Anonymous wrote:Turkey

Agree. Affordable flights on Turkish Airlines too.

Turkey

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would nto do budget travel to europe in august

Europe is a huge area and there are much more reasonable options as the many posts on here are pointing out. Go east. Transylvania is a fabulous suggestion. I strongly urge people to go there when they still can as it feels like a Europe that disappeared a long time ago with the collapse of the Austro Hungarian empire, you still get a sense of an old peasant lifestyle in the villages with their fortified walled churches. And the little cities are so pretty. Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Cluj Napoca. We went to Dracula's castle! (it was rather neat). When we went we relied on trains and hired drivers and it worked out well.

Another area is Slovenia if you want a taste of the Alps without the Swiss prices. Although I'm going to Switzerland in late August and made inexpensive bookings many months ago and Switzerland can be done reasonably with care. But probably not at the last minute.

Something to be said about finding a nice quiet coastal town or lake town for the week and relaxing there. Find pleasure in in shopping at local supermarkets and bakeries, a few local sight seeing, swimming in the lake/sea. And not overdoing it. Slovenia with Lake Bled could be ideal for this, with visits up into the mountains nearby.

This might be a good plan but probably not at Lake Bled. Lake Bled is gorgeous but it is one of the top tourist attractions in Slovenia and nothing about it is “quiet” in the summer. The Vintgar Gorge nearby had to require timed entries to manage its popularity.

I might try this plan at Piran before I tried it at Bled (although it will also be busy in the summer!)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finishing up our trip in Romania - started in Bucharest, drove up through Transfagarasan road (bears!), then hit Sibiu, sighisoara, viscru, Brasov, Sinaia (peles castle), and back in Bucharest. It’s way more gorgeous than I expected, and easier to travel than I expected. We rented a car. Hotels were no more than $100 per night.

OP. I was just looking up all these places and they look beautiful - what are the must see/do in each of these places you mentioned? How many days total would we need? Did you stay only in Romania or you combined it with something else?

How safe is Romania and do people speak English or is google translate our friend? Is it easy to drive there and follow the traffic rules? Is public transport good if you do not wish to drive or the only other way is to book guided day trips?

FWIW, I did not drive at all in Romania. We used public transportation (trains and buses) or arranged transport through accommodations. It was very easy. Places were well-marked.

Oh and we went to Bucharest, Brasov, and Sighisoara, spending most of our time in the latter two hiking and visiting other small towns. All via train, bus, or inn pick-up. Very easy to arrange. We stayed on a lovely farm outside of Brasov that was a sort of inn and there were a travelers from all over the world there. Brasov is also fun because of “Dracula’s castle” (only very tenuously associated). Many of the towns are still very medieval in look.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finishing up our trip in Romania - started in Bucharest, drove up through Transfagarasan road (bears!), then hit Sibiu, sighisoara, viscru, Brasov, Sinaia (peles castle), and back in Bucharest. It’s way more gorgeous than I expected, and easier to travel than I expected. We rented a car. Hotels were no more than $100 per night.

OP. I was just looking up all these places and they look beautiful - what are the must see/do in each of these places you mentioned? How many days total would we need? Did you stay only in Romania or you combined it with something else?

How safe is Romania and do people speak English or is google translate our friend? Is it easy to drive there and follow the traffic rules? Is public transport good if you do not wish to drive or the only other way is to book guided day trips?

FWIW, I did not drive at all in Romania. We used public transportation (trains and buses) or arranged transport through accommodations. It was very easy. Places were well-marked.

Anonymous wrote:I would nto do budget travel to europe in august

Europe is a huge area and there are much more reasonable options as the many posts on here are pointing out. Go east. Transylvania is a fabulous suggestion. I strongly urge people to go there when they still can as it feels like a Europe that disappeared a long time ago with the collapse of the Austro Hungarian empire, you still get a sense of an old peasant lifestyle in the villages with their fortified walled churches. And the little cities are so pretty. Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Cluj Napoca. We went to Dracula's castle! (it was rather neat). When we went we relied on trains and hired drivers and it worked out well.

Another area is Slovenia if you want a taste of the Alps without the Swiss prices. Although I'm going to Switzerland in late August and made inexpensive bookings many months ago and Switzerland can be done reasonably with care. But probably not at the last minute.

Something to be said about finding a nice quiet coastal town or lake town for the week and relaxing there. Find pleasure in in shopping at local supermarkets and bakeries, a few local sight seeing, swimming in the lake/sea. And not overdoing it. Slovenia with Lake Bled could be ideal for this, with visits up into the mountains nearby.

I would nto do budget travel to europe in august

Porto, Portugal.

Krakow, Poland as mentioned, however, close by Auschwitz is recommended.

Bilbao, Spain. The museum is incredible.

South America? Reverse seasons.

Scandinavia is great in August but not cheap.

Romania is wonderful but you really need to drive. It’s very easy. Bucovina is remarkable…we rented this lovely house in the mountains with like 6 bedrooms and their own cows/fresh milk and butter for like $300/night. Amazing!!!

I was going to say Andalusia, but then I saw the early August requirement.

So I'll say the Algarve.

Sweden! Not stockholm but look to smaller towns. The swedish krone is very low against the dollar. Weather is incredible this summer too

Stockholm, boat to Tallinn, plane (or car) to Riga. From Riga, Air Baltic will fly you anywhere. I'd go Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, then Germany/Netherlands and back home.

When you are looking, also heck for family rooms if your kids are young enough. We found that that worked out well and in some spots it meant a comfy fold out couch, in others roll away beds. But way cheaper than 2 rooms usually.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eastern Europe?

+1 Go to Poland

+2
Croatia

FYI for Romania you MUST have international drivers license - you get it done same day at AAA offices. You cannot rent a car otherwise.