If you thought that Czech Republic is just Prague you are very mistaken, in fact, some of the best things of the country are away from it, but... They are easily reachable from the capital with public transport, so there is no excuse for not seeing them. This guide will include destinations of the Bohemia region (Czech Rep. is divided in Bohemia, west and Moravia, east). For places in Moravia such as Brno check the guides around Bratislava. For seeing Bohemia region you can rent a car, but if you are not more than 2 it doesn't worth it, so the best would be to stay in a centric hostel close to transportation, specially if you plan to visit other further places from Prague such as Dresden, Brno, Wien or Bratislava. For this, the best hostel is Florenc hostel/hotel, located in the very Florenc bus station (in fact all signs and small business seem to be owned by it) with rooms from 6,5€ you can have the perfect place to rest after your day trip, also the friendly staff will help you to plan your trip and will make you feel lile home, the location is good because most buses and city public transportation go throught there and also is less than 10 minutes walking to the centre. About the transportation, I choose always Student Agency because of the confort, they have good prices and individual screens with films and shows as well as a plug for charging your devices, also they allow you to book throught internet and cancel or change time even one hour before the trip. But this is not the only way, other company buses and national trains are avaliable. So, let's get started and see those amazing places you can see!! PlzenPlzen is one of the most famous Czech cities, who didn't heard of Pilsen Urquell beer? Also, the beer from this city is so famous, that the Pils beer is named after it. It's a good destination since is just 1h from Prague, with Student Agency bus you can go for 3€ each way from Zličin bus station (end of B Yellow metro line). The bus station in Plzen is less than 10 minutes from the city centre, you can get there easily. Once in the main square, you should go to the information office, in the eastern side of the square, close to the cathedral. Once there, ask for the map, where every tourist attraction is pointed by a number, and in the back you have a description so you will choose what you like more. I think you should not miss the Pilsner Urquell factory tour if you have never been in one, and check its pub since is one of the biggest of Czech Republic. If you still want more beer, check the beer museum and the cellars (the biggest in Europe), in one corner of the old town. In the beer factory visit you will have some time at then end for beer tasting and in the ebd of the cellar tour you get a voucher for a free small beer, of course, do not leave Plzen without trying Pilsner Urquell as draft beer! There is also a puppet museum, and in one corner of the city is the main city museum, with archeological and historical expositions. Close to the bus station is General Patton museum, where you will learn the history about the US liberation of Plzen in the WW2. Take your time to explore the city centre, but it is actually not so big, so better have good times in a bar, with one of the most famous beers in the world! Cesky KrumlovBy far, the most stuning place in Bohemia is Cesky Krumlov, a town from a fairytale, it's 3h from Prague, with direct connection with Student Agency bus for 7,5€ each way. It goes from Na Knizeci bus station, connected with Andel metro station (B Yellow line). At the very moment you step out of the bus, the view will be breathtaking, and getting to the main square is so easy, just follow signs and the flow of tourist and in a few minutes you will be in the tourist information, where you can ask for a map. Once you have your map, you should choose which museums to visit, most of them are quite cheap and they offer awesome student discounts, I recomend the tower and castle museum and the free museum in an antique shop, very close to the bridge that connects to the castle (you will see it written in the outside part of the shop with a lot of tin signs). Take your time to explore the castle and do not miss the gardens in the very top of the hill (after the castle arched bridge). To go down, you can go downhill through the street or again by the castle, if you do this last check the town gate in the corner of the map, and go to Pivovarska street, where there is the Eggenberg brewery, offering half a litre of great beer for 25 Kc! Afer this, the best is to wander around the main part of the town, since every street worths seeing, there are plenty of restaurants in those streets and prices are not so bad for beign such a turistical place. Photo lovers will take long time walking around since there are many spots for a postcard worth picture. There are many Czech sweets and street food along the town, also, if you like antiques or tin signs, you came to the right place, there are a lot of shops of this kind, finally if you are looking for a funny budget costume, check the army shop in Latrán street, where Czechkoslovakian uniforms