Eastern EuropeGuidebook corrections:Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.  Your Fifth Edition of Eastern Europe was all we needed during a recently-comcluded visit to Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and CeskyKrumlov. However, 1. The Prague "St. Bearded Woman" (page 99) is not in the last corner of a clockwise tour of the Loreta Church cloister, but is in the first corner. 2. The Budapest map of "Pest Center Sights" (page 434) shows ERZSEBET KORUT starting at the OKTOGON intersection and continuing southeast, when it actually does not start until KIRALY U. We were greatly confused when exiting the Metro at OKTOGON and could not find ERZSEBET (on which our hotel was located). TEREZ KORUT continues past OKTOGON southeast to KIRALY. Don Wilson in Cincinnati, Oh USA 10/25/2009 The Budapest Card only offers 20 percent discount on most entries not full inclusion as mostly indicated in the Eastern Europe Guide book. Really becomes questionably worth it at that point. Better to just get the metro card and pay as you go. Shirley Fleig in San Diego, CA USA 10/12/2009 Re Krakow and Auschwitz: Not a correction, but added emphasis to the caution that conditions could easily change and one should double check things on arrival. In this case, I'm referring to bus transportation to Auschwitz. There is a public bus line that runs a mini bus with about 15 seats from the main bus terminal by the main Krakow rail station to the town where Auschwitz is located. The ride is cheap and takes about one hour and twenty minutes. So what's the problem? The bus fills quickly, I think I counted about 28 people crammed into about a 15 passenger bus. This is not an excursion bus to Auschwitz, even though it has a stop about two blocks from the Auschwitz parking lot. What I saw happening is that the bus filled immediately with tourists and then could not pick up locals who had been waiting maybe half an hour at their local bus stop and they did not look happy. If I were them I'd complain to the local government to eliminate the stop next to Auschwitz so that locals could again get local bus service. I timed my arrival to be just after 3 pm when the group tours end and no one seems to care if you wander on your own and read the information signs at your own pace. Steve in Bozeman, MT USA 10/05/2009 As per a previous poster, the Vienna trams 1 & 2 no longer make the entire circuit of the Ringstrasse. There is, however, a new bright yellow, made for tourists tram which does; it runs every 15 minutes or so and is clearly marked. There are new signs for it on the tram stop signposts as well. Ash Morris in Tulsa, OK USA 10/03/2009 We thought the Spissky Hrad (castle) near Levoca, Slovak republic was amazing. Your guide book said it wasn't worth going in but I thought it was one of the best castle ruins I have ever seen. We highly recomend it if you are in the area. Tim Bolinger in Plano, TX USA 07/14/2009 I am using Eastern Europe 5th edition and have found it quite helpful. One correction I found for Budapest is that the Duma Palace does not honor the 10% discount for the concert as mentioned on page 468. When I asked I was told he only discount is with the Budapest Card. Also I did not find using the public transportation to Szoborpark--Memento Park complicated as mentioned on page 456--it was rather easy only one transfer--I'm sure it took longer than the direct bus though Ken Emery in Windsor, CA USA 07/12/2009 I'm just back from a trip to Vienna. I used Rick's Eastern Europe book, which stated check cashing at the Amex store on Karntner Strasse. I managed to find that office, which locates in a large building. However the desk assistant refused cashing my traveler's checks and stated that they no longer offer the service. Instead she referred me to Erste bank which charge only 9.50 euros for $450 check cashing. They also give the best rates. Daniel in San Jose, CA USA 05/31/2009 Prague/Czech Republic: Getting to Kutna Hora: Fast (about an hour), inexpensive, direct train connections (no longer need to tranfer) from Prague Main Station to Kutna Hora are now available several times daily. Forget the bus from Florenc(didn't run on weekends). Kutna Hora is a delightful departure from wonderful, but a bit too pretty and touristy Prague. It feels more like real life. If you're interested in an English language tour of the medieval silver mine (highly recommended), call ahead to make a reservation. We arrived at the mine around 10am on a Saturday morning in May, but were told no English language tours were scheduled for that day. We toured St. Barbara Cathedral, came back to the mine and were delighted to find that a Croatian couple had also requested English and they had found an English-speaking guide. The mine was fascinating,if a bit claustrophobic. Gave you an idea about the life of a medieval miner. A do-it-yourself trip to Kutna Hora is a much better value and allows you to see many more sites than one of the Premiant bus tours, which only cover the Sedlec Bone Church and the St. Barbara Cathedral. After enjoying a cup of coffee at an outdoor cafe, seeing the Cathedral and the Silver Mine/Museum, we had a delightful open-air lunch in a tree-shaded courtyard at Pivnice Dacicky. Later, as we were strolling along a street in Kutna Hora on our way to the Alchemy Musuem and the Bone Church, the little Premiant van/bus packed with people drove by. We were so happy we'd decided