Many Americans, when presented with the prospect of visiting the best European cities, conjure images of the Eiffel Tower, the Spanish Steps, the Ramblas or St. Paul's Cathedral. This western orientation, though, may be a consequence of so much of Eastern Europe being closed off by the Iron Curtain for so many years.
Those days are happily behind us, now. And, though their virtues don't shine like they did back in the 90s, when suddenly the doors flew open, the cities of Eastern Europe remain remarkable opportunities. Combining architectural beauty, great cuisine, rich culture, low costs and people still not yet jaded by tourism, the best European cities of the east offer wonderful value and a great experience
Check out our top three must-see East European cities:
3. BUCHAREST
This is one that may not come to mind immediately for a lot of people. However, being a bit under the radar is likely part of its appeal. Don't wait too long, though. This great getaway is stirring up more and more attention each passing year.
Known as little Paris, because of its French influence, this wonderful city has survived the bleakest of the bleak Iron Curtain totalitarians much better than one could have hoped. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, before the Communists got hold of it, Bucharest underwent a developmental flowering.
These great achievements remain among the cities destination landmarks. Topping that list is Bucharest University, Grand Hotel du Boulevard, the Botanical Garden, the Atheneum, and Casa Capsa.
Among the city's other little Paris legacies are its wide, tree-lined boulevards, glorious Belle Epoque buildings and a reputation for the high style. All this makes the bustling metropolis that is Romania's largest city and capital a must see among aficionados of the best European cities of the east. Oh, and Dracula himself lived here. So, really.
2. PRAGUE
Admittedly, the second spot on our list is a little more obvious. Don't make the mistake though of allowing familiarity to put you off of this wonderful destination. If Prague is an obvious choice for such a list; it comes by the reputation honestly.
A city awash in dazzling architecture, it is replete with unending eye-candy vistas of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes. Perhaps most impressively it somehow is able to beautifully blend the old, medieval center characterized by cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless church spires, with the modern city, packed with excellent fine dining restaurants, and all the sublime music and art you could wish for.
There are naturally the requisite tourist sights: the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle/St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Old Town Square, with its well-known Astronomical Clock. You'd be missing out a lot, though, if that's all you did in Prague. It holds closer to its chest many other delightful secrets.
Take the ubiquitous cafe; Prague is rightfully famed for its grand cafes. Check out this hot tip though. When you go in search of your coffee break, turn your gaze upward. Little known to the average tourist, Prague's best and most refined, atmospheric downtown cafes are up on what they call the first floor.
It is amazingly that these are overlooked by most tourists. All the better for you. You'll be left speechless by the elegance and refinement of the period interiors. The coffee is dependably exquisite and the clientele always well appointed in the old European way. Top recommendations are the Grand Cafe Orient above the Cubist Museum and Cafe Louvre. The latter, I'm told, was once of haunt of both Kafka and Einstein.
KRAKOW
If you found the second place on our list a bit predictable, you probably won't think the same of our position of honor. Krakow though is indeed a precious find; it hides away some of the best kept secrets of Europe: beautiful architecture and old world charm are everywhere. Krakow's restaurants enjoy a deserved reputation for being quaint, atmospheric eateries with excellent food, for very affordable prices.
However, as precious as Krakow remains, it is no longer undiscovered. Thanks to Steven Spielberg's awarding film, Shindler's List, both shot here and based on events that took place here, there is a tourist industry in the city. If though you want to see the real Krakow, the town without the Hollywood generated tourist trade, it's not hard to find. Here is our suggestion: get over to Podgrze.
It is a working-class area slowly being revitalized by bohos fleeing the touristy center and Jewish district. The Laetus Bernatek footbridge has opened up this area for easy access. It's just that most tourists don't venture across it. The area has plenty of bars and cafes, for all tastes, that give you some sense of life in Krakow before the movie buffs started to arrive.
One place we would highly recommend, though, is Klub Drukarnia. It is a swinging jazz club and offers the bonus of being able to enjoy spectacular sunset vistas over the Wisla River. The club's basement is the setting for frequent concerts and DJ nights. Features include a saloon-style smoking room and a smarter side with velvet seats and a long bar with huge windows providing a glorious panorama over the river.
For our money, though, the real attraction on this side of the river is Liban Quarry. Without exaggeration, it is one of the most surreal places you'll ever see. Originally the quarry of a 19th century Jewish owned limestone company, during the Nazi occupation it was converted to a forced labor camp. As with such places, forced labor often meant worked to death.
Following the war this area was turned into a memorial to the victims of Nazi atrocities. However, it seems that irony was yet to have the last laugh. For, as the decades have gone by, the city has turned its back on the quarry. As a consequence, gradually, nature reclaimed it. Once a thriving business reflecting Jewish acumen, then a blight of Nazi barbarism, it now is a spontaneous wildlife sanctuary. Home to waterfowl, birds of prey, pheasants and various other animals, the Liban Quarry seems to have found its own peace. Still, when looking over the rusting refinery equipment and memorial gravestones surrounded by ponds and draped in dense vegetation, ever surveyed by the sentinels of limestone cliffs, symbolism endlessly forces itself upon the imagination. I'll leave you to your own interpretations.
If a visit to Liban Quarry, as it often does, leaves you feeling a little melancholy, maybe even spooked, I suggest you finish off your day with a heart warming nightcap. Coming back across the bridge from Podgrze you'll discover two delightful cafes just on the city side. These are Mostowy Art Cafe, a large and elegant gallery cafe, and its next door neighbor, the more modest Po Drodze. The latter is a cosy old kitchen cafe where they'll spice up your coffee with a vodka shot. That's the way to end your day.
