Eastern Europe: Things To Do

Bansko Skiers will find great runs with passes that cost a fraction of those in Western Europe. Bulgaria’s Bansko has some of the best slopes, accessed by swift, efficient lifts. The medieval old town is great for après-ski. www.bulgariaski.com/bansko
skiing | family | outdoors

Children's Railway Little ones love riding into the Buda Hills on the Children’s Railway, a narrow-gauge railway operated by Hungarian school children (don’t worry – they’re overseen by adults). The trip takes passengers through lush bird- and wildlife-filled forests. 011-36-1-397-5392; www.gyermekvasut.com/english.html
family | tour | wildlife | outdoors

Czartoryski Museum Czartoryski Museum was founded in 1794 to preserve Polish heritage. In 1940, the museum’s collection was looted by Nazis. Some pieces, most notably Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine, were recovered. ul. Św. Jana 19; 011-12-422-5566; www.muzeum-czartoryskich.krakow.pl
family | culture | museum | history | art

Gellert Baths In Budapest, the hot, mineral-filled, spring-fed Gellert Baths are located in a cathedral-like setting graced with colorful mosaic tiles and marble columns. The Gellert Bath and Hotel, Kelenhegyi út 4; 011-361-466-6166; www.gellertbath.com
architecture | spas | history

Golf and Country Club Bled Europe’s most beautiful golf course is ringed by alpine mountains. Frequented by royals and diplomats when it was founded in 1937, it was abandoned during WWII, and then rebuilt in 1972. Kidriceva 10c; 011-386-4-537-77-11; www.golf.bled.si
golf | outdoors

High Tatras Serious trekkers should explore the alpine peaks of Slovakia’s High Tatras mountains. Wilderness Travel runs sensational hiking trips there as well as in the Caucasus mountains and along the Dalmatian Coast’s rugged limestone cliffs. Wilderness Travel; 800-368-2794; www.wildernesstravel.com
hiking | outdoors

Na Parkene Beer Pub Go to the Na Parkene Beer Pub at the Plzen Brewery Museum, the only place you can try the sublime, unfiltered Pilsner Urquell. Plzen Brewery Museum, U Prazdroje 7; 011-420-377-062-888; www.pilsner-urquell.cz (Czech only)
brewery

State Opera House Budapest’s Opera House is a Neo-Renaissance masterpiece. Home to both the State Opera and the State Ballet, it’s lavishly decorated with marble columns, ornate sculptures, vibrant frescoes, and four tiers of gold-gilded boxes. Andrassy ut. 22; 011-36-1-353-0171; www.opera.hu
architecture | history | live entertainment

Warsaw Rising Museum One of the best museums in Poland, Warsaw Rising documents the years of the Nazi occupation from 1939 to 1945. Exhibitions include replicas of German bunkers and printing machines from the 1940s. ul. Grzybowska 79; 011-48-22-539-79-05; www.1944.pl
family | history

Wawel Cathedral Before assuming the papacy, Pope John Paul II was the archbishop at Krakow’s lavish Wawel Cathedral. Wawel Castle, the medieval residence of Polish royalty, is adjacent to the cathedral. 011-12- 422 51 55 ext. 219; www.wawel.krakow.pl/en
family | architecture | history | religious