新东欧的预算旅行

随着价格上涨的廉价旅行提示

By Tim Leffel

A castle in affordable Lithuania.

Eastern Europe, once a backwater area recovering from communism, has become, in many locations, the hottest of hotspots. For travelers on a budget who aren’t paying attention this could mean some bad surprises. For others it presents opportunities.

当我研究我的《世界上最便宜的目的地》的修订版时，我发现东欧的照片与研究第一版时有很大的不同。布拉格几乎变得与西欧一样昂贵，布达佩斯变得强劲，罗马尼亚的旅游业正在以突飞猛进的速度增长。（NB：您可以通过众包地点比较东欧和全球各个城市的生活成本numbeo.com）

Macroeconomic factors are at play here. As Eastern European countries have aligned with the EU, they have become much pricier in dollar terms. Also, the proliferation of budget flights within Europe has resulted in a huge influx of visitors from the western half of the continent.

What follows are a few of the most notable changes and how they could affect your travel plans.

Prague Is the New Paris—with Prices Beginning to Match

When the Velvet Revolution took hold in 1989 and Havel the poet became president the following year, Prague suddenly became the place to be. It was a wild city of opportunity then, a place shaking off the dust and leaping forward into the modern world. That transformation is complete—to the point, some would say, that the city has become a kind of gothic Disneyland. In the beginning Prague was being compared to Paris of old, a place where writers and creative types could flourish while living cheaply. Now Prague is being compared to Paris for other reasons: a deluge of summer tourists and lodging prices that keep climbing.

尽管在1990年代初期，很难找到一家可以满足挑剔的高档旅行者的酒店，但现在有50多个物业通常以每晚200美元或更高的价格列出房间。市中心的旅馆床可以与都柏林或柏林的旅馆床一样多（请参阅hostelworld.com进行比较）。历史中心到处都是酒吧和餐馆，适合游客，而在夏季，查尔斯桥现在像威尼斯的广场一样拥挤。

当然，这仍然是一个神奇的地方，但是预算有预算的旅行者应该迅速前往该国其他地区。据报道，由于90％的捷克共和国游客从未在布拉格以外过夜，因此成为少数派之一，确保价格较低和人群较小。成为真正的波西米亚风格，您将获得丰富的回报。或越过边境到达斯洛伐克，那里的旅游仍在找到自己的脚，还有一小部分房间的竞争。

Budapest and Krakow Are Close Behind

布拉格并不是唯一从大量游客和发展中受益的城市。波兰城市克拉科夫和匈牙利城市布达佩斯目前挤满了游客，住宿价格再次急于与西欧的价格相匹配。布达佩斯现在拥有一家豪华的四个季节酒店，而克拉科夫比大多数美国城市都更昂贵。

但是，尽管波兰的乡村可能没有很多东西可以占领旅行者，但匈牙利在城市外面有很多景点。在“美丽的女人的山谷”中有酿酒厂，有趣的城堡，湖泊静修会以及许多伟大的民间音乐表演的地方。就像在捷克共和国一样，仅仅远离旅游巴士路线将导致大幅下降和更真实的体验。但是，这并不是要打折布达佩斯。许多旅行者将其排名为他们最喜欢的城市之一，因此值得躲避人群并在首都度过一段时间。在廉价的地铁和电车上闲逛以进行观光，然后在其中一个著名的水疗中浸泡数小时。

窗户仍然在保加利亚和罗马尼亚打开

在欧盟对齐，保加利亚和罗马尼亚的两个国家，目前在东欧提供了最佳价值。罗马尼亚的旅游业是世界上增长最快的旅游业之一，但从一个非常低的基地。在这两个国家 /地区，您仍然可以以低于$ 2美元的价格找到啤酒，5美元的葡萄酒，几美元的餐点和一个private room for two for $20+, depending upon the season, of course.

A beach in affordable Bulgaria.

当大多数人听到“特兰西瓦尼亚”时，大多数人都想到了德古拉伯爵，但是罗马尼亚的这个山区不仅仅是吸血鬼的传奇人物和击败者弗拉德。就目前而言，它仍然是风景如画的村庄，中世纪城堡，漂亮的教堂和伟大的远足机会。

Bucharest will probably never top the list of the world’s great cities, but it does have a lot going for it and prices are reasonable. Hostels compete hard for customers, often throwing in breakfast, Internet access, beer, or even cigarettes! There’s also a good reason to visit Romania in the winter: some of the cheapest skiing on the continent.

保加利亚是欧洲最便宜的旅行场所之一。中程旅客仍然可以在全国各地找到令人印象深刻的酒店交易，旅馆床从8到20美元不等。您可以乘坐火车或公共汽车以低于20美元的价格穿越整个国家。首都索非亚的全天公共交通经过约一美元。博物馆向外国人指控当地人支付的费用四倍，但是当票价为2-3美元时，很难抱怨。

保加利亚提供许多乡村风光和远足径，黑海海岸和历史悠久的首都索非亚。尽管它可能没有布达佩斯或布拉格的“哇”因素，但价格是便宜的，许多旅行者最终探索了这座城市一周或更长时间。

These aren’t the only options of course. Montenegro declared independence and prices are noticeably lower than in the new uppercrust hotspot of neighboring Croatia. The Baltic states, such as Estonia, are still far from being flooded with tourists. Countries such as Albania, Belarus, Macedonia, and Lithuania are nowhere close to gracing the covers of major travel magazines—yet.

If you’re planning a trip to Europe anytime soon and are going to head east, do some research and find out which way the wind is blowing. Progress—for better and for worse—makes the region a moving target.

Tim Leffel是几本书的作者，包括一半的价格更好的生活：如何在最便宜的居住地享受少的钱。了解他的更多信息最便宜的目的地博客。