Has anyone been to Croatia, Hungary, or Romania?

[gravenewworld]

And are these places underrated parts of Europe to visit? How safe is it? I've heard some really wonderful things about places like Budapest, but also some bad things, like crimes against tourists being rampant. Some people have told me Budapest was beautiful and other said it was ugly. So what is the verdict? How is Romania? Is there much to see in Bucharest? What about smaller places like Cruj? I'm dying to see Croatia as well. Dubrovnik looks amazing and Croatia is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous and cheaper compared to most other Western European countries.

 

[radou]

I'm from Croatia, so I'll promote visiting it in a most subtle way. :tongue:

Depends on your arrangements and the type of travel you're into (i.e. camping vs. hotels), but Dubrovnik is definitely not cheap, although I still recomment visiting it, since it's beautiful. You can visit Zadar too, also a beautiful city on our coast.

Safety - well, I'd say it's pretty safe here, we're no 3rd world country and crime rate is pretty low I'd say, so you don't need to worry about that. And tourists can be targets for thieves anywhere, so...

 

[Andre]

Been to several places there. Yes, it's well worth it, both for natural and cultural sites. Hint: check The List first to see what you'd like..

And Yes, generally cheaper than in western Europe but the difference is reducing.

Indeed crime is no different than elsewhere. Beware of pick pockets, but there may be more of them in Venice or Amsterdam.

Langauge can be a bit of a problem off the beaten path, where the most beautiful things can be found. Hint: have a local friend hosting you.

 

[Monique]

Budapest is a beautiful city.

 

[Borg]

My wife and I were in Dubrovnik in 2008 while on a cruise. The people are very nice and friendly. Nice city with interesting sights. We did at least 8 miles of walking throughout various areas. We enjoyed it very much and felt perfectly safe the entire time.

We did have one interresting encounter. We asked a local about climbing the hill that overlooks the town. He told us that we should be sure to stay on the road if we did because the hill used to be a minefield during the war. We decided not to climb the hill.

 

[radou]

We did have one interresting encounter. We asked a local about climbing the hill that overlooks the town. He told us that we should be sure to stay on the road if we did because the hill used to be a minefield during the war. We decided not to climb the hill.

Dubrovnik was heavily damaged by the JNA (Yugoslav National Army) during the war; thanks to UNESCO, it is now completely rebuilt again and classified as world heritage.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Some people have told me Budapest was beautiful and other said it was ugly.

I hate it when people make blanket statements like that.
People are also likely to say the crime is horrible if they go there and get mugged. One mugging apparently makes the crime rate extremely high in an entire country.

 

[Borg]

Dubrovnik was heavily damaged by the JNA (Yugoslav National Army) during the war; thanks to UNESCO, it is now completely rebuilt again and classified as world heritage.

Sorry if that last statement gave the wrong impression. It was very beautiful when we were in Dubrovnik and we didn't see any evidence of the war other than that one conversation.

 

[Astronuc]

I've been to Romania (visited a friend) and Bulgaria (attended a conference). I love these places and hope to return. I would quite happily live there.

I hope to visit the rest of the Balkans.

This history in the region is incredible. It is truly a world heritage area.

 

[Borek]

Never been to Romania. Well, technically that's not true, but I doubt night train transit back in seventies counts.

Croatia & Hungary - I have been in both countries several times in 80's, 90's and 00's, I felt secure, I had a great time, I plan to go there again.

Croatians tell the story that when God was giving land to all nations he somehow forgot to give something to Croatians. To save the situation he gave them part of what he saved for himself.

I am in love with Croatia and especially Hvar island :!)

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Spurred by Borek’s and the landmark game’s pictures of Croatia, I visited recently. As well as the amazing history, stunning architecture and landscapes, we like swimming, so loved the glassy water, especially in, say, the islands of Hvar, Brac and Korcula and in Cavtat (although the beaches are usually stony, and when we found sand it wasn’t particularly nice sand -sort of slimy- and watch out for spiky anemones in the water). I think it is expensive now, especially Dubrovnic, with good reason, it is historic and beautiful and there are many tourists.