to go on our own! Annette in Media, PA USA 05/17/2009 In Prague, the Ebel Coffeehouse (the historic one) is closed as of 4-1-2009. Mark McKnight in Austin, TX USA 05/06/2009 I would highly recommend changing the name of the Eastern Europe guide book to Central Europe since the countries discussed in the guide book are located in central europe. I was discussing the guidebook and these countries with a Polish gentleman and he not very happy the guidebook referred to these countries being located in Eastern Europe. Will B. 04/18/2009 Budapest, Hungary. Top Clean Laundry is no longer located in the Batthyany Market Hall. Lorraine Chatham in San Francisco, CA USA 01/08/2009 DON'T TRY THE VIENNA TRAM TOUR OF THE RING AS RECOMMENDED! Please note that the tram routes recommended (Trams #1 and #2) have recently changed and spare yourself a miserable time. They now travel a very unscenic route for most of the trip to the other side of the river, then drop you at a station that is not a place you want to be. I just returned from Vienna and the "Self Guided Tram Tour" (p. 832) has gone from what was probably once a nice tour to the worst travel recommendation I have ever tried. [Editor's Note: We have updated the tram tour for our new Vienna guidebook, which will be published in May 2009. You now need to start with Tram #2 at the Opera, going east or counter-clockwise around the ring, then transfer to Tram #1 at Schwedenplatz to return to where you started.] David in Miami, Fl USA 12/07/2008 In your section on Krakow, you state "most gravestones are in one of three languages: Hebrew (generally the oldest, especially if there's no other language), Yiddish (which looks like German), and Polish." However, Yiddish is written using the Hebrew alphabet (not Latin), so Hebrew and Yiddish look very similar. 75% of Yiddish's vocabulary is from German, so it *sounds* like German and *looks* like Hebrew. Thanks. VCQ TX USA 11/26/2008 Subway extensions. Please note that the U1 line that used to terminate Kagraner Pl. has been extended so the (Northern most) direction is now called Leopoldau (map I printed from wikipedia is also out-of-date) deb in lake forest, il USA 11/23/2008 Please emphasize validating eurail pass in station and not on train. In budapest we were charged 50 euros per ticket for our mistake. We were not told this when we were encouraged to purchase the tickets to save money. You really need to read the fine print.
michael potts in lexington , ky USA 10/16/2008 In the 2007 edition of Prague and the Czech Republic on pg. 56 (with reference to validating your tickets for the trams and Metro) the wording "watch locals and imitate" should be replaced with "get your ticket stamped IN SPITE of what EVERYBODY else does." We purchased our ticket on the first day there, but we NEVER in 5 days of riding both the trams and the Metro saw one single person validate their ticket in the machine. We made a side trip for 3 days to Krumlov and took the Metro upon our return to pick up stored items at our hotel. We had tickets but did not validate them. Being obvious tourists towing luggage, we were nabbed by the very gestapo'ish "inspectors", who spoke very little English and did a lot of shrugging and hem-hawing. Since they had our passports, we were of course at their mercy. They escorted us to an ATM and collected the 700 Kc (not 500 Kc) per person fine, then returned our passports to us. Judy Mondy in Odessa, TX USA 09/26/2008 A lot of the prices in the 2007 version are out of date. Almost everything costs more now than it did then. Tracy in Austin, Te USA 09/15/2008 Three corrections: 1. Page 471, map of Pest Hotels and Restaurants. Number 11, Bor La Bor Restaurant, is marked incorrectly. It is on Veres Palne u., but on the block immediately south of Irany u. 2. Page 502, Eger Castle, Cost and Hours. The entrance ticket is now 600 Ft. 3. Page 577, Bled Castle. The entrance ticket is now 7 euros. Peter Vatne in Nashua, NH USA 09/12/2008 Rick Steves'EASTERN EUROPE-2008 under CENTRAL PEST Accomodations, Pg 470: Gerloczy Cafe and Rooms is stated to have an elevator. We have a reservation to stay there on 28/09/08. Included in our confirmation e-mail is the following: "Lift: this is a three-storey building with no lift because of its historical features. If you wish to use our luggage porter service please inform us". It appears the elevator was taken out during their recent renovation. We'll let you know about our stay next month. Eileen Kocherhans in SanDiego, CA USA 08/22/2008 I would add a note about the car train from the Julian Alps to Lake Bohine -- it was scary to be in a tunnel for 10 minutes. Very uncomfortable for claustrophobes like myself. Dana J Regan in Portland, OR USA 08/11/2008 I didn't find the Vaci Utca in Budapest as upscale as Rick does. I was there in June and every other shop was selling souvenirs and post cards. And the Central Market's top level is so full of souvenir shops that it's overwhelming, especially when the shopowners almost pounce on you if you even look at their stuff. "Come in, come in," as they're plucking at your sleeve. If you get off the main drag a little, you can find better goods and a more relaxing atmosphere, such as Bestsellers English bookstore, which has been mentioned, and a music store I found on Budakeszi Utca, not far from St. Stephen's Cathedral. Its name is Aeromatic and the salesgirl was helpful and friendly. Hilde in Old Bridge, NJ USA 08/10/2008 The fine for riding the Budapest Metro with the wrong ticket -- easy to do, as they have a complicated system and many, many inspectors -- is 6000 Forints per rider. This is about $35 USD. It pays to buy the 24 hour pass. Jim Martin in Ashland, OR USA 07/26/2008 The train station in Eger now has official baggage storage. 