13 Days in Central/Eastern Europe

Total Days OOO: 9
Destinations: Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, and Krakow

  1. Arrive in Budapest
  2. Budapest
  3. Budapest
  4. Budapest
  5. Train to Bratislava (2 hours 45 minutes)
  6. Bratislava
  7. Train to Prague (4 hours)
  8. Prague
  9. Prague
  10. Prague; Overnight Train to Krakow (8 hours)
  11. Krakow
  12. Krakow
  13. Fly Home

 

Where to Stay

  • Budapest: I stayed in the Wombats. It was okay but huge. Met a bunch of cool Brits at the bar who told me Sziget festival was going on. Ended up buying tickets to go the next two days and it was amazing! Sziget also meant that the rooms were a little dirtier than normal… think music festival dust.
  • Bratislava: I stayed at Hostel Blues. There is a special place in my heart for Bratislava… if you love cheese and bacon and soup and beer and food that could give you a heart attack you would love it too. This city gets a bad rep… but the people who didn’t enjoy it probably didn’t eat everything I did. Delicious.
  • Prague: Real life Disney World. I stayed at the Mad House… probably my favorite hostel of all time. Book in advance… this place has a great reputation and sells out quickly. Total family atmosphere, family dinners with home cooked meals, a local to show us around, cheap beer, beer pong (with strange rules that Americans will hate), great washer and dryer (!!! dryers are so hard to find when you live in Spain), and we would go out all together every night. Everyone I met was amazing.
  • Krakow: I stayed at Mosquito Hostel. Liked all the random trivia they had everywhere. Chill atmosphere. Krakow is a little gem of a place.

 

Food and Drink (Not a good region of the world for vegetarians)

  • Budapest: Goulash and Langos. Ah Langos… seriously. You had me at fried dough covered in cheese and sour cream. Go to a ruin bar. If Sziget is happening… go there too.
  • Bratislava: Go to Prasna Basta. Get the soup and the Gnocchi with sheep cheese and bacon. It is absolute heaven. It’s basically a fancy European version of mac n cheese. You’re welcome. The typical soups here are just plain and garlic which is SO perfect for a cold and rainy day. Go to the breweries (pivovar), great beer!
  • Prague: Make a reservation at Alcron. It’s one of 2 restaurants in the entire country with a Michelin Star, and it is well deserved. I’ve been there the 2 times I’ve been to Prague and both were meals to remember. Surprisingly affordable for Michelin Star as well! If you can, I would also eat a pork knuckle and sausage. All of the hearty food!
  • Krakow: Ask a local where the best Pierogi is and go there immediately. When you’re hungry after that, walk to the Jewish Quarter and eat Zapiekanka street food. It’s an open faced sandwich and one big, happy mess. Happy eating!

 

How to Get There

The trains are really easy to use, as is public transport. You have to go to the international counter in Budapest’s main station to buy a ticket to Bratislava, sometimes there could be a line so I would do this sooner rather than later. Whenever I would arrive at my next destination, I would go straight to the ticket counter to buy my ticket to the next place. If you take the overnight train to Krakow, I would upgrade to a 4 person sleeper. It’s awkward… so bring an eye mask, noise canceling headphones, a sweater, and be sure to set your alarm for 6:30am!