are just 4'8€! Other places such as Kutna Hora, Karljstein Castle and Karlovy Vary will be avaliable in two weeks! If you have a free day, Bratislava has many nice sights nearby, that you can visit by one hour and half or less! Remember that trains are for free if you study in Slovakia, but if you go with other visitors from other countries, don't worry, trains for short distance are still cheap. SlovakiaYou have 3 countries avaliable to visit: Czech Rep, Hungary and Austria, and do not forget about the beautiful Slovak countryside. -Trencin: Just one hour and half from Bratislava there is the second biggest castle in Slovakia, Trencin castle, located just above the town with the same name, which, by the way, it's quite beautiful. From the train station, there is just 5 minutes walk to the very centre of the town, it's easy. Once in the main square you have many things to see, like the main church, the synagoge or the executioner tower. To go uphill, you can just go through any street that goes up, but if you go through executioner tower and walk outside the walls, you will see a nice park at the same time you go up, and when you get into the inner town, you will be in a cozy church with nice views. The castle is around 3 euro for the minitour or 5 for the big one, but with student card you will have good discount. The tour takes from 30 to 90 minutes and is the only option to get inside the castle, so if you just want to make good pictures, the minitour option will be the best. But sightseeing is not all, if you are hungry but want to save some money you should take a pizza slice in the place which is in the main square, but, if you want to really enjoy your stay in Trencin, you need to go to Lanius brewery, where you can try up to 10 different kinds of local beer, and eat a wide selection of food which includes beer in the recipe. -Trnava: Actually Trnava doesn't worth a day trip, since is pretty much the same you will find in any Slovak town, but its good location towards Bratislava makes it a nice stop in your way back from further places (like Tatras or Trencin), the main square is quite nice, but is a residential town so don't expect a lot of life there. -Beckov Castle: If you have ever gone to Tatras or Poland, for sure this impressive castle got your attention, actually is quite easy to reach if you plan your trip carefuly. There is no direct train to Beckov but to Nove Mesto nad Vahom, a city located 7 Km from it, there is a cheap bus (less than 1 €) that connects both places, but check the timetables at www.cp.atlas.sk for the exact times, both bus stations are so close to the destinations, beign the Nove Mesto just in front of the Train Station and a little side road bus stop very close to the castle (about 150 metres). The castle costs 3.5€ and while it may look expensive compared to other bigger Slovak castles, just think that Edimburg or Stirling castles in Scotland are about 24€... so don't worry about the money. You can actually see the castle in 30 minutes, but there are some nice activities for tourist around (people in costumes, medieval fights), specially in summer (check the web for special ocasions). The best pictures from the castle are taken from a little high ground just left of the main entrance road (close to the Jewish cementery, it is where the photo is taken). Probably after the castle, you will have some time with nothing to do in Nove Mesto nad Vahom due to the bus/train times, don't worry, it has enought things to keep you amused for one hour, you can see the town centre which is just 5 minutes from the train station (just pass some Soviet blocks and you will see the church tower), there is also a monastery, Eating here is a good option since is definitely not a turistical city (although is well kept) and you can choose almost any place without worrying for the price, in fact you can have Ice Cream for 70 cents in the main square. But if you are too lazy to go to the centre, in the very front of the train station there is a bar where half a litre of beer is less than one euro, perfect to let the time go faster. Czech Republic-Brno: The second biggest city in Czech Rep. and reaching it is pretty easy, you can either get a bus with Student Agency for around 14€ both ways or you can go by train, which is cheaper (10.8 €). The train station is almost in the city centre, so you wont get lost. This city has a special vibe, diferent than Prague, but let's start with the city centre: It's bigger than the Bratislava one and is easily walkable in 1 or 2 hours, don't forget to try to guess the time in the weird shaped clock in the middle of the main square (actually, it' pretty hard even if there are instructions). There are other hidden secrets in this city like the two angels having sex statue in the window of the church after the main square or the Brno dragon (which is actually a crocodile). Once finished in the downpart, you should go to the cathedral hill and see the stunning views from there, but the city is not over... there is a fortress! You must go to the fortress hill and from there you can have the best pictures of the