Top 5 Eastern European cities
These Easter European cities are true gems and have been hidden for years but now is the time to rediscover them.
1) Warsaw
Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, is quickly making a name for itself within the European city trip market. The city has long been hidden behind the iron curtain but has flourished since the fall of it.
With the ending of WWII, the city was left in ruins but a huge renovation effort revamped the old city and it is nowadays it is an UNESCO world heritage site. Besides the stunning buildings in the old city, Warsaw also boasts a few green and leafy parks. These are a pleasure to explore during the beautiful hot summers that Poland has. The other thing that made Warsaw so popular is its nigh life. It has a vibrant club scene and the prices are a lot lower than in the rest of Europe, which is also a major draw for a lot of people.
2) Prague
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. The city is also known as the Paris of the East, it has a stunning old town with lots of buildings in Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance style. You quickly see why this city attracts so many tourists each year. Besides strolling through Prague’s old town and enjoying the architecture you could also visit one of the many beer halls. The Czech Republic has a reputation for this golden liquid as it is the country which drinks the largest amount of beer per inhabitant. If you feel that you’ve seen everything that the city has to offer during the day, then it might be a good idea to throw yourself in the bustling night life of this capital city. The clubs are fantastic and are host to many famous DJ’s from all over Europe and once again, the drinks here are cheap.
3) Tallinn
Tallinn; the capital city of the Baltic Republic of Estonia. This recent signee of the European treaty has been rapidly climbing the list of popular eastern European cities. Tallinn’s main attraction is the old town, which is best explored by bike. The favourable exchange rate makes a weekend in this Baltic city affordable, even on a tight budget, and is complimented by the friendly Estonian people. Besides flying to the city directly, it is also easily combined with a trip to Finland’s capital Helsinki- a short ferry ride away.
4) Riga
Riga is another gem of the Baltic and is the capital of Latvia. Just like Tallinn, this city makes for a great excursion from Finland’s capital Helsinki but it is also a brilliant city to spend a short city trip. The city does not have that many attractions, but its old town is a big collection of art nouveau buildings. Riga is also great for bar crawling. Its location on the globe offers an added bonus; during summer the nights are short and offer brilliant midnight vistas, especially from the skyline bar on top of the Reval hotel.
5) Krakow
Krakow is the second Polish city on this top 5 of eastern European cities and an absolute gem. This former capital of Poland still radiates the aura of its former role. The buildings here are stunning, the grand market square is an unique sight and the town boasts some amazing parks. On top of all that, it also has a lot of really cool bars, clubs, boutique stile shops and restaurants. The city is also a good starting point for visiting WWII concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau. In short Krakow is a city not to be missed.
