“Eastern Europe is one of the world’s great homelands of forgetting”
-Jacob Mikanowski
You might be wondering why I group individual countries with a distinct culture into one page. The honest answer is I haven’t explored these countries enough to give them a good page of their own. I love Eastern Europe. It has so much history, great food, and a lot to explore. Sadly I have only been to a few cities over the span of a few countries. I visited on my first international trip ever, where we went to Berlin, Krakow, Prague, and Budapest. I visited Eastern Europe a second time during my study abroad in Ireland where my friends and I took a spontaneous trip to Transylvania. With that I can give you the highlights of these major cities and spots in Eastern Europe, but I am definitely not an expert in each country. Anyway I hope this page inspires you to want to see Eastern Europe and all it has to offer!
Need to Know
Facts
Czech Republic
- Nickname: Czechia
- Language Spoken: Czech
- Capital City: Prague
- Population: 10.88 million
- Currency: Czech Koruna
Hungary
- Nickname: Pearl of the Danube
- Language Spoken: Hungarian
- Capital City: Budapest
- Population: 9.562 million
- Currency: Forint
Poland
- Nickname: The White Eagle
- Language Spoken: Polish
- Capital City: Warsaw
- Population: 36.55
- Currency: Polish Złoty
Romania
- Nickname: Tiger of Eastern Europe
- Language Spoken: Romania
- Capital City: Bucharest
- Population: 19.07 million
- Currency: Romanian Leu
Slovakia
- Nickname: Slovensko
- Language Spoken: Slovak
- Capital City: Bratislava
- Population: 5.422 million
- Currency: The Euro
Travel Recommendations
- Airport: Depends on destination, usually the capital city
- When to Visit: Whenever!
- Getting Around: Train or car
Can’t Miss Destinations
- Dracula’s Castle
- Prague Underground City
- Danube River Cruise
Music
Posts
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A Stop in Dresden: A Destroyed City Rebuilt and Redefined
There’s a place in Eastern Germany where you can step back in time. Here you will find palaces, baroque arches, and grand cathedrals. Its not a big city, but it isn’t a small town either. The people rush by yet everything seems to stand still. It is the capital of the land that the Saxons…
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Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau: Reflecting and Applying the Experience
This is a post I have been putting off because I want it to be just right. How do you write a travel blog post talking about visiting Auschwitz, without glorifying it? I think it is important to bring awareness to such a horrible place with a tragic past, because it was life changing. The…
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48 Hours in Berlin: My First Trip Abroad
This is a very special post because not only was Germany the first country I ever visited, but this stop in Berlin on my first trip to Europe when I was 15 was my very first experience in a new country. Everything was so new and exciting. I am really excited to look back through…
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A Day in Krakow: Remnants of the Holocaust
The part that is so fun about reminiscing about my first trip abroad so that I can add the stories to my blog is going back to my travel journal and seeing how 15 year old me wrote. I thought I had personality in my writing now, but young teenage me was something else. For…
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72 Hours in Romania: A Spontaneous Trip to Transylvania
I am going to tell you a story about the most spontaneous and adventurous trip I have taken, but first if you can, I want you to put on my Romania playlist so you can be transported to 2021 Romania with me. It all began on a maybe not so average Thursday evening, since there…
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48 Hours in Budapest: Bridge Between Two Cities
Day 1 I was looking out the window. I couldn’t stop. The beautiful Tatra mountains laid before me. Castle on the Hill was on repeat through my earbuds. I took in each beat as I took in each detail of the landscape. I took a picture in my mind of rolling rivers, the fresh green…
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48 Hours in Prague: Finding Myself in the Czech Republic
Prague is my favorite city in Europe, maybe even in the world. It has enchanting Romanesque architecture and cobblestones streets. The city transports you to a different time. Everything about the city, the landmarks, food, and people, make you feel like you have entered the 16th century. This underrated European city holds a special place…
The Journal of Wanderlust 