Those days are happily behind us, now. And, though their virtues don't shine like they did back in the 90s, when suddenly the doors flew open, the cities of Eastern Europe remain remarkable opportunities. Combining architectural beauty, great cuisine, rich culture, low costs and people still not yet jaded by tourism, the best European cities of the east offer wonderful value and a great experience
Check out our top three must-see East European cities:
3. BUCHAREST
This is one that may not come to mind immediately for a lot of people. However, being a bit under the radar is likely part of its appeal. Don't wait too long, though. This great getaway is stirring up more and more attention each passing year.
Known as little Paris, because of its French influence, this wonderful city has survived the bleakest of the bleak Iron Curtain totalitarians much better than one could have hoped. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, before the Communists got hold of it, Bucharest underwent a developmental flowering.
These great achievements remain among the cities destination landmarks. Topping that list is Bucharest University, Grand Hotel du Boulevard, the Botanical Garden, the Atheneum, and Casa Capsa.
Among the city's other little Paris legacies are its wide, tree-lined boulevards, glorious Belle Epoque buildings and a reputation for the high style. All this makes the bustling metropolis that is Romania's largest city and capital a must see among aficionados of the best European cities of the east. Oh, and Dracula himself lived here. So, really.
2. PRAGUE
Admittedly, the second spot on our list is a little more obvious. Don't make the mistake though of allowing familiarity to put you off of this wonderful destination. If Prague is an obvious choice for such a list; it comes by the reputation honestly.
A city awash in dazzling architecture, it is replete with unending eye-candy vistas of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes. Perhaps most impressively it somehow is able to beautifully blend the old, medieval center characterized by cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless church spires, with the modern city, packed with excellent fine dining restaurants, and all the sublime music and art you could wish for.
There are naturally the requisite tourist sights: the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle/St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Old Town Square, with its well-known Astronomical Clock. You'd be missing out a lot, though, if that's all you did in Prague. It holds closer to its chest many other delightful secrets.
Take the ubiquitous cafe; Prague is rightfully famed for its grand cafes. Check out this hot tip though. When you go in search of your coffee break, turn your gaze upward. Little known to the average tourist, Prague's best and most refined, atmospheric downtown cafes are up on what they call the first floor.
It is amazingly that these are overlooked by most tourists. All the better for you. You'll be left speechless by the elegance and refinement of the period interiors. The coffee is dependably exquisite and the clientele always well appointed in the old European way. Top recommendations are the Grand Cafe Orient above the Cubist Museum and Cafe Louvre. The latter, I'm told, was once of haunt of both Kafka and Einstein.
KRAKOW
If you found the second place on our list a bit predictable, you probably won't think the same of our position of honor. Krakow though is indeed a precious find; it hides away some of the best kept secrets of Europe: beautiful architecture and old world charm are everywhere. Krakow's restaurants enjoy a deserved reputation for being quaint, atmospheric eateries with excellent food, for very affordable prices.
However, as precious as Krakow remains, it is no longer undiscovered. Thanks to Steven Spielberg's awarding film, Shindler's List, both shot here and based on events that took place here, there is a tourist industry in the city. If though you want to see the real Krakow, the town without the Hollywood generated tourist trade, it's not hard to find. Here is our suggestion: get over to Podgrze.
It is a working-class area slowly being revitalized by bohos fleeing the touristy center and Jewish district. The Laetus Bernatek footbridge has opened up this area for easy access. It's just that most tourists don't venture across it. The area has plenty of bars and cafes, for all tastes, that give you some sense of life in Krakow before the movie buffs started to arrive.
One place we would highly recommend, though, is Klub Drukarnia. It is a swinging jazz club and offers the bonus of being able to enjoy spectacular sunset vistas over the Wisla River. The club's basement is the setting for frequent concerts and DJ nights. Features include a saloon-style smoking room and a smarter side with velvet seats and a long bar with huge windows providing a glorious panorama over the river.
For our money, though, the real attraction on this side of the river is Liban Quarry. Without exaggeration, it is one of the most surreal places you'll ever see. Originally the quarry of a 19th century Jewish owned limestone company, during the Nazi occupation it was converted to a forced labor camp. As with such places, forced labor often meant worked to death.
Following the war this area was turned into a memorial to the victims of Nazi atrocities. However, it seems that irony was yet to have the last laugh. For, as the decades have gone by, the city has turned its back on the quarry. As a consequence, gradually, nature reclaimed it. Once a thriving business reflecting Jewish acumen, then a blight of Nazi barbarism, it now is a spontaneous wildlife sanctuary. Home to waterfowl, birds of prey, pheasants and various other animals, the Liban Quarry seems to have found its own peace. Still, when looking over the rusting refinery equipment and memorial gravestones surrounded by ponds and draped in dense vegetation, ever surveyed by the sentinels of limestone cliffs, symbolism endlessly forces itself upon the imagination. I'll leave you to your own interpretations.
If a visit to Liban Quarry, as it often does, leaves you feeling a little melancholy, maybe even spooked, I suggest you finish off your day with a heart warming nightcap. Coming back across the bridge from Podgrze you'll discover two delightful cafes just on the city side. These are Mostowy Art Cafe, a large and elegant gallery cafe, and its next door neighbor, the more modest Po Drodze. The latter is a cosy old kitchen cafe where they'll spice up your coffee with a vodka shot. That's the way to end your day.
About the Author:
Travel enthusiasts need to follow the hottest news on European travel ideas at our Best European Cities blog. Mitchell Jones is a widely published travel writer, who provides the lowdown on the latest travel trends. See his fascinating article on the wellness travel industry in India.
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