Vacation in Europe

[Dolmen]

Sometime in 2010 I'm going to be doing a week or two in Europe for vacation. I was there for 2 months in 2006, but that was all work. I've been to London, Paris, Nice, and Rome, but this time I'm doing something different.

I'm going to start in Marburg, Germany, (to see a friend) and then go Gresten, Austria (where my family came from) > Vienna > Bratislava > Budapest > Prague. I might reverse the order and do Prague after Gresten, but who knows.

Basically, I'm looking for tips on Eastern Europe. London, and Rome were all handled for me by work, but Paris and Nice I did mainly myself as I speak French, so my European knowledge is limited. Ultimately, I'm looking for any food dishes that are a must try (Austria and Hungary I've already got a list of stuff I want), and any good sights that really show the cities/countries and their cultures. Marburg will be taken care of by my friend, so I don't need suggestions on that. Also, how is the rail system linking Danube cities?

I'm really rather clueless aside from a few people I know in Eastern Europe, and what I've read through various online sources. Any recommedations would certainly be appreciated.

Edit - Forgot to ask about good times of the year to go. My girlfriend and I are both accountants, so January 1 - April 15th are no go.

[Gunitsoldier]

I knew Belgium wasn't going to be in your list of countries to cross. I hate my country. So alas, I cannot help thee.

[Dolmen]

I'd like to go to Belgium at some point, specifically Bruges after seeing "In Bruges." The bad thing about Belgium is I'd end up dead from alcohol poisoning, your beers are top notch.

[ertyu]

Maybe that's what hell is. Maybe it's just Bruges.

[Dolmen]

If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me but I didn't, so it doesn't

[Gunitsoldier]

Bruges is boring, trust me. If you do come to Belgium go to Brussels(shitty city but has some cool things) , Antwerp & Hasselt.

[XministerX]

Europe. Ahh! I would love to go back, I actually enjoyed myself there....though I didn't stay for 2 months >< even though it was work, it was still two months

[Maguspk]

Buy the pass for the train there, friend of mine did this and went all over Europe, it's a bit of money but it's a good investment for getting around.

[Linliel]

Bruges is boring, trust me. If you do come to Belgium go to Brussels(shitty city but has some cool things) , Antwerp & Hasselt.

I've gotta get over to Brussels, what are the cool things to see?

Last time I did a lot of train travel across Germany/Austria I had a Eurail pass which was really good. NFI if it works further east though.

Have fun! And if you find yourself in Namur, Belgium, I'll happily trek up the hill to the citadelle again, it's lovely up there

[ZarakiKujata]

Prague is one of the birthplaces of modern beer and has some top notch stuff so definitely make sure to try some of their pilsner and dark beers whilst there, both microbreweries and the bigger brands/flavors i.e. Pilsner Urquell, Budvar, Koczel Czerny. The local beer is ridiculously cheap and if you aren't eatting at a tourist trap it will be cheaper than most if not every drink. All the factories for Pilsner Urquell, Budvar are <1hr from the city so you can very easily get a tour out there.

Besides beer be sure to go to a jazz club, theres quite a few excellent ones. My favorite was the one where Bill Clinton played during a visit in 1993 or 1994 called Reduta. I can get you the address if you would like. As for sights to see, be sure to visit the John Lennon wall, if you go bring some paint or something so you can write your name/message on it too. The other mainstream stuff: Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Charles Bridge and Old Castle can be covered in 1-2 days as its all relatively close but there is just a lot to see.

I havent been there during the winter but go in the spring right after tax season, once it gets too far into summer there will be too many other backpackers/tourists and it will be too hot to keep your money/valuables in a layer under your outershell to avoid getting pickpocketed. Also the rail system is quite scenic, comfortable, relatively cheap and fastish.