Nov 19, 2007
Go to Eastern Europe this coming year, and you'll be far less affected by the fall in value of the U.S. dollar
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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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
Aug 7, 2007
Against a generally bleak picture for tourists using the U.S. dollar, some countries provide a ray of sunshine
When it comes to exchange rates, the news is awfully bad. The British pound costs $2.05, the Euro $1.38, and both may have strengthened further by the time you read this. Nonetheless, there are exceptions to the bleak current picture of the U.S. dollar.
An acquaintance of mine recently returned with her husband and children from a 12-night vacation in Brazil. For a family room in a delightful oceanside resort in the historic Brazilian city of Paraty, a three-hour drive from Rio, including a full buffet breakfast for all four in their party, they spent $30 a night. In Rio itself, two short blocks from awesome Copacabana Beach, they spent $60 a night for room and four breakfasts.
To make additional vacation choices from countries whose currencies are weak against the U.S. dollar, go to a much-used website for currency equivalents found at www.xe.com. Then click on "currency table," which enables you to compare the current value of the dollar with the value it had two-or-so years ago. You'll find that the Mexican peso remains weak against the dollar (11 pesos for one U.S. dollar), as does the Argentinian peso. And though the Chinese yuan has recently strengthened by 9%, it still remains a remarkable bargain at its present exchange rate of approximately 7.50 to the dollar. In Eastern Europe, Romania and Bulgaria have weak currencies; in the South Pacific, the island of Bali is a steal; and the Bhat of Thailand is another currency whose weak current level permits a very low cost visit.
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An acquaintance of mine recently returned with her husband and children from a 12-night vacation in Brazil. For a family room in a delightful oceanside resort in the historic Brazilian city of Paraty, a three-hour drive from Rio, including a full buffet breakfast for all four in their party, they spent $30 a night. In Rio itself, two short blocks from awesome Copacabana Beach, they spent $60 a night for room and four breakfasts.
To make additional vacation choices from countries whose currencies are weak against the U.S. dollar, go to a much-used website for currency equivalents found at www.xe.com. Then click on "currency table," which enables you to compare the current value of the dollar with the value it had two-or-so years ago. You'll find that the Mexican peso remains weak against the dollar (11 pesos for one U.S. dollar), as does the Argentinian peso. And though the Chinese yuan has recently strengthened by 9%, it still remains a remarkable bargain at its present exchange rate of approximately 7.50 to the dollar. In Eastern Europe, Romania and Bulgaria have weak currencies; in the South Pacific, the island of Bali is a steal; and the Bhat of Thailand is another currency whose weak current level permits a very low cost visit.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: bali, brazil, budget, bulgaria, romania
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
