Originally posted by asromacalcioI don't know. Distances are pretty far for my standards and the state of the roads are not ideal. If you can deal with those, I guess that would be excellent too. I would recommend this only for the Carpatians part, though, because in Bulgaria or Serbia there are some great places, but the parts in between are less interesting so you'll lose a lot of time (and effort!) cycling over long distances.
How about hiring a bike? Anyway, I like the sound of all that, maybe I'll cut the Italy leg of the holiday out and fly from and to Sofia, touring around by bike and train. Maybe car. I might need an internation licence though and as I am resident outside the country where my licence was issued that might be tough. I'll look into that.
How about safet ...[text shortened]... sian, will these and English be enough, or would I need to learn a bit of the local lingo too.
In general, people are well educated, so I never had a major problem with language there. Of course, if you stay long enough there are always a few situations where you have to manage with sign language. Especially if you go to the countryside. If you try to learn the words along people over there really appreciate the effort, so that's a good way to get a good welcome.
I was never robbed or felt unsafe and I travelled extensively and lived in Bucharest and Sofia. I have a pretty good instinct with those things, though, but if I remember correctly, you've travelled long enough to not act like a glittering tourist.
For driving, I know that if you have an EU license, then you don't need an international one for Bg or Ro. For Serbia I don't know, but I expect you to not need it. Check on the net, though.
The post that was quoted here has been removedSofia, Bucharest, Belgrade and Budapest are all pretty different to me. These countries don't share language nor culture and they've been historical enemies.
Eastern Europe is very diverse, unlike many people assume. There are some common traits, sure, but more in the sense that Spain and Italy have some common traits.
That said, I agree that he'd miss out on probably the best if he only stick to capitals.
If you're considering train travel, which in my view is always a good way to see a country, the best and only website you'll ever need is:
http://www.seat61.com/
As for visas, as an EU citizen you should be fine for a period of upto 90 days without one in Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria. A few years back you needed a visa for Serbia, but that may well have changed now. I suggest you check this though - I don't want to be responsible for you having to wait 3 days for the next bus back to Sofia.
And thirdly (if you have the patience) the Thorn Tree is your friend:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa
Originally posted by Tyrannosauruschexha! It is not like that (at least no in Croatia), we "developed" very quickly after the war because we sold everything to the strangers after getting out of socialism. (banks, big companies with 100+ years of tradition etc.) So Croatia is now pretty nice and expensive place 😛
I have some advice - if somebody tells you about a hostel full of sexy girls, it might be best to think twice before going there...
P. S. Wanna buy an island ? 😀