Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

12 VISITING EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE

WHEN TO GO

The best time to visit Eastern
and Central Europe depends
on the visitor’s itinerary.
However, most people prefer
spring and summer, from
April to September. Stretching
from the Baltic Sea in the
north to the Mediterranean
Sea in the south, the region
has a wide variety of climates.
Summers in North Eastern
Europe can be cool and rainy,
while in South Eastern Europe
they can be unbearably hot,
especially in big cities. The
Adriatic coast, with its hot,
dry summers and relatively
mild winters, has the balmiest
climate, but crowds can be a
drawback in the peak season
of July and August, making
May, June and September
better times to visit.
Elsewhere in South Eastern
Europe, long, hot summers
and long, cold winters are
the usual trends. The moun-
tains of Slovenia, Slovakia,
Romania and Bulgaria provide
ideal conditions for skiing,
with a season that runs from
mid December to late March.
Winters in the north of the
region, near the Baltic coast,
can be long, cold and dark.
During the depths of winter
the sun sets at 3–4pm, and
daytime temperatures rarely
rise above 0° C (32° F).
Summertime, on the other
hand, offers the prospect
of long daylight hours in
St Petersburg and the north-
ern Baltic States.
Visitors should bear in mind
that August is a busy month
in all parts of Eastern and
Central Europe, when most
Europeans take their vacations.

TIME ZONES

The countries covered in this

guide sit across three time

zones. Poland, the Czech

Republic, Slovakia, Hungary,

Austria, Slovenia, Croatia,

Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Montenegro and Serbia are all

on Central European Time

(CET), which is one hour

ahead of Greenwich Mean

Time (GMT) and 6 hours

ahead of New York. Lithuania,

Latvia, Estonia, Romania and

Bulgaria are on East European

Time (EET), which is 2 hours

ahead of GMT and 7 hours

ahead of New York. The

Russian cities of Moscow and

St Petersburg are on Moscow

Standard Time (MST), which

is 3 hours ahead of GMT and

8 hours ahead of New York.

In Europe, the clocks go

forward by one hour in late

March and go back by one

hour in late October.

DOCUMENTATION

Of the 14 countries included

in this guide, 11 (Lithuania,

Latvia, Estonia, Poland,

the Czech Republic, Slovakia,

Hungary, Austria, Slovenia,

Romania and Bulgaria) are

members of the European

Union (EU). EU citizens can

visit all of these countries

with a valid identity card.

Citizens of the United States,

Canada, Japan, New Zealand,

Norway and Switzerland can

also enter these countries

with a valid passport.

All of the EU members

listed above, except Romania

and Bulgaria, are signatories

of the Schengen Agreement.

Borders between Schengen

zone countries are open,

and once inside the Schengen

zone, identity documents

do not usually need to be

shown when crossing a

common frontier. However,

visitors should always keep

their identity documents

handy just in case random

checks are made.

In the rest of Eastern

Europe, entry requirements

differ from country to coun-

try. Visitors from the EU, US,

Canada, Australia and New

Zealand can enter Croatia,

Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Serbia and Montenegro on

the pro duction of a valid

passport. Citizens of other

countries, however, should

check current regulations

before they travel.

Russia requires almost all

foreign visitors to purchase

a visa before travel, which

usually involves applying in

person or through a travel

agent to the local Russian

embassy or consulate several

weeks before the trip. For

visitors who want to include

Moscow and St Petersburg in

their itinerary, it is advisable

to plan this part of the trip

well in advance.

STUDENT CARDS

Various bus and rail tickets

offer discounts on European

travel (see pp18–19), but, in

addition to these, students

with a recognized student

card may be eligible for a

wider range of discounts. The

best card is the International

Student Identity Card (ISIC),

which gives discounts on all

kinds of goods and transport

as well as cheaper admission

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

T

he countries in Eastern and Central
Europe have undergone great
trans formation since the
collapse of Communism in 1990.

Some states have adapted quickly
to the change and are now active

members of the European Union
(EU), while others continue to

wrestle with serious economic
and political prob lems. As a result, the

quality of tourist facilities varies greatly

throughout the region. Accommodation

and public trans port are well organized

and reliable in North Eastern

Europe. In the southeast, on the

other hand, travel may be slower

and standards less predictable.

However, with an impressive

diversity of his tory, culture and

folklore to discover, Eastern and

Central Europe makes for a rich and

enjoyable travel experience.

The European

Union flag