This is it! Our 2-week trip through Central and Eastern Europe starts right now,
aboard the train, in Berlin!
We are two DW journalists who want to visit 5 different cities
and share travel tips with you.
On our list: Wroclaw in Poland, Prague in Czech Republic,
Bratislava in Slovakia, Budapest in Hungary, and finally, Timisoara in Romania.
So why did we choose that route?
Because we were interested to know if the
war in Ukraine, a neighboring country, has an impact on tourism in these cities.
Our research showed that there had been a recent drop in tourism. So, we asked locals, tourists, and
tourism professionals how they felt about the situation.
By the way this is Shabnam Surita, my travel companion from India.
And that's Laila Abdalla from Egypt.
After 5 hours in the train we arrived at our first stop: Wroclaw.
Our first impression: what a beautiful city, especially the Rynek, the big market square
from the Middle Ages.
We saw many Ukrainians here, singing in the
streets or selling lights. We learnt that even before the war, this city has always
had many Ukrainians. More than 10 percent of Wroclaw's residents are from the Ukraine.
But we also stumbled upon something else – something small and cute.
While Shabnam and I were exploring, we noticed these gnomes everywhere
and we were wondering why they exist.
There are hundreds of them in Wroclaw and
it's fun to stroll around looking for them or take part in organized dwarf tours.
So we asked a local about their story.
The official reason is that there was a strike of students. When they were striking, they
wore hats, like red hats which were like dwarf hats.
We checked what he said and found out that he's right. In the 1980s, a group of students
rebelled against the communist regime by defacing Soviet propaganda with street art, specifically
paintings of gnomes. At the height of the movement, protesters wore cone-shaped hats.
But what you also shouldn't miss in Wroclaw is its zoo! It is 33 hectares big and has
around 12,000 animals. And for us, the most interesting part was the Afrykarium,
the world's largest collection of African flora and fauna outside of the continent.
Here we met Marta Zajac-Ossowska, the zoo's director of education.
And since the zoo is also a tourist attraction, we wanted to know if she felt any impacts of the war in Ukraine.
Obviously we are very sad about what happened in Ukraine.
We helped a lot, we sent money to zoos and we also hosted some Ukrainians in our zoo.
And we are off to our next destination.
We are in Prague, doing the most touristy thing ever.
We are on a boat tour!
Prague is located on the banks of the Vltava River and presents its most beautiful side
from the water. A perfect start to explore the city.
The tour takes one hour and costs 14 euros.
Czech Republic does not directly border Ukraine,
but Prague was on our way and neither of us had been there before. The city is very famous
for its beautiful architecture and for having hordes of tourists.
Since we already did something touristy exploring Prague from a boat:
Let's look at Prague at a different way.
With a tuktuk!
No, rickshaw!
No, tuktuk.
Rickshaw!
Tuktuk!
Rickshaw!
Tuktuk!
Ok, I must admit, Shabnam was right, at least here in Prague, the tuktuk is called rikshaw.
It's a very fast, eco-friendly, and personalized way to discover the city.
So now we are in the Wenceslas square and on the top is our national museum.
It was built in 1887, in the end of the 19th century.
Our rickshaw driver Libor told us a lot about the rich and diverse architecture of Prague.
This is art nouveau ornaments, the doors are art nouveau style.
This tour lasts one hour but is much more expensive than the boat. We paid 60 euros
but had a lot of fun and we saw how packed Prague was with tourists.
And now we drink some Czech beer!
Beer is a big part of the Czech culture, so when in Prague, a beer tour is a must.
I think beer is very important. Mostly when people come to Prague, all they know is one
or two big brands, but there are so many.
We are a small country, but with more than 500 breweries.
The Ukraine conflict and COVID crisis have
impacted the beer industry, just like other aspects of the Czech tourism industry.
So, this year it is actually a big disappointment in terms of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US.
They are here, but in very low numbers.
Because from their perspective, which is understandable, the war is very close, and they are afraid.
Although many tourists stay away and additionally
the energy and material costs have risen, the beer industry hopes to get through these difficult times.
Cheers to Prague!
And now come with us to our next city: Bratislava in Slovakia!
