Travel Guide
5 Eastern European Destinations Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
Mar
I used to be solely born in 1997, so I by no means bought to expertise the world past the Berlin Wall whereas it was nonetheless up, nor journey round Yugoslavia whereas it was nonetheless, properly, a rustic, however the tales we had been drip-fed by means of the media informed tales of bleak, wintry landscapes and restricted freedoms.
Living within the West myself, I all the time heard rising up that Eastern Europe was the wilder, rougher-edged, less-welcoming of the 2, significantly throughout the communist period.
It’s About Time You Stop Sleeping On Eastern Europe
That’s hardly the case anymore, but many vacationers nonetheless understand wherever East of Germany as much less developed and by some means undeserving of the identical fascination they routinely reserve for the Western fringes of the continent.
I’d beg to vary: locations like Warsaw and Vilnius are equally-vibrant and beautifu, to not point out miles safer than… hem, the likes of Paris and London.
Yes, there could also be concrete socialist housing blocks stretching so far as the attention can see, and also you gained’t catch me romanticizing life within the Baltics within the useless of winter, however there’s no denying the previous USSR bloc and its satellite tv for pc states have their gems.
In the identical spirit of our Western quintet, listed below are 5 Eastern European locations it’s best to cease sleeping on in 2026:
PLUS: We’ve created a quiz for you on the finish of this text to seek out which one suits your journey model finest, so stick round!
Hrodna, Belarus
I stated East.
Once the scenario in Ukraine subsides, and it’s protected to journey to Russian-friendly territories once more, Hrdona (or Grodno) ought to be the highest metropolis in your bucket record.
Located in Western Belarus, close to the Polish and Lithuanian borders, it’s a postcard-ready medieval treasure dwelling to Renaissance gems, medieval forts, richly-decorated church buildings, and a spotless, lamp-lit Old Town that places Paris’ trash-filled backstreets to disgrace.
Old Hrodna Castle is the principle attraction right here: a stunner of a medieval fortress with whitewashed partitions perched on a verdant mound, overlooking a scenic Neman River. In its inside, you will discover a detailed museum chronicling the area’s historical past and key function in World War II.
Just be sure you obtain an offline translation app in case reception is poor, as until issues have modified in Belarus (and I doubt that is the case), English translations in all probability will not be obtainable at reveals.
With a contrasting Saxon structure, New Hrodna Castle is the town’s second-most vital palace, constructed within the 18th century, and as soon as the residence of Polish kings. In case you were not conscious, Western Belarus was as soon as underneath Poland.
Sovetskaya Street is the principle vein within the walkable Old Town, lined with cafés, outlets, and Polish-era structure.
The Great Synagogue, which appears to be like extra like an Opera House, with its mix of Renaissance and Baroque types, has been on the coronary heart of Jewish life in Hrdona because the Sixteenth-century, and it is one of many metropolis’s most spectacular factors of curiosity.
For the historical past buffs on the market, one of many oldest surviving buildings in all of Belarus is positioned proper right here:
Kalozha Church of Saints Boris and Gleb, an unassuming, however lovely marvel of stonework that has stood intact for over 900 years. No World War, no Cold War-era blight, no communist takeover may obliterate its quiet greatness.
The Vibe: somewhat slice in Poland in Russia-friendly territory
Perfect For: Old Town walks and unconventional World War II historical past
The ‘Don’t Miss’ Experiences:
- Old Hrodna Castle: ranks among the many most lovely medieval castles in Belarus
- Kalozha Church of Saints Boris and Gleb: a Twelfth-century stone church that survived the wars and the communist years unscathed
Brașov, Romania
My dislike of Bucharest—to place it mildly—is well-documented and made sufficient rounds on Romanian media, so let me redeem myself and say, as unimpressed by their capital as I’ll have been, I utterly fell in love with Brașov.
I like my European cities to have their fairytale medieval core, cobblestone lanes that seem like they might belong in a interval drama, and Old World aptitude. Brașov checks off all of these packing containers.
Nestled within the coronary heart of Transylvania, the identical mystical area that birthed the legend of Dracula, and the historic determine of Vlad the Impaler himself, Brașov is steeped in historical past.
It has a pedestrianized Piața Sfatului (Main Square), with a centrally-placed Council House center relationship again to the yr 1420, and flanked by cozy café terraces.
Built from dark-brick, Biserica Neagră (Black Church) is the city’s most spectacular monument, with a sturdy clock tower rising excessive above winding alleys and red-tiled roofs, and a solemn Gothic inside, a one among a form in a predominantly-Orthodox Romania.
Add to that ornate metropolis gates, conventional Transylvanian pubs meting out hearty ciorbă and made-on-the-spot recent lemonade, and luxurious mountains framing the Old Town: Brașov sits firmly on the tourist-friendly, polished, inoffensive however undeniably fairly aspect of Europe.
The Vibe: medieval city with a haunting church in Transylvania
Perfect For: discovering Romania’s historic attraction past an uninspiring Bucharest
The ‘Don’t Miss’ Experiences:
- Strada Sforii: one of many narrowest medieval streets in Europe
- Bran Castle: the epic ‘Dracula Castle’, a brief 30 min drive from Brașov
Tiraspol, Moldova
That’s when issues begin getting a tad—properly, truly—correctly thrilling for our most adventurous travellers.
You may’ve vaguely heard of Moldova, a tiny nation in Eastern Europe awkwardly wedged between Romania and Ukraine, however we would guess our greatest vampire-repelling garlic neckpiece that Tiraspol (or Transnistria) is utterly off your radar.