cathedral, also, the fortress is quite interesting to visit, specially the old prison part. If you want to have fun, go and get a beer in Vytopna where your beer will come by train, literally. But what makes this city so cool is the big ammount of cafes there is, with a lot of styles, so find the one which suits you better and enjoy tea or hot chocolate there. Hungary-Esztergom: In my opinion, it's the best morning plan from Bratislava, you need to get the train to Sturovo, the last stop of Slovak rails (you need to pay 1€ for each way), from there take the public bus (0.20€) to Sturovo itself, since the train stop is located 3km from the town. Once in the town, just go to the only bridge that crosses the Danube and be ready for stunning views. By the way, pay attention because the border between Slovakia and Hungary is in the very middle of the bridge (Check for SK/M sign). Once you are finally in Esztergom, you can start to go uphill to see the biggest cathedral in Hungary. To do it, check for a very narrow street with stairs (really, is just 1 metre wide). Uphill there are three things to see, the monument in the eastern corner, the Esztergom castle and the Cathedral (it's free!). After you finish with the upper part, you can spend some time in the lower streets and have something to eat, keep paying attention to the time since it can take you 40 minutes to reach the train station. -Gyor: Going by bus to this nice Hungarian town can be a little bit pricy, since StudentAgency charges almost the same for going here than Budapest (even if its just a 40 minutes trip), so the best way to visit it is by car. Actually you can park well in the centre of the town and see the nice city centre, with several cozy streets and some nice Austro-Hungarian style houses, it's very clean and walking here is quite relaxing, it shouldn't take you more than 2 hours, but is among the best towns you can visit in Hungary excluding Budapest. AustriaI hope you find time to visit all of this places, they are the perfect option for a short not organized trip! -Viena: The Austrian capital is just 50 minutes away from Bratislava, you can get here by train or by the buses of Slovak lines. You can do this trip for around 12€ both ways. Further information about Viena can be found all over the internet, since is a very visited city, my opinion is that Palaces doesn't worth the ticket (more than 20€) to go inside, since you can see the nice gardens for free, also you can go to the famous Opera for less than 10€ if you book a far away seat (hey, it's something). Also don't be fooled by touristical prices, if you are student your wallet will suffer, avoid pretzels and drinks close to main sights (they can be up to 4€) and enjoy walking the city since... It's free :D. Extra tip: Even if it looks so easy to cheat in the metro, and it cost 2€ each way, DON'T DO IT, if they find you there is no explanation possible and you will pay more than 100€ (they will charge it to your bank account if you try to avoid them). Israel may look like far away destinaton for most Europeans, and that means expensive, but if you book your trip in the smart way, you will spend 4 nights in Israel with flights included for less than 250€! Wanna know how? Keep reading this guide! Israel is really an unique country, several religions live together here, and is not extrange to be in a 100% jewish street, just walk some metres from it and not see any sign in hebrew but in arabic, so the contrast is quite heavy. You will see things here that you have probably never seen before, and will stay in your memory forever, Jerusalem and Masada are totally outstanding, and you should mark them as your main sights. The currency in Israel is the Shekel (NIS) and the value is around 4.4 shekel for 1 euro. This guide is for a short 4-5 days tour, just seeing the major sights like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead sea and Masada, but if you have more time, feel free to keep exploring this country: It's high backpacker-friendly. First of all is the most important money decission: The flight. Flying to Israel can be around 200€ for both ways in a good offer, BUT, thanks to Wizzair amazing offers, you can book the flight for just 60€ both ways, from Budapest, making it a very doable Erasmus trip if you are in the area. Stay tuned to Wizzair page, look for -20% discount days and become Wizzair discount club for even better prices, and check the flights oftenly, many people is doing it so it's not a myth. From Ben Gurion airport you can get to Tel Aviv city centre in just 10 minutes by a train which goes every half an hour for 16 shekels, also you can go to Jerusalem by Sherut, a big taxi van which just goes when is totally full (sometimes you wait 30 min before going), but the price really worths it since is door to door and is 41 shekels during the day and 69 in the night, not bad for an hour ride. So, what to see there? Jerusalem is the main and must thing to see in Israel, there is really not a single city in this planet that you can compare to Jerusalem, sharing some of the holiest places for 3 religions: Western Wall