Eastern Europe has a lot to attract tourists, and maybe it has something for you. Along with these attractions, all these countries have modern infrastructure, English-speaking staff, and flexible lockdown policy.
The iron curtain has fallen decades ago, but Eastern Europe is still terra incognita for many tourists. Now, when COVID-19 has closed many traditional routes, it may be the right time to discover these wonderful countries, so close to Central Europe but so surprising to foreigners. And they have a lot to offer to a curious and open-minded traveler.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a very Eastern European country: Balkanian, Orthodox, Cyrillic, and yet Western, open to the rest of the world. With a good agency like Boiana-MG, you can get a brief review of places worth seeing in Bulgaria and decide where exactly you want to go. The Black Sea coast is long and full of beaches where the climate is milder than at most Mediterranean resorts, though it allows for all the types of seaside recreations. It also has various mountain resorts, national parks, forests, lakes, and other natural wonders.
As for historical places, there are lots of them. Bulgaria has experienced various cultural impacts that shaped it, so you can find Thracian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and even Soviet monuments and historical places. Bulgarian cuisine is also a mix of influences, though with its own character, spicy and rich. And if you like festivals, there are many:
- Dog Carnival
- Kite Festival
- Fire Walking Festival.
- Cherry, Yoghurt, or Watermelon Festivals
- Wake Up Open Air Festival
What do you like? It may be traditional music or rock, flowers or folk dancing, lights and sound or even good old masquerades. There is certainly a fest for you. And even despite the lockdowns, festivals still flourish.
Poland
Those far from Poland know how full of history it is. Ancient cities of Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw and Raciborz are surrounded by others just as old, Gothic, medieval, with stone town walls, cathedrals, museums, castles, and town centers. Poland is also full of various skiing and hiking resorts in Karkonosze and Carpathian Mountains.
You might have thought of visiting Poland after The Witcher, hoping to find the locations that inspired Andrzej Sapkowski and CD Projekt RED. Then you must visit Gdansk, a port that is considered to be the prototype of Novigrad. By the way, the Baltic coast is quite a great sea resort place (though farther north than one could expect).
As we mentioned games and TV series, we must note there are many cinema, gaming, and arts festivals in Poland. Fairs and equality marches, religious (mostly Catholic) events and beer fests – whatever you like.
Romania
You might first think of Transylvania, the homeland of Dracula (and vampires in general). Though Vlad the Impaler hardly was a canonical bloodsucker, Romanian tourism heavily monetizes this legend. So, if you want dark castles, mysterious graveyards, haunted houses, and just vampire-themed bars and festivals, you’ll have enough of them.
Aside from all that mystic, there are numerous national parks with forests, lakes, and mountains. Caves are a special type of natural objects, so if you’re a bit into speleology, you’ll find a lot to explore here. There are also medieval towns and castles with nothing supernatural about them, yet so much past flowing around that you suddenly enter some other place and time.
Czech Republic
It is thought that Czechia is all about history. Cities of Prague and Brno, České Budějovice, Olomouc and others retain many historical buildings, bridges, castles, churches, even ossuaries – a great lot, given how many wars this country has been through. But there are natural resorts as well. The most famous spa towns are Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně, Luhačovice, and Poděbrady.
Among all other East European countries, Czech Republic is the most famous for its drinks (though all of them have a lot to offer).
- Czech beer is considered one of the best in the whole world;
- Moravian wines are also great;
- Among stronger liquors, the most famous is Becherovka, a herbal liquor some sorts of which cannot be bought outside Czechia.
Pick the Country
As you see, Eastern Europe has a lot to attract tourists, and maybe it has something for you. Along with these attractions, all these countries have modern infrastructure, English-speaking staff, and flexible lockdown policy. So, if you are in search of a new place to visit, consider one of them.