500ft a day ask the lady at the WCs. I think the last retreiveal time was 1700 or 1900. Tyler Hazen in ferndale, wa USA 07/22/2008 For two people Sarka Kacabova charges 600 per hour for 2 people, not 400 as stated in the book. 400 is now only for one person mike in tempe, az USA 06/22/2008 Just back May 8, 2008. There are senior citizen reduced prices to many places including Prague Castle. They don't ask; you have to inquire. Prague has become much more expensive. Jackie in Wyckoff, NJ USA 05/14/2008 This is not necessarily a correction but a suggestion on the best way to tour Auschwitz. We took your advice and took a minibus and toured on our own. The minibus was hard to find, crowded and very slow. We would recommend paying the extra money to take a tour as the bus goes on a direct route on the highway rather than the side roads which are a much longer route. Then we would ask the tour guide what time to meet them and when and tour on our own. This is a difficult day made all the more tedious by a crowded, uncomfortable, and slow minibus that probably added 1-2 hours to the trip. Sondra in Portland, OR USA 11/06/2007 Restaurant Muveszinas in Budapest (p 476) is now closed. Herman P. Wu in Burlington, WA USA 10/16/2007 Most of your cost quotes are very much on the low side of our actual costs. Your updated edition should point out that the U.S. dollar has lost much of its value again foreign currencies. Rod Young in Bowie, MD USA 09/28/2007 p. 756 New Palace Museums, Vienna: musical instruments collection is open on Monday, closed Tueday, not the other way round as guidebook states. Eugene Alcalay in Platteville, WI USA 08/13/2007 Best of Eastern Europe 2006 - (thought I ordered 2007 and received 2006). I am pretty sure that Stephan's crown has been moved to Parliament from the church. What is in the top of the church is a replica. [Editor's Note: This has been updated in the 2007 edition.] Mary Ann Rose in Westminster, CO USA 06/28/2007 Prague's Wenceslas Square: "World of Fruit Bar Svetozor" is no longer open, altho there is still an ice cream shop there. In general, the guidebook was excellent, pointing out everything we needed to know. The Museum of Communism might need to be a 3 triangle site. Thanks for your help to make our trip the best! Rick Manolio in Virginia Beach, VA USA 06/16/2007 The national Museum in Prague is closed the 1st Tuesday each month for cleaning. W. L. Walters in Newark, De USA 06/13/2007 P. 58: D?kuji is admittedly difficult for Americans to pronounce. However, DYACK-quee is not close. Our Czech friends laughed at this. The phone number on p. 67 of the 2007 edition for Cedaz minibus will likely get you their fax machine. The numbers on their current literature are 220-114-296 and 224-281-005. P. 395 says that "1000-The pope crowns King István (Stephen)." Baloney. Pope Sylvester II almost certainly never crowned King Stephen. There is a legend with little or no documentary backing that he SENT him a crown, but there is no indication at all that Sylvester and Stephen ever met in person. By the way, why is it always "the pope" and not "Pope XXX." The popes are not interchangeable. Pope Sylvester II was an intriguing guy, heads and shoulders above both his predecessors and his successors. P. 454 says that there is a bus stop in Deák Tér "marked with Statue Park logo." No one in our group was able to find any such sign. The bus was not marked either. We were not positive that we were on the right bus to the Statue Park until we saw some the Commies. Mike Wavada in Enfield, CT USA 06/11/2007 The Mellow Mood Hostel in Budapest is shutting down forever in September. Carly Marshall in Sudbury, ON Canada 06/05/2007 I used the 2006 "Best of Eastern Europe" on my recent trip and found an excellent place. The "Hotels and Restaurants in the New Town" map on page 132, however, shows Hotel Anna (ref #3) north of Korunni; it is actually south, between Korunni and Francouzska. Chris Kerstetter in Renton, WA USA 04/20/2007 Virgin Megastore Vienna is not a good place to get souvenir music, mostly because it closed down 2 years ago. I think KunstHausWien deserves at least 2 star rating. Mike Williams in http://mikenbondi.blogspot.com, Australia 04/18/2007 Restauracja Samoobslugowa Polakowski (Krakow) is called Polskie Smaki Restauracja David Carter in Stillwater, OK USA 04/18/2007 The tourism information for the Hungarian office is incorrect, unless it has been updated for the 2007 Eastern Europe book. The Hungarian National Tourist Office is at 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 7107, New York, NY 10118, tel. 212-695-1221, info@gotohungary.com, www.gotohungary.com. [Editor's Note: Yes, the phone, web, and email have been updated for the 2007 edition to match the above info. We no longer list mailing addresses as the vast majority of people contact tourist offices via phone or computer.] Anita Cook in Monument, CO USA 03/26/2007 Prague Castle - Ticket A and B no longer include St Vitus Cathedral, must buy that ticket separately in cathedral (200Kr - or was it 100Kr per person?) Marci in Jersey Shore, USA 03/01/2007 |
