (sp?) is still open. That's cool, if you haven't been in a salt mine before.

That communist statue park sounds really cool. Reminds me of that scene in Goldeneye in the Russian statue graveyard. Definitely going to see that.

 

[warpus]

Is Zakopane really all that good? I'll be in Poland for like, one week, and my sister (who will be with me at that point) wants to go to Krakow, Zakopane and Warsaw. Is it really worth it?

I was there briefly and have fond memories - the views are great, and the downtown of the city that we never checked out is supposed to be really nice. If you're into any winter sports you are gonna have a blast - I also recommend checking out a small local/authentic restaurant.. Wish I had some names for you.. We stepped into the first one that looked/sounded authentic, and got the best bowls of zurek (sour rye soup) ever. Maybe I'm biased cause we stayed in a little cabin in a very small village 10-30km outside of the city, but I did have fun in Zakopane. Missed the whole tourist thing, we didn't go to the touristy areas..