A road trip can be an invigorating way to take in several countries in the one holiday as Karen Creed experienced in Eastern Europe
I like the idea of spontaneous travel, and realised just how effortless it can be on a recent holiday to Eastern Europe. It seems to be the norm for those who live on mainland Europe to drive from their homeland to another country for a long weekend or take in several countries during their summer holiday. For island dwellers this type of travel can be a novelty, which makes it all the more appealing. The only difficult decision is choosing what countries to visit. There is Austria with its dramatic mountains and opera culture, Germany renowned for its music festivals, or Czech Republic with its fairytale cities and delicious beer. Eventually I had my chosen three – Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia. It wasn’t just because they all lie in close proximity, but the strong recommendations that came with them. I had been to Hungary once before and craved a return to its vibrant capital. I had also toured around Croatia’s coastline but this time I wanted to focus on its rugged inland and venture south to its neighbour Bosnia, which I expected to be unspoilt.
HUNGARY
Once I arrived into Budapest I hired a car and mapped a rough route of where I wanted to visit in Hungary. As much as I boast about my accurate map reading, I had a Satnav as our back up. Hungary is known for many things but probably most famous for its music, paprika and thermal spas. I fell in love with all three. A few days was plenty to take in a long list of Budapest’s attractions. My favourites included a cruise on the Danube, a massage on St Margaret’s island, strudel tasting in Reshitaz, buying edible souvenirs in the Market Hall, people-watching in Café Gerbaud and feeling like sleeping beauty as I wandered through the Castle District at sunrise. Outside the capital there are many other beautiful places, most notably Lake Balaton. All around the lake there are towns that combine culture, parties and spectacular scenery all summer long. Given the great weather I was particularly eager to test out the cycling track around the lake. It was recently completed allowing cyclists to bike a total of 200 kilometres.
We decided to do a loop tour of Lake Bolaton with stopovers in a few towns along the way. Before driving to the lake we stopped in Gyor, a beautiful city which is like a step back in time with its cobblestone streets and Baroque buildings. It is known as the city of rivers, flowers and festivals – as proven by an abundance of all three. There are also modern streets for shopping and delightful settings for dining like restaurant La Mareda. Gyor also has a strong connection with Ireland with an iconic painting of the Irish Madonna in the local church which was brought over to Gyor by an Irish priest. Thousands of people come here every year to pray at this painting. From Gyor we drove to Heviz which is the north western part of Lake Bolaton. It is ideal for anyone who wants to get fit and healthy on holiday with its array of fitness hotels and the world’s largest thermal lake. Thousands of people come to Lake Vas to help them with conditions like arthritis or else just for pure relaxation. In nearby Kezthely there are beautiful sights to be explored, including the Castle Festetics, which holds a fascinating history. Culture is also big in the form of wine-tasting. Whether your preference is red or white, you can be sure to drink well in Hungary as their homemade wines range from delicious Reislings to full bodied reds. From abbeys to family run vineyards, there is wine tasting available all over the country. The oldest part of Lake Balaton is Balatonfuhred. While I expected it to be the most dated town, it was quite the opposite. Swanky hotels and glamorous cafes like Karolina’s flank the lakefront catering to any visitor who likes their fine wine and sweet treats.
Tihany is an equally pretty town and although it is bombarded by tourists in summer, it retains some amount of authenticity. There are lovely ceramic stores to stroll around and a beautiful abbey on a hilltop which offers a great view of the lake below. Tihany is associated with many myths from like shouting your loudest from echo hill to hear your voice. From Tihany you can take several boat tours out on the lake. Since we were on a tight timescale we opted for the quick ferry crossing to bring us to the other side of the lake and on the motorway back to Budapest.
CROATIA
We arrived back to Budapest from Lake Bolaton but rather than drive to Croatia from there I took a short 50 minute flight to Zagreb and rented a car there. Zagreb is an understated city, and one which regarded as a stopover rather than a destination as far back as the days of the Orient Express. That is no longer the case. Zagreb’s attractions aren’t as famous as Dubrovnik’s but it’s nonetheless difficult to experience all the city’s delights on an overnight stay. It is not so much glitzy as it is a city of history and culture. The best — and in some cases the only — way to see Zagreb is on foot, with the occasional tram or bus ride. Almost everything in the city centre is pedestrian-accessible and so are some of the sites further afield. Gornji Grad (Upper Town) is flush with historical buildings and churches, restaurants, boutiques, monuments, and entertainment venues. Donji Grad (Lower Town) is strong on museums, parks, historic architecture, and shopping. During the day there is lots of hustle and bustle with people sipping coffee at sidewalk cafes, while in the evenings diners linger over dessert, head for nightclubs to listen to jazz, or stroll the cobblestone streets.
BOSNIA
Driving from Zagreb to the Bosnian border takes just two hours. Only for the border crossing Bosnia feels like an extension of Croatia, with its pretty stone houses and charming towns with markets and selection of chic cafes. Bosnia is of course well known but often not for the right reasons. The war images still tarnish people’s minds bu perhaps it will take a generation of intrepid tourists to brand this as Europe’s next holiday hotspot. The warm and confident nature of the locals ensures that the bad times are all in the past.
While the rest of the world is in recession, Bosnia looks like it’s on the verge of something better with new shops opening, restaurants and beautiful buildings being restored. Banja Lukka is the country’s second biggest city and is a wonderful place to eat, sightsee and shop. There is a historic side also with a beautiful castle district overlooking the River Vas. In the summer this is packed with people spending their day swimming in the river or enjoying ice-cream and coffees in the cafes that line the riverfront.
Then of course there are the prices. In Bosnia you really can holiday like royalty with a beer costing €1 and a four star hotel is approximately €40 for a room per night. There are five star hotels also like Kaldera Boutique Hotel with a spa that would give any Irish haven of pampering a run for its money. The standards of service in restaurants to cafes are higher than many other places I have been, with the food being one of the surprising highlights. They are generous on meats, fish and big into fresh vegetables. Fortunately they also have a sweet tooth and there are endless temptations for ice-cream and delicious pastries. Bosnia’s only downside is that it doesn’t have endless kilometres of coastline to attract holidaymakers which has helped Croatia become a booming holiday resort. However good things come in small packages and that is just the case with Bosnia’s twelve kilometres of coastline. Next time I plan to embark on a five day road trip starting from Banja Luka, visiting the historic city of Sarajevo, the seaside resort of Mostar and ending my trip in Dubrovnik.
Karen Creed, Unravel Travel www.unraveltravel.eu
Very interesting article and seems like a doable Holiday…Thanks for the great info…