Descubra la Europa Oriental: Budapest, Sofia, Viena, Bucarest

About the destination: Budapest is known as one of Europe’s most stunning cities. It may be thanks to its impressive surroundings, the Danube River that divides the city, the Buda hills to the west and the Great Plain to the east or due to its varied and beautiful architecture: Renaissance, Byzantine, Neo-Classical, and Art-Nouveau buildings coexist in perfect harmony. Its extensive World Heritage Site includes: the banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter, Andrassy Avenue, Hero’s Square, and the Millennium Underground Railway. To top that, the city has 80 geothermal springs, the world’s largest water cave system where visitors can indulge in a relaxing bath. Budapest became a single city in 1873, occupying both banks of the river Danube, to the west there is Buda and Pest lays at the east. Both sides of the city have very different personalities. Buda is the quiet section of the city. Walking around Buda, travelers will be able to inspect the Castle Quarter and explore the narrow cobbled streets that lead to the Fishermen’s bastion with its fairytale towers, which represent the 7 tribes that existed in the city in the 9th century. This decorative fortification is located atop the Buda Castel Hill and offers the best panoramic view in Budapest. The eastern side, Pest, is where all the action takes place. This section of the city has a fin-de-siècle feel to it and nearly every building has some interesting or unusual detail. Visitors will be invited to take long strolls on its wide boulevards filled with all sorts of shops or enjoy a well-deserved coffee in its grand coffee houses. Pest is home to the parliament building and the Dohari street synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe. The scars of WWII are still present in the city, bullet holes and shrapnel scorings left over from the Second World War and the 1956 Uprising are still visible in some of the facades, painful reminders of this grey period of history. There are several tributes honoring the Hungarian Jews that lost their lives, as the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial or the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park. This side of the river is also considered the cultural heart of the city with numerous art galleries and with more opera, concerts and ballet performances than there are days of the week. The capital’s best restaurants are found in Pest too, and it’s here the nightlife wrestles with until the early hours as well. For a unique drink try a Ruin Pub, Budapest’s network of bars in disused buildings that include former tenement houses, factory buildings and community centres. Budapest has combined all its influences and overcome its complex history to shape its own character, and sure it did it right.

About the destination: Sofia is a city with a sparkling future; it’s the energetically resilient Bulgarian capital that still revels in its own idiosyncrasies as it forges towards a more cultured and urbane existence. Dramatically ringed by the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Vitosha Mountains to the south, Sofia stands on an open plain 550m above sea level in western Bulgaria. It is this duality between urban sprawl and natural wonder that makes it a fascinating place to visit, with more to arrest the attention than many other Eastern European capitals. Development is rife and roads are mercifully being improved. It boasts boutique hotels galore and the spanking new Metro lines and stations are enough to make Western visitors look on with jealousy. Of course, the Communist influence still pervades in the streets; the country’s relatively short occupation from 1945 to 1989 is still visible in its neo-Stalinist architecture. Despite this, most of Sofia’s major tourist attractions pre-date this era. Buildings like the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral, the Central Sofia Synagogue and the Banya Bashi mosque are stark reminders of the country’s multicultural past, whilst the charming UNESCO-listed Boyana Church in the Vitosha Mountains is an absolute must-visit. Locals strike the balance between Russian insouciance and Mediterranean flare and continue to be proud up-keepers of the country’s hospitable heritage. The Bulgarian language and Cyrillic alphabet still prosper, resisting tourism’s penchant for English internationalism, which is not widely spoken outside of restaurants, shops and hotels.

About the destination: Vienna, the capital of Austria, is a city where imperial history and contemporary culture blend seamlessly. Grand boulevards, elegant palaces, and ornate coffeehouses create an atmosphere of old-world charm, while vibrant neighborhoods, modern museums, and a thriving creative scene keep the city firmly in the present. From the Ringstrasse lined with monumental buildings to cozy side streets filled with local shops and bakeries, Vienna invites you to explore at a leisurely pace. No visit is complete without discovering Vienna’s imperial heritage. Start at Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the Habsburgs, with its lavish interiors and expansive gardens. In the city center, the Hofburg complex houses the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum, and the Spanish Riding School, where you can watch the famous Lipizzaner stallions. Nearby, St. Stephen’s Cathedral rises above the old town, offering panoramic views from its tower over the rooftops and the Danube. Vienna is equally renowned for its cultural life and music. The city was home to Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss, and you can still feel that legacy in venues like the Vienna State Opera and the Musikverein, where classical concerts are held almost every night. Art lovers should head to the MuseumsQuartier to explore the Leopold Museum and the MUMOK, or visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum for one of Europe’s finest collections of Old Masters. In between sights, relax in a traditional coffeehouse, sipping a Melange and tasting a slice of Sachertorte. Beyond the monuments, Vienna is a city of green spaces and relaxed living. Walk or cycle along the Danube Canal, picnic in the Prater park beneath the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel, or take a short tram ride to the vineyards on the city’s outskirts for a glass of local wine at a Heuriger (wine tavern). Efficient public transport, safe streets, and a compact center make it easy to explore, whether you have a weekend or a week. Vienna’s mix of history, culture, and laid-back charm makes it a rewarding destination in any season.

About the destination: Bucharest is a really beautiful city, featuring impossible mixture of different architecture styles; one can see Gothic and Greek Orthodox constructions alongside Stalinist monuments neighbouring post-modern apartment buildings of concrete and glass. Unlike other cities, the street structure is not square-parallel, but rather star-like, so streets go like star beams from round circuses, thus forming blocks of different shapes. During the 50's, Bucharest was known as Little Paris because of the French influence on the landscape and lifestyle of Bucharest. Traces of this period remain in the architecture of the city centre, in the profusion of outdoor cafes, and even in the Arcul de Triumf, a modest replica of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. Downtown of Bucharest is comprised by the space between the Victoriei Square, where the Romanian Government is and the Unirii Square, where the grand boulevard that leads to the Parliament Palace, starts. Near Unirii Square there is also the old city centre, the Old Princely Court and iconic streets like Lipscani, Selari, Covaci, Gabroveni are situated. The area today contains an assortment of middle 19th century buildings, ruins of the Wallachian princes' medieval court, churches, bank headquarters, a few hotels, clubs, restaurants and shops. Narrow cobblestoned streets retain the names of the ancient guilds that resided on them. The area was mostly renovated and is now a place of gathering for the young generation of the city. Revolution square is a double square that houses the Romanian Athenaeum, the National Library, the Senate building and the old Royal Palace that is now the Museum of Art. There is a tall monument in the centre of the square in memory of those who died during the revolution. Bucharest is a city of parks. Wander through well-groomed central Cişmigiu Garden or huge Herăstrău Park. For the Bucharesters, they’re not just refuges from the summer heat, but focal poits for much of the city’s social life. Elderly pensioners, young lovers, football fans, and backgammon and chess whizzes are everywhere. Come join the fun.