for Jewish, Christ Tomb and Cross remains for Christians and Al-Aqsa mosque for Muslims. From Jerusalem you can easily go to the Dead sea and desert with public transport (Egged bus lines), so you should keep one day for seeing Masada (a huge ruin complex in the top of a lonely mountain close to the Dead sea) and swiming in the Dead sea. Finally, it's good to finish your time in Israel in Tel-Aviv, since it has amazing beaches and incredible weather (we were 30º on 7 of March 2015), it has less things to see, so you can go in a more relaxed way and use your time for eating and buying things in the big amount of flea markets that Tel-Aviv has. Many people is worried about security in this country, and you should read a little bit in advance not to be surprised. Jerusalem is crowded with IDF soldiers with guns who provide security to all the tourist, also police is heavily armed, so you are kind of safe against most terrorist attacks. A lot of people hich-hike on their own, but you should really check the person in which car you are getting in. About pickpocketing, is like any turistical place, just be smart and don't leave your belongings unattended, specially in Tel-Aviv beach. When you get into the country, you will be asked basic questions about your stay, but it's when you are leaving when you will have to spend more time answering questions and checking literally every item and piece of cloth you are carrying with you. If you don't go close to Gaza, there is no risk of beign hit by a missile, and even so, the Iron Dome takes care of most threats, so don't expect to have problem with that. Just as example of safety: When I was in Jerusalem on 6 of March, there was a terrorist attack with 7 injured, but everything in the city seemed so normal, I just realized in the night when I checked internet, so there was no crazy passport checks or anything like that. Another concern is Sabbath, during late Friday and Saturday, all jewish go home, and by doing so, the public transport stop working and most places are closed, still, you can move between cities by sherut, for example Jerusalem-Tel Aviv is 35 NIS during Sabbath. JerusalemJerusalem is one of the most unique cities I have ever been in, the Old Jerusalem is so big inside that you will get lost many times in it, and the fact that 3 major religions consider this city one of the holiest places on the planet makes it even better. You can actually see the major sights without spending a single shekel, so you will just spend money on food. Get in your mind that you will get lost, the sights are poorly indicated once you are inside, even if you have a map, because streets are very narrow and 70% of the city is a constant bazar and market, which makes it even harder, but don't worry, simply ask, most people know english and will point you to your destination. Since writing a route is pointless (again, you will get lost, I mean it), I will write about the places you should not miss inside the Old City:
Outside the Old City is the Mount of Olives, a must-go place, in the lower part there is the tomb of Mary, a very old cave-church where the Jesus mother remains rest. By going up the mountain you will see the huge jewish cementery, Oscar Schindler (from the Spielberg's movie) is buried here in a special part for honorable people for Jewish). In the top there is a viewing point where you can see all the city, and there is also a friendly Arab with a donkey or a camel who will let you take a picture for some money. But Jerusalem is not just old stones, the new part, around Jaffa Street (the one with the tram) is totally different, and is where most young people hang out, if you are in Jerusalem more than 1 day you should go to Mahame Yehuda market, another huge place with food and bars. If you want to have cheap beers, you should go to Cofix, where everything is 5 shekel. For food I recomend to go to the falafel and showarma places pointed in the map, it's really not a tourist scam but the best option to eat (something good, since most other cities maps point tourist rip-off places). For sleeping, I reccomend Citadel Hostel, in the very entrance of the Old City. Masada and Dead seaYou should definitely spend one day of your trip to travel in the Dead sea region, very close to Jerusalem is Jericho, Qumran, Dead sea beaches and Masada, but if you don't have a car you will be able to choose just two of this destinations, and the best by far are Masada and the Dead sea beaches. For this day, I recommend you to save a lot of money by buying sandwich food (cheese, ham, salami) in the supermarket (even in your home country, and keep it in the fridge in your hostel) and buy pita bread (less than 1 NIS per piece) and eat them, doing so, you will avoid falling into traps in the middle of the desert, and also... buy water! DO NOT BOOK ANY TOUR, MOST OF THEM ARE OBVIOUS SCAM AND WON'T INCLUDE TICKETS TO SIGHTS AND TAKE YOU TO PRIVATE BEACHES (WHERE YOU WILL NEED TO PAY AGAIN) A normal budget for this day should be from 25 to 40 euro (worth it) From Jerusalem central bus station there are buses to this part every 30 min-1h, with