Hi all,

This is my first post on the HUBB and I'm starting out on the blag!

The wife and I are going to Slovakia and Hungary from 23rd August till september 6th on our VFR. If we have time we might pop up to Krakow but know very little about the area at all and so would probably choose to focus more on getting to know the places we are already going to.

Theres a list of things we'd like to do below and would love advice or particular places to go, but we've no set route at the moment other than we are catching the Autozug to Saltzburg on the way down and coming back to Dusseldorf on the train from Villach so I'm thinking of doing Slovakia and then Hungary in a clockwise route.

We're on a budget and have no idea how Slovakia is getting on with the euro so would love to know roughly what the cost of food, fuel accommodation is likely to be in comparison to the UK.

We will happily stay anywhere but the wife "doesnt do tenting". Youth hostels, pensions, floors, camping site cabins are fine but we'll only have towels, not bedding/sleeping bags (do you need bedding for the cabins?)

so any info gratefully received. Our list of things we'd like to do is below:

Visit Vienna for 2 nights and maybe Bratislava although others suggest its not particularly outstanding and I know the middle is pedestrianised and theres lots of 1 way systems so depends if its worth it or if we were able to get public transport from a base outside the city.

Go to Orava and Bojnice castles and the unesco heritage site

visit one of the water parks for the slides etc.

have a spa treatment somewhere

visit some caves (maybe the ice cave) as I'm a caver

Go for a boat trip down the river and spend time in the national parks maybe take a chair lift up a mountain?

visit Budapest for 2 nights

Stay on the shores of Lake Balaton

forgive the list its not meant to be a "look at what we're doing" but I thought it might help any locals suggest places to do all these things.

Many thanks!

Tom M

Can't help you with Slovakia or Hungary (been there, but it has been a looong time... Budapest is lovely though, especially the park near the Octogon (Oktogon?).

What I can tell you is this: if you're going to Krakow you'll quickly realize that they only seem to have had the money to purchase a single direction sign. Thus, wherever you go, be that North, South, East, or West, the same cities always seem to lie straight ahead of you. If I remember correctly it was Warszawa, Katowice, Bialystok and Poznan, not sure about the last two though. It's rather confusing when you're looking for the city center and suddenly realize that you're heading towards Warsaw, which is where we came from, then turn around only to realize that once again you're heading towards Warsaw, then turn left only to realize... yaddah yaddah and so on.

I ended up getting so angry at the city after a bus almost hit us from the right at a red light that we (wife and me) decided to get out of this hellhole as fast as possible and try again next time. We ended up going to Oswiecim and paying a visit to the infamous Oswiecim-Brzezinka concentration camp, better know under its German name Auschwitz-Birkenau. It's only ~70kms from Krakow. If you decide to go there let me know, I'll try to find out what the hotel we stayed at was called - very nice affordable place, safe motorcycle parking, run by an older woman and pretty much right between both camps.

PS: Krakow really is a beautiful city. If you can you should spend a day or two there, then move on to Oswiecim.

__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!"

Crackow is worth the effort but park up at a hotel on the edge of town and bus it in, everything is within easy walking distance (old town, Wavel Castle and the Jewish Quarter). Well worth a visit are the Wieliczka salt mines just outside of town, again a short bus ride or even cheaper are privately operated mini buses that run from near the station in the centre of town.
The Zakopane valley in the High Tatras is to the south of Crackow, the town itself is a bit (a lot?) of a tourist trap but the mountains are pretty. Head along the border eastwards and cross into Slovakia by the Dukla Pass (Dukla to Svidnik) the pass was part of the Eastern Front in WW1 and the route through which the Russians liberated Czechoslovakia in WW2. There is a good museum at the head of the pass on the Slovak side and the pass is lined with bits of military tackle from the battle (tanks, planes, artillery,etc.)
I've a couple of accomodation recommendations: If you go to Auschwitz, which is an unforgetable experience, try the Hotel Galicja - not cheap but pamper yourself. I stayed at a B&B on the shores of Lake Balaton which was very comfortable but run by a Pole and his German wife, Basil and Sybil or what? It was just north of Balatonakali, can't remember the name.

cheers guys,

Was hoping to get a few more replies from locals as good routes etc. but we'll see what happens.

Tom M

Best way to get advice from locals is to contact the local HU Communities - link on left!

They also visit the HUBB of course - but are likely to be looking for info on places far away from home and may never see a post about their area.

Have a great trip! And feel free to write it up in the Ride Tales Forum - I'd love to hear all about it.

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Cheers to the info about local communities. Although I've known abou tthe site for years I'm a new member so still finiding it quite difficult to find my way round

will post something up and see if I get any response.

Keep any helpful hints on the holiday coming!!