Student Backpacking Guide to Western Europe
Getting to Eastern Europe is cheap and easy with the best way of course being to fly. Once there rail is the cheapest way to get around with inter-railing being the cheapest extended stay option. Eastern Europe is a lot safer than it used to be but we’d still recommend to get some kind of travel insurance for your adventure as petty crime is commonplace in many of the top tourist hot spots. Ok so once you’re all set let’s head to the party.
A good place to start is Prague which is a hugely popular stag and hen do destination thanks to its mix of beautiful sights and fantastic bars, clubs and activities. Once you’ve marvelled at the castle and Charles Bridge head out of the tourist areas and find some local bars where beer is still cheap and there is much less emphasis on tourists. Here you can drink the local beer and see some great local music. In the areas around the city you can find some great activities including quad biking, paintballing, skydiving and driving meaning there is plenty to keep you occupied and drive away any hangovers.
From here we head to Budapest in Hungary possibly our favourite Eastern European country. Sight wise you have the impressive castle, beautiful parliament building and palaces to explore but the other attractions are what we’re really interested in. First up we have the wine cellars; now even if you don’t drink a huge amount of wine you’re going to still have a roaring time here as you are quite literally given a glass, a piece of bread and unrestricted access to a wine cellar. This is all for the cost of around 15 pounds so well worth it. From here we head to the central island Margaret which serves as the cities second biggest park and its nightlife and live music hotspot. The clubs and bars here are great, cheap and keep going all night so you’ll happily wile away many hours here. In the morning head to some of the cities baths to recuperate and soak in the warm spring waters the baths are not mixed but great nonetheless. In terms of activities you can then head to the cities fantastic caves and spend an afternoon squeezing through tight spaces and staring into terrifying abysses.
Next we’ll head to some sun sea and sand in Bulgaria. Starting in Sophia we recommend the incredible Alexander Nevsky cathedral and crypt, Vitosha Boulevard and the national theatre. In the evenings head out to the club scene where extravagant and huge discoes can be found serving alcohol at prices so low you’ll almost think it’s free. Outside the city we would recommend heading to either Golden Sands or Cacao. These tourist havens offer clubbing, water sports, bungee jumping, parachuting and bars where happy hour is 24 hours a day and you will be given free drinks just for walking through the doors. Bulgaria is really up and coming at the moment so get there before the prices start to sky rocket as has happened elsewhere.
Finally then we take a trip back up north to the capital of Estonia Tallinn. Tallinn looks like it has been lifted straight out of a fairy tale with high castle towers and stunning, idyllic architecture mere miles from the Baltic sea. The cities real treat is walking around and admiring the building but the arts scene is incredible. Still incredibly cheap a beer will cost you under 50p in the right places and the club scene is typical of the region with trance and industrial being the leading music in most clubs. Well that wraps up our brief guide to four of the best Eastern European destinations, have fun and stay safe.
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