national lines (Egged buses), price is 44 NIS till Masada for one way, and similar to go back (so it's like 20€ on transport). Pay attention to the timetables since at 17:00 is the last bus back to Jerusalem, so wake up in the early morning this day. Masada is a very old ruin complex in the top of a lonely mountain, where still a lot of things remain and you can get a good idea of how the place looked like. There are two options to go up, by cable car (75 NIS) or by the "Snake Path", a normal hiking route which will take you about 50 minutes, and is 25 NIS this way. There is student discount if you show your country ISIC card, it doesnt need to be from Israel. In the cable car building there are several restaurants and a McDonalds, so you can buy something if you are hungry. After you finish your visit and while you wait for the bus, you can walk just 100m from the road to get very nice pictures of the desert. For swimming in the Dead sea there are several options, from luxury spa resorts, private beaches to public beaches (the one you should go). The best beaches are Ein Bokek and Ein Gedi, Ein Bokek is one of the most famous in the area (and it has showers!), but is past Masada (Eliat direction) so you will need to swim before going to Masada if you go by bus, the other option is Ein Gedi, in the way back to Jerusalem, but during March 2015 is under construction, so the beach is full of construction signs, but after all, you come here for the swimming so choose this one if your time is running out. Before you swim in the Dead sea read this: To get into water, walk into it and once is close to your hip, turn and literally sit on it, your hair and head will not touch the water. And the most important advice: DO NOT PUT YOUR HEAD UNDERWATER, if you don't want to have the worst 15 minutes of your life. After you swim, you will feel so sticky, in fact it doesnt feel like swimming in water but in oil, and everything you touch will be like full of shampoo or shower gel, so run for the shower or have some water with you, a last resource could be wet tissues, but really, get clean fast because the feeling is disgusting. Tel AvivTel Aviv is the capital city, but if you expected a European-like capital, you will be surprised, except some parts, doesn't look European at all, in fact most streets look like small sea side Greek town ones, and it's quite dirty once you lave main touristical areas (let's face it). But what makes this city amazing is the cool sea side front, where the skyscrapers are and the incredible beaches, crowded from March till November, since the temperature is above 30º during all those months. This city also has an old part, called Jaffa, where a big flea market is, full of things like clothes, antiques, souvenirs... You should not miss the markets of this city, there are some for spices, art, food... just ask your hotel/hostel staff where are located. There is a cool touristical area around the Station Complex, not cheap but cool to see and have an ice cream in the afternoon. You will also realize that this city is full of street art, just like some areas of Berlin, and that it is quite a hipster paradise. There are many places for eat, but according to my friends (one of them beign vegetarian, so she knows quite a lot about this) and me, the best hummus we ever tried is in Abu Hasan, a small restaurant located in 1 Ha' Dolfin street, they will serve you any kind of hummus you want with pita, so be ready to be totaly full after it, but you will see how it worth the 6 euro (with drinks included) you will spend there, maybe you need to wait a little bit because have some queue sometimes.Also, after a relaxing day in the beach, having a shisha is great, at the end of Jerusalem Boulevard (where it opens to the park in the sea side) there is a shisha bar, the shishas there are 25 NIS for basic and 35 for the big ones (they include a fruit where the coal is placed), seeing sunset from there is quite a experience. I should reccomend you some places to sleep, but I can just tell you to go to a single one: Overstay Hostel, it's the best hostel I ever was, it's very cheap (prices from less than 10 euro) and the atmosphere is very unique. Don't be afraid by the outside (looks like a favela with graffiti), once you go inside the facilities are top, all clean and working nice, and it even has free breakfast! The staff is also outstanding, they are not just working but enjoying all the time and the best of all of it is the rooftop, another great place to have a beer during the sunset. To book it, you can do it throught traditional pages, BUT, I highly advice to book directly throught them! They will make you a 5% discount if you do so, since Hostelworld and similar pages keep 8% of your booking money for them, they answer the mails quite fast so, please, book direct. As I said, this is more or less what I did, but if you want to stay more time, the options are endless! Israel can be an amazing trip while you are on Erasmus!
|
Cheap GuidesIn this section you will find all you need to become a little expert in the guide place, without expending a lot! Guides
All
|