This is the second of a series of articles offering advice and travel tips based on Caitlin Dwyer’s experience riding the Trans-Siberian Railway. See her first article, ‘Riding the Trans-Siberian Railway: Planning Your Journey‘. You may also be interested in a previous article: How to apply for a Russian Visa. What exactly does a Trans-Siberian traveler need to …
Where to Stay in Prague – Editor’s Pick To help you choose where to stay in Prague, we’ve compiled a fairly comprehensive list of recommended hotels in Prague. While hotel location is always a consideration, getting around Prague is quite manageable and most of these hotels are located in or near the Old Town. The high-end hotels …
The Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the world’s epic train journeys. Stretching across two continents, the railway links the frigid north Pacific to the Baltic Sea. Between these points lie the world’s largest freshwater lake, the Forbidden City, the Kremlin, the Mongolian steppe, and untouched miles of taiga. For travelers planning a Trans-Siberian journey, the initial …
Budapest is a bargain for travelers: it is the new Prague. Western travelers are discovering this exciting city, and prices are still much lower than in Western Europe’s top cities. Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti summed up Budapest beautifully when he once said, “If you come from Paris to Budapest you think you are in Moscow. …
Sibiu is a city in the heart of Romania, but its other name, the unmistakably German Hermannstadt, hints at a whole different history. At two different periods – during the Middle Ages and in the 18th century – this beautiful place was the chief city of a German-speaking Transylvania. While today it is mostly populated …
Odessa, Ukraine: Ahhh…the sweet luxury of lying on a white sand beach, strolling through leafy parks that tumble towards the Black Sea, seeking out the perfect café along the wide pedestrian Deribasovskaya Street for an afternoon cappuccino and delectable pastry, and again to the beach to watch a glowing sunset before our evening repast. This …
Now’s the time to visit Ukraine! It’s an exciting time of progress and challenges with Ukraine’s evolving new identity post-Soviet rule. Still in its infancy of tourism, prices are reasonable (compared to Western standards). The historic churches, monuments, top-notch museums are amazing, the mountain vistas and beaches are dazzling, and then there is the famed …
The ancient city of Kiev (Kyiv), believed to be at least 1500 years old, is known as the cradle of Slavic civilization. Three brothers and a sister are the legendary founders of Kyiv, named after the oldest sibling Prince Kyi. This foursome wielding bow, sword and shield are fashioned in metal at the Independence Square …
Today we were leaving Kiev for the Ukraine countryside again, this time by bus. A week earlier, in the same uncomfortable July heat, we had journeyed by electric train to visit my cousin’s dacha (cottage). During the train ride, varied characters sold their wares, indifferent to the sweaty passengers. It was a dilapidated parade of …
Kiev, the capital and largest city in Ukraine (population over 2.5 million), seems to be shifting slowly, but inexorably to a developing “westernized city”. A visitor experiencing Kiev the first time will be struck by the unique blend of old and new worlds colliding. Kiev, Ukraine, founded in the 5th century as a trading center, developed rapidly as a former Soviet republic during the …