Large distances, layered history, evolving societies
Eastern Europe is a region of history, resilience, and rapidly changing cities. From the cultural richness of Poland and Hungary to the architecture of Romania and the Baltics, this region offers some of the best value and most interesting city breaks in Europe.
Poland, Hungary, Czechia, and Romania are among the easiest and most rewarding catches. Further east, Ukraine and Belarus are currently more complex and dependent on wider conditions.
🇧🇾 Belarus – Highly controlled political system with limited tourism. Cities feel orderly but restricted. 
Harder to travel now even with a visa. Normally Minsk is within easy distances of Vilnius by train or car/bus but the border gets backed up. Avoid winder months. Many underground shopping centres that are interesting.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria – Black Sea coast, Orthodox heritage, and rural traditions. Affordable travel with improving infrastructure. Just started using the Euro officially. Sofia generally cheap with lots of good restaurants and bars. But beware the smoke from cigarettes which is everywhere. Varna and Burgos good cheap options with easy access throughout Europe. Acrylic alphabet.
🇽🇰 Kosovo – Young state with evolving institutions and strong local culture. No access from Serbia but easy from Montenegro. Albanian widely spoken. Would advise some sort of private driver to catch the interior of the country. Kosovo easy enough to visit but you need a guide to dig under the bonnet. Don’t talk about politics.
🇲🇩 Moldova – Rural traditions, wine culture, and low tourism density. Infrastructure is basic but improving. Chisinau is a fairly drab Eastern European city but within striking distance of Cricova, famous for its wine. It has 45km of underground wine cellars, where they even have a 10k race. Get a taxi there. Transnistria is within Moldova but is self proclaimed independent with its own border, passport and currency, which is pegged to the Russian rouble. Probably the most unusual place to catch in the whole of Europe. Easy enough access from Moldova, but much harder through Ukraine, even before 2022. Very little English spoken there.
🇷🇴 Romania – Carpathian mountains, medieval towns, and rural traditions. Cities are evolving while countryside remains traditional. Massive country with many highlights. Low cost flights to many destinations. Bucharest feels a little French but can be rough with many stray dogs. The unfinished Palace is the second biggest building in the world and a must. Outside, Brasov is a good place to visit about one hour by train from the capital. Other notable places: Constanta on the coast, Cluj in the north within easy distance of Hungary and Timisoara in the far west.
🇷🇺 Russia – Vast country with immense cultural and geographic diversity. Moscow and Saint Petersburg dominate tourism. Hard to get visas these days but not impossible. Asks for all countries caught in the last 10 years! St Petersburg one of the most beautiful cities in the world and can be navigated privately. Stay in or near Nevsky Prospekt. Allow a few days to visit all of the incredible sites. Easy access by train from Finland. Visa free visits by boat are currently not allowed. Moscow is only a few hours away and very different but equally interesting. Red Square can take a day just on its own. Visit Lenin still lying in state. The metro is like a museum at times with very deep stations but with perfect phone signal. Trans Siberia railway remains a wonderful experience. Kaliningrad shares no border with the rest of the mainland and is a really unique place to visit from Lithuania. Visa still needed. All best enjoyed in the summer.
🇷🇸 Serbia – Energetic cities, nightlife, and layered Balkan history. Belgrade is vibrant and social. Belgrade is a young and happening city. Visit the Physics museum, paying homage to N Tesla, their favourite son. Fortifications are also interesting. Novi Sad is a more relaxed and charming second city. Go for a trip down the Danube!
🇺🇦 Ukraine – Large agricultural nation with deep cultural heritage. Cities are historic and lively. Mainly uncatchable at the moment which is a real shame. Hoping that the wonderful cities of Kiev, Odessa and others will soon be back on the catching map.
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