Going south, with similar beaches, Montenegro is a bit less expensive and Albania is much cheaper and the locals eager for tourists. However, the general feeling is that as going south gets cheaper, it is also less secure and has much less infrastructure and fewer facilities and English speakers.

(not as good as Borek's photos, but an idea)

 

[Britney2]

I would strongly recommend you visiting Dhermi,Saranda and Vlora in Albania. They are great places with great beaches, five star hotels which are cheap compared with other countries of the region. First of all, I have to admit that albanians are very generous and interesting people. Also I have been astonished at the security. This country is so quiet and peaceable. As well as the beautiful nature, this country has an antic history which dates many years BC. The antic civilization was influenced by the greek civilisation as they are boundary countries.

you can see in google photos of the places I recommended. theyre really suberpb and astonishing. This year is the second year I am going to have holidays in Albania.
have a look on these pics:

http://kondi.8m.com/vlora8.jpg
[PLAIN]http://www.elitetravel-albania.com/index_files/sarandaqytet.jpg
[URL]http://zytu.org/uploads/pics/ikozeli/lg_vlora21.jpg[/URL]

if u decide smth and need any additional information feel free to ask again.

 

[radou]

I am in love with Croatia and especially Hvar island :!)

Hvar is beautiful, as are most of the islands. We have a very diverse coastline here. Btw, my uncle is visiting Hvar this week for a congress.

Sorry if that last statement gave the wrong impression. It was very beautiful when we were in Dubrovnik and we didn't see any evidence of the war other than that one conversation.

No wrong impression at all, I was just stating a fact.

 

[brewnog]

I've done Hungary and Romania a few times and would definitely go back. Crimes against tourists can be said for anywhere in the world, don't worry!

 

[gravenewworld]

I'm from Croatia, so I'll promote visiting it in a most subtle way. :tongue:

Depends on your arrangements and the type of travel you're into (i.e. camping vs. hotels), but Dubrovnik is definitely not cheap, although I still recomment visiting it, since it's beautiful. You can visit Zadar too, also a beautiful city on our coast.

Safety - well, I'd say it's pretty safe here, we're no 3rd world country and crime rate is pretty low I'd say, so you don't need to worry about that. And tourists can be targets for thieves anywhere, so...

Do you have any recommendations for places that are great to see where tourists hardly ever go? I'm getting real excited over Croatia now. Interesting replies. I may look into Albania. I haven't fully decided on where to go yet.

 

[Britney2]

Do you have any recommendations for places that are great to see where tourists hardly ever go? I'm getting real excited over Croatia now. Interesting replies. I may look into Albania. I haven't fully decided on where to go yet.

As I said I didnt expect Albania to be so beautiful and interesting place. I was skeptic about the security there and about the people. But I was greatly surprised.
I would recommend also Ulcinj in Montenegro but the prices there are higher compared with the prices in Albania. Ulcinj has a fresh climate but i didnt like the people there, they seem to be a bit chilly.Anawayz, if you decide going in these places,ull find what ure looking for; surely ull not be disappointed.
PS: I've been to Croatia too but it was an expensive place and to be sincere i wasnt impressed...

 

[radou]

Do you have any recommendations for places that are great to see where tourists hardly ever go? I'm getting real excited over Croatia now. Interesting replies. I may look into Albania. I haven't fully decided on where to go yet.

There are a bunch of places you could visit. Depends primarily on how much time you have. If you're interested in the beauty of nature alone, visit any of the islands, or any national park, specially the Plitvice lakes. If you're interested in ancient heritage, visit Split (on the coast) to see the palace of the roman emperor Diocletian, for example. I'm not exactly a tourist guide, but to sum up, there are a lots of interesting places, and you can find anything you want on the internet.