Eastern Europe hasn't yet adopted the Euro as its currency, and still endows the U.S. dollar with considerable value. I've noted before that during this period of dollar weakness, a great many travelers are shifting their gaze to Eastern Europe, where Poland -- and especially its touristic standout of Kraców -- is attracting more and more Americans. In terms of art, architecture and attractions, it compares favorably with many of the key cities of Western Europe.

Founded in the 9th century, Kraców was the seat of the kingdom of Poland from 1038 to 1596, then capital of a grand duchy from 1846 up to 1918; in many ways it's still considered the country's cultural and religious capital. All that pomp and circumstance has left this city on the Vistula River, 2½ hours by train or 4½ by road from Warsaw, with some mighty fancy buildings, and its old town is one of the gems of Europe (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

The grandest edifices of all are the majestic Renaissance castle and cathedral on Wawel hill, but you'll get even more mileage out of wandering the Old Town, bordered by an impressive fortification wall called the Barbican and with the Rynek Glówny (Main Market Square), the Gothic Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Church, at its center. Meanwhile, the Kazimierz district with its synagogue, museum and narrow streets is one of the best preserved Jewish quarters in Europe (Schindler's List scenes were shot here).

As for don't-miss day trips, a grim but extremely worthwhile bit of Jewish and European history lies an hour's drive south at the infamous preserved Nazi concentration camp near Oscwiecim (and better known as Auschwitz-Birkenau). A happier (and pretty amazing) attraction lies just 20 minutes away: the ancient Wieliczka salt mine with its underground lakes plus statuary and even a cathedral hewn out of NaCl (all local tour operators run excursions to both).

Kraców boasts a good number of fine hotels and restaurants these days, a decent percentage of them quite affordable (there's also a great clubbing/nightlife scene, fed by a vibrant Jagellonian University student population). Throughout your stay, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the reasonable level of prices not simply for rooms and meals but for tours, transportation, and nightlife.

All flights from North America connect through Warsaw and other European cities like London and Frankfurt. North American specialists that offer escorted or unescorted land-air deals to Kraców include Orbis Tours (tel. 800/867-6526; www.orbistravel.com) and Sophisticated Traveler (www.affordablepoland.com). For more info, contact the Polish National Tourist Office at 201/420-9910 or www.polandtour.org, or the Kraców City Hall website, www.krakow.pl/en.

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Labels: poland

As soon as you cross the old boundary of the Iron Curtain, prices (and crowd levels) drop dramatically in every major city other than one (I'll get to that). While three-star hotels in major cities of Western Europe these days start around $120 to $150 (and quickly rise to $200 or more), the same quality of hotel can be had for $60 to $100 in places like Krakow, Ljubljana, Budapest, and Sofia.

In Eastern Europe, and despite the drop of the dollar against the Euro (which isn't used in the East), beer is usually priced at less than $1, rental rooms sleeping two go for $20 to $30, and full meals ring in at $10 to $15. It is a slice of the Old World as it was 20 years ago -- affordable, accessible, and just waiting to be explored.

Plus, compared to the millions who descend upon London, Paris, and Rome each year, a mere fraction make it to the glorious and well-preserved capitals, villages, and countryside of Eastern Europe, leaving it wide open for you to discover. Go castle-hopping in Romania rather than along the Rhine, tour the vineyards of Hungary instead of Tuscany or Provence, and you'll not only save money, you'll discover a whole side to Europe ignored by most tour companies.

You can explore 1,240 miles of Croatian coastline peppered by timeless fishing villages and dotted with 1,185 islands. Its Dalmatian Coast is anchored on one end by the medieval city of Dubrovnik and on the other by Split, its historic center actually carved from the remains of the ancient Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace.

In Krakow, Poland, you can bargain for amber jewelry and hand-carved chess sets in the ancient covered market on the main square. In Ljublijana, you can sit under a willow at a riverside café in the heart of town and enjoy a sandwich of garlicky salami while gazing beyond the baroque building facades to the city's miniature castle perched stop its hill. In Bulgaria you can wander the cobblestone streets of Plovdiv, sip plum brandy at a Black Sea resort, or pay just $15 to stay at the famous Rila Monastery, a grandiose medieval construction packed with painted icons amidst green mountains

I did mention one exception to this rule that Eastern Europe is cheaper, and that exception is Prague, which is still riding a 15-year wave of "must-see" status as a gorgeous and bohemian Eastern European capital. This unrelenting popularity has honestly made Prague pricier than Paris these days (not to mention more crowded). Prague is still a lovely and worthwhile city, but don't expect to find it a bargain by any stretch (also, know that the taverns are no longer filled with penniless intellectuals reading Kafka over an 80¢ beer; they're filled with crowds of tourists, fresh off the bus, paying $10 for their beer and looking around curiously for the penniless intellectuals reading Kafka).

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Labels: bulgaria, croatia, eastern europe, poland, romania