We weren't so lucky with the weather but nonetheless, we set off to discover the city.
Tour guide Nikola Rapčova led us around.
Sometimes the people are so busy. They go to work, and when they go
through the old town, they don't pay attention to all the details.
And when you suddenly take them to the city and tell them, oh look, what is there
and there, they open their eyes and see how the city is beautiful.
Bratislava's location in Slovakia, which is close to Austria and Hungary, gave the city
a leading role in many historic events. This is reflected in its magnificent buildings,
like the Bratislava castle.
There are also many places of worship worth seeing, like the Blue Church.
Bratislava also has many statues.
So Shabnam, where are we?
We are in front of Bratislava's most photographed statues the Cumil.
This has actually become the icon of the city.
And there are multiple stories about how and why it got here.
But we talked to a tour guide and she told us that they are all myths and this was just like
installed randomly to attract tourists. And it worked!
But the most important myth is that when you touch his head
and make a wish and keep it secret forever, it might come true.
Of course, we also wanted to know from Nikola
if she felt any impacts of the war on tourism in Bratislava.
Actually it is not really impacting Slovakia and Bratislava
because we are very far away.
The best proof is that we have more and more tourists after COVID.
After a rainy day we wanted to try something
special for Bratislava and found the Five Points Café,
where you can print any picture you want on your cappuccino.
If the weather in Bratislava isn't great,
we recommend a visit to the experimental gallery Multium.
Its 6 rooms create an endless illusion with mirrors.
The gallery is a 10-minute walk from the old town and costs 5 euros to enter.
And now on to our 4th destination! Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
Here we asked a local to guide us around: Zeina Alkiswani is an expat from Jordan
who has lived in Budapest for more than 5 years.
She loves showing people her favorite spots and things to do in the city.
She recommended that we take the tram 2. It is the quickest way
to do sightseeing along the Danube and reach many landmarks.
One example is the Hungarian Parliament, which is very impressive!
It's built in neo-Gothic style and opened in 1902.
Other spots on our tour were the Heroes Square
and the roof of the modern Museum of Ethnography.
Here we asked Zeina if she has felt a shift in tourism
due to the war in neighboring Ukraine.
I haven't felt any impact of the war in Ukraine.
I'm seeing just as many tourists and I'm getting just as many tours.
Zeina pointed us to something special in Budapest. A unique way to see the city both on land and water.
In Budapest, you can go on an amphibian bus tour which takes one hour and costs 16 euros.
How does it feel goin in?
Scary, because I do not know how to swim.
And also the music made it super dramatic.
Oh look there are ducks.
Never would I have thought that I would see ducks on a bus!
With that crazy experience behind, we said goodbye to Budapest.
We are in our last stop.
Which is Timisoara in Romania.
We are actually in a different time zone. This is as east as we will go.
And we start exploring the city at the Union square.
Also known as Dome Square, this is Timisoara's oldest square.
Here, you'll find the Roman Catholic cathedral,
just opposite to the Serbian Orthodox church, the famous Plague Column,
and the Museum of Art.
At Liberty Square, the modern Timisoara meets the historic.
On one hand this square shows us Baroque buildings
and on the other, there is a huge tree completely made of solar panels that is a charging station!
Timisoara's modern vibe is enhanced by the intriguing statue of a boy talking on the phone.
But it was the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral that truly blew us away.
The intricate design of the chapel left us awestruck!
In Timisoara, most of the touristic spots are within walking distance.
As we strolled around, we asked tourists how they feel knowing about the war
in neighboring Ukraine.
It doesn't necessarily worry me, but it is very unsettling and sad.
The locals also expressed their worry.
They told us what changes they've felt since the neighboring war began.
A lot of sad people, a lot.
People being more worried about the future and about their life. Especially the ones
here in Eastern Europe. Being afraid that maybe the war can escalate.
But some locals are still hopeful.
I think the Ukrainians will find the resources
to take [the illegally annexed regions] back and unite the Ukrainian territory.
And what about us?
We enjoyed our trip a lot.
We listened to what people had to say and learnt to appreciate the privilege
of traveling safely, especially with a war nearby.