Where in Eastern Europe should I visit first? (best, life, places)

[JonnyNYC90]

Hi everyone!
I am going to have a few weeks of vacation time this upcoming winter (late December to mid January), and I would really like to visit somewhere in Eastern Europe. My family originally comes from Poland, Germany and Russia (living in USA now), and I'm really into Eastern European culture, etc.
My main two choices are Kraków, Poland and St. Petersburg, Russia. I am also considering Moscow.
Which of the two would be better for sightseeing, and just experiencing life in each respective place?
Are there any other cities in Eastern Europe, preferably Poland, Ukraine, or Russia, where an American can take a vacation and get around well enough to survive?

Thanks so much everyone for reading/replying! Please feel free to share your personal experiences if you've ever been to any of these places.

Best Regards,
JonnyNYC90

[elnina]

Late December till mid January? It will be very cold everywhere! Possible lots of snow and communication problems. Or it could be a freezing drizzle and nasty winds. Not a good time for a visit. If you still don't care then all of the above cities. Depends how you want to plan your trip, you can see all those cities in 3 weeks: going e.g. to St. Petersburg, then to Moscow, back to Kiev, and then to Krakow. The tour to Russia will need your special attention - getting visa etc. You need to start soon. How do you want to travel? All per plane or plane and train?

Russian visa requirements are highly complex, and U.S. citizens must take care that they do not unintentionally violate entry and exit regulations.
Russian police officers have the authority to stop people and request their identity and travel documents at any time and without cause. Due to the possibility of random document checks by police, you should carry your original passport, migration card and visa with you at all times.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1006.html
http://www.traveldocs.com/ru/vrny.htm (broken link)

[Thepastpresentandfuture]

Originally Posted by elnina

Late December till mid January? It will be very cold everywhere! Possible lots of snow and communication problems. Or it could be a freezing drizzle and nasty winds. Not a good time for a visit. If you still don't care then all of the above cities. Depends how you want to plan your trip, you can see all those cities in 3 weeks: going e.g. to St. Petersburg, then to Moscow, back to Kiev, and then to Krakow. The tour to Russia will need your special attention - getting visa etc. You need to start soon. How do you want to travel? All per plane or plane and train?

Russian visa requirements are highly complex, and U.S. citizens must take care that they do not unintentionally violate entry and exit regulations.
Russian police officers have the authority to stop people and request their identity and travel documents at any time and without cause. Due to the possibility of random document checks by police, you should carry your original passport, migration card and visa with you at all times.
Russian Federation
Russian Tourist Visa - New York (http://www.traveldocs.com/ru/vrny.htm - broken link)

That is true that Late December to Mid January is not a good time to visit those areas of Eastern Europe because it is usually very cold, snowy, and cloudy there during that time period in winter. Also, the daylight hours are very short during that time and probably around 4 hours per day and this is because of the very north latitude location.

It seems like the best time to visit those areas of Europe are during the months of May, June, July, August, and September.
But then again maybe JonnyNYC90 still wants to travel to those areas of Eastern Europe even during December-January and wanting to see the winter vibe over there more than the summer, spring, and fall vibe.

I voted for Saint Petersburg out of the options on the list, but I almost voted for Moscow. This is because Saint Petersburg seems kind of underrated compared to Moscow and has a bit more of an alluring vibe to me because it seems a bit less known and being more underrated. Saint Petersburg seems to have an equal number of tourist city attractions as Moscow too. Out of all the cities on the list, it seems like Moscow and Saint Petersburg have the most tourist city attractions and more tourist city attractions than Krakow and Kiev.

But once I saw your post, I realized someone can easily travel to all of the above cities in that time period too because all of those cities are not that far away from each other and not that expensive to travel between each other.

[JonnyNYC90]

Thank you so much elnina and pastpresentandfuture.
Yeah, I know it will be cold and dark, but I really would like to see these beautiful cities in the snow...I've heard they are really beautiful in winter.
What do you think about Prague? Would that be a sound alternative to somewhere like Krakow?

Thanks,
JonnyNYC90

[Alisher]

Hi, JonnyNYC90! i'm also from Russia...from Moscow. you are right, that in winter Moscow, St. Petersburg are very very beautiful. it is amazing feelings when you touch ancient walls in "Winter palace" near the St. Peterburg and contemplate picturesque hills in Moscow....it is magic!!!

[Josef K.]

I'm a current Moscow and former Prague and Kiev resident, so I have some experience here.

Prague is terrific, but its vibe is Central rather than Eastern European. Nowadays, it's a lot like Vienna or Munich.

The 2 big Russian cities are fascinating, but winter is brutal, and Russia's visa requirements are a pain in the butt. Kiev is a bit warmer and visa-free for Americans, so if you want to experience something like Russia without filling out a bunch of forms, it would be a good choice.

Of your 4 cities, I wound up voting for Krakow because it's medium-sized and manageable, picturesque and well-preserved with a lot of cultural life, and travel to and within Poland is quite easy.

[JonnyNYC90]

Thanks Alisher and Josef! I really find St. Petersburg to be beautiful (in photos at least), so I am really considering it.

Josef, I am interested in Kiev, but my knowledge of Russian is extremely limited. I can read the Cyrillic alphabet, and say basic phrases, but that is the extent of it. Would it be extremely difficult to get around Kiev (or Moscow/St. Petersburg, for that matter)? I have read on other sites that Kiev's English-speaking population is quite minimal.

Thanks,
JonnyNYC90

[Oskar_Z28]

I am biased, because wife and I just visited Krakow and really enjoyed time there. We saw alot of things inside the city, but also ventured outside for other interesting sites. I was there for less than a week, but could have spent another few days easily. So, that's the way I voted. I've been to Moscow and Kiev several years ago, so cannot compare those to current cities (so no comments from me).

[Josef K.]

Originally Posted by JonnyNYC90

Would it be extremely difficult to get around Kiev (or Moscow/St. Petersburg, for that matter)? I have read on other sites that Kiev's English-speaking population is quite minimal.

Thanks,
JonnyNYC90

None of these cities is like a West European city where you can count on large numbers of people to speak English. Being capitals, you will run into more people who speak foreign languages than elsewhere, but it's very hit and miss. I'd recommend learning at least some Russian before you go, otherwise you might get very frustrated.

[izbelle]

It's going to be extremely cold around that time, I would suggest you go to south eastern europe..

Hungary- Budapest
Montenegro
Latvia
Bulgaria.