Central and Eastern Europe — Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and the Baltic states — offers some of the most rewarding travel in Europe at a fraction of western European costs. Here is a practical guide to a 12-day circuit.
The Route Logic
A practical 12-day circuit from Berlin or Frankfurt: Berlin → Prague (3 hours by train) → Kraków (4 hours by train from Prague) → Budapest (6 hours by train from Kraków) → Vienna (2.5 hours from Budapest) → Bratislava (1 hour from Vienna) → back to starting point. This circuit covers five distinct cities, four countries, and a range of architectural styles from Gothic to Art Nouveau to Soviet-era Brutalism — all by train, no flights needed.
Prague (2 nights minimum)
Prague’s old town (Staré Město) is Europe’s best-preserved medieval urban core — Gothic churches, Baroque palaces, and Art Nouveau buildings in extraordinary density. The Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock, Josefov (the Jewish Quarter), and the Vyšehrad fortress are the key sites. Czech food (svíčková — sirloin in cream sauce; kulajda — potato mushroom soup; trdelník — chimney cake, a tourist creation but enjoyed anyway) and Czech beer (Pilsner Urquell, Kozel, Budvar) are high quality and inexpensive.
Kraków (2 nights)
Poland’s most beautiful city — the Rynek Główny (main market square, one of Europe’s largest medieval squares), Wawel Castle, Kazimierz (the Jewish district, one of Europe’s most vital Jewish culture revival areas), and the Old Town are all accessible on foot. The nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial (1.5 hours by bus) is a required stop for understanding 20th-century European history. Kraków is significantly cheaper than Prague — excellent restaurant meals under €10, accommodation well below western European equivalents.
Budapest (2 nights)
Budapest’s split character (Buda with castle and hills, Pest with Art Nouveau grandeur) makes it architecturally distinctive among European capitals. The thermal bath culture (Széchenyi, Gellért, Rudas) is unique to Budapest — soaking in 38°C water in an Ottoman-era bath or Art Nouveau palace is a specifically Hungarian experience. The ruin bars (Szimpla Kert being the original and most famous) are a Budapest invention — converted derelict buildings turned into eclectic, affordable bars.
