Eastern Europe
From soaring mountains to golden sands, Eastern Europe reveals a tapestry of quaint and contemporary cultures – always with enough rough edges to keep you intrigued.
Cultural Explosion
Eastern Europe is a warehouse of culture, whether your preference is fine arts or folk singing. Cities such as Prague, St Petersburg and Budapest are effortlessly elegant, housing remarkable art collections in palatial surrounds. Some locations are akin to open-air museums, like Kraków's Rynek Główny (Main Market Sq), Moscow’s vast Red Square and the art-nouveau architecture across Riga. For every age-old powerhouse of classical music and opera, you’ll also discover a plucky up-and-comer, building a reputation for avant-garde nightlife (Belgrade) or gritty galleries (Cluj-Napoca).
Spectacular Scenery
Sandy beaches, windswept plains, rugged mountain ranges – Eastern Europe has it all, and it’s anything but predictable. Glide down the Danube River, bob across North Macedonia’s Lake Ohrid, or splash around in Hungary’s Lake Balaton. Gulp down fresh air and solitude in Albania’s Accursed Mountains, Transylvania’s crisscrossing ranges, or the High Tatras, which rumble along the Poland–Slovakia border. Test the whitewater in Slovenia’s Triglav National Park, or explore canyons and caverns in Montenegro or Bosnia & Hercegovina. You can be exhilarated, or lulled into contentment, within the space of a couple of days exploring Eastern Europe's great outdoors.