Moldova’s principally an extension of Romania, however Tiraspol reckons itself the capital of a breakaway Russian-backed state known as Transnistria, a rustic that doesn’t formally exist, but by some means manages to perform like one on all fronts.
Transnistria has borders, their very own flag and foreign money, a passport (acknowledged solely in Transnistria, and possibly different weirdo breakaway states), and locals strongly establish with their Russian heritage, and what can I say?
You simply cannot escape the USSR hangover in Tiraspol:
Stalinist buildings, Neoclassical columns and austere exterior and all, huge squares together with your common, eerie-looking floating Lenin head within the heart, and decades-old marshrutkas that also carry the grumpy Russian babushkas (kokum scarf and all) from their brutalist property to the Sunday market.
Tiraspol just isn’t someplace you go for sightseeing, correct. It’s like a pervy little window again into Soviet occasions, and that is why it is so inherently fascinating—and naturally, pelmeni and borscht are two huge attracts, at the least for me.
The Vibe: Soviet time capsule with an actual Russian grip
Perfect For: seeing a aspect of Europe most Paris and London-bound vacationers won’t ever get to see
The ‘Don’t Miss’ Experiences:
- House of Soviets: essentially the most spectacular communist landmark in Tiraspol, nonetheless a well-liked gathering spot
- Shevchenko Park: a lush expanse of inexperienced preferrred for chill walks and people-watching
Narva, Estonia
Speaking of Russia’s neighbors, Narva is presumably essentially the most picturesque border put up in Eastern Europe. I imply, Tallinn (the capital of Estonia) is already storybook-pretty, however have you ever ever seen a frontière metropolis with an imposing medieval fortress sitting throughout a river from one other fortress abroad?
Narva instantly faces Russia, and its historic Narva Castle, constructed all the way in which again within the Middle Ages, stares down at Ivangorod Fortress, over in Russia., Both are separated by a 60-meter-wide physique of water.
It’s one among Europe’s most geographically intense areas, in addition to one of the thrilling.
The castles might have been constructed ages in the past, however for sure, that medieval beef by no means fairly cooled off, and as a Westerner, Narva is solely one of many closest factors you may get to Russia nowadays with out placing your self in hurt’s means.
The city is a lesson in geopolitics in itself: over 80% of the inhabitants identifies as, and speaks Russian as their first language, so you will really really feel such as you’re within the Tolstoy heartland, besides it is Estonia’s blue, black, and white tricolor flag that flies excessive on perfectly-visible masts.
Sadly, it won’t be potential so that you can get throughout the river and discover Ivangorod Fortress, however you may nonetheless go to Narva Castle and stroll alongside the Narva River promenade, with views straight throughout to Russia.
Narva can be dwelling to the landmark Alexander’s Cathedral, in-built honor of the namesake Russian Emperor within the Lutheran model.
The tower is open for visitation, and you may go as much as the viewing deck on the very prime for panoramic views of city, Russia within the distance, and the encircling countryside.
Oh, and for that killer cabbage soup, hit up Petchki-Lavotchki, a typical ruski eatery within the coronary heart of Narva standard for its Slavic fare—be sure you order a jug of their recent compote.
The Vibe: fringe of the EU really feel
Perfect For: somewhat darkish tourism enjoyable and a few good previous fortress exploration
The ‘Don’t Miss’ Experiences:
- Narva River Promenade: admire Russia in full security from a NATO territory
- Alexander’s Cathedral: a Czar-era landmark with a putting belfry
Prizren, Kosovo
A sleepy riverside city in landlocked Kosovo, Prizren serves up a complete completely different flavour of Eastern Europe than you could be anticipating.
Instead of the standard Russian-flavoured cityscape, it’s undeniably-Ottoman (fancy phrase for Turkish) in character: assume previous mosques with hovering minarets, two or three-storey townhouses with overhanging wood balconies, and slim cobbled streets galore.
It hugs the fast-flowing, coppery Bistrica River, and the Shadervan Bridge that arches throughout it—a traditional Ottoman stone magnificence—is true up there with Spain’s Puente Nuevo in Ronda and Bosnia’s Stari Most within the Iconic European Bridges Pantheon.
At least in my ebook, anyway.
Walking round Prizren looks like entering into an open-air museum, one the place the conflict of East and West is a dwelling, respiration factor.
Mosques and church buildings exist only a few metres aside, and ladies dressed each conservatively inside Islam, and à la européenne, stand aspect by aspect as they go about their day by day procuring. Utterly mesmerizing.
For the most effective sundown spot in all of Prizen, you will need to climb as much as Prizren Fortress, the traditional fortification on a hilltop overlooking the town and the encircling mountains. ‘Mon, somewhat leg-busting trek will not damage ya’.
I also needs to in all probability point out Kosovo is primarily an ethnically-Albanian nation, so you probably have a delicate spot for baked lamb with yoghurt and rice-stuffed bell peppers, you’ve got come to the suitable place.
The Vibe: an unspoiled Ottoman city within the coronary heart of the Balkans
Perfect For: witnessing firsthand the conflict of East and West
The ‘Don’t Miss’ Experiences:
- Old Hrodna Castle: ranks among the many most lovely medieval castles in Belarus
- Prizren Fortress: a hilltop fort doubling as a free sundown viewing platform
Take this quiz to seek out your good match!
