April 30, 2004 -- Starting tomorrow, ten countries in eastern Europe and the Mediterranean will join the European Union, becoming equal (in theory, at least) to such stalwarts as France, Germany and the UK, though most will not join the Euro currency market just as yet. Eight of the ten are former Communist-bloc countries and have long been havens for budget travelers. We fear their low prices and cheap labor are not long for this world. Now, therefore, is the time for all good budgeteers to come to the aid of their pocketbooks and sign up for still-moderately priced vacations while they last.
Specifically, we're talking about the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The other two more nations, Cyprus and Malta, were never under Soviet domination, and were always well within the Western European tourism orbit.
Continental Journeys, based in Los Angeles, is now offering 55 different independent and escorted tours (all land-only, please note) to these eight nations. Four-day packages to seven World Heritage Cities with historic Old Towns are priced at $199 to $249 per person for tourist-class hotels, with breakfast daily, city tour and transfers. The cities are Prague, Vilnius (Lithuania), Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw. You can also try an eight-day journey to Hungary by rental car and staying in guesthouses at just $579. Six- to eight-day tours of Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovenia cost $739 to $1399, with first-class and some superior tourist-class hotels.
You could stay at spas like the Thermal Hotel Margitsziget in Budapest, or in Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne in the Czech Republic, Maribor in Slovenia or Druskininkai in Lithuania. Other multi-country tours add nearby destinations such as Berlin, Vienna, Croatia, Romania, Russia or Scandinavia. There's a six-day Baltic Capitals event at $819, a seven-day Imperial Capitals at $859, nine-day tours of the Czech Republic and Slovakia at $1489 and 13-day trips to Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw, Berlin and Prague at $1619 to $1669.
The trips are priced land-only, but Continental Journeys can assist you in arranging airfare too, if you wish. Contact them at 800/601-4343 or 818/995-8643, fax 818/995-8673, or at www.continentaljourneys.com.
With Air
Odysseys Unlimited, which arranges tours for "small groups" (defined as 12 to 24 guests), says it can save you from $100 to $400 per person this year on 11 packages it arranges, including two to this part of the world. One is called "14-day St. Petersburg & The Baltic Capitals," which starts from $2,995, air and land inclusive, that price reflecting a $100 to $200 per person price savings, they say. You visit Vilnius for three nights, where one highlight is the KGB Museum, another the village of Trakai. Next, you go to Riga for thee nights, where highlights include the Old Town and the village of Sigulda. Your last Baltic stop is Tallinn, where the hamlet of Altja is a highlight, and then it's off to St. Petersburg for three nights, where big must-see items include the Hermitage Museum and the Peterhof Palace.
A second tour, the 17-day "Discovering Eastern Europe", runs from $3,195 for air and land inclusive, again reflecting a $100 to $200 savings per person. Here, you start in Warsaw, where you spend two nights, one highlight being the Jewish Ghetto and Cemetery. You then travel through Czestochowa (home of the Black Madonna) to Krakow for two nights, visiting nearby Auschwitz, and then zip through the Tatra Mountains into Slovakia, where you have lunch before ending up in Budapest. In the Hungarian capital, always a delightful place, you stay three nights, visiting the Parliament, the Matthias Church and other spots, with free time aplenty. After that, you go to Vienna for three nights, where the Schonbrunn Palace is a highlight. Finally, you go to Cesky Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you spend the night. Your last three nights are in Prague, where the highlights include St. Vitus' Cathedral and the Hradcany Castle district.
Each tour features an experienced tour director, roundtrip air from most US cities, carefully selected hotels, most meals, extensive sightseeing and all entrance fees, as well as all transfers within the itinerary, luggage handling and tips. Contact them at 888/370-6765 or visit their website, www.odysseys-unlimited.com.
On the Ground in Warsaw
Individual hotels are getting into the act of encouraging travel to Eastern Europe, too. One good example is the Marriott Warsaw International Airport Hotel, which will give you 15% off rates when you show a valid "Hotel Hopper Pass" from another European Courtyard by Marriott establishment. The only hotel at Warsaw's Fredric Chopin Airport, the Marriott has rates that start at just $68 per room per night but can put you up in musically-themed suites from around $450 per night if you insist. Contact them at 888/236-2427 or visit www.courtyard.com and sk for the European Hopper Pass.
$99 Flights
We'd like to remind you also of the great $99 one-way flights to St. Petersburg and Budapest from Brussels plus airport taxes from Europe by Air. Their other Eastern European cities serviced include Tallinn, Vilnius and Lodz, just a few of the 170 cities Flight Pass and Europe by Air have on their list. For a map, more information and a list of all destinations, visit www.europebyair.com/map or phone 888/231-9455.