Eastern Europe Tour Packages

Most of our guests travel to the Eastern Europe from the US by air, unless they are already traveling in a neighboring country. There are direct flights from the US between New York and Moscow or Kyiv. We usually recommend getting an “open jaw” ticket which has you flying in to the first city on your trip and out of the last. This will save time and usually cost less when you factor in the cost of returning to the first city on your itinerary. Although we don’t sell airfare, our travel advisors will help you pick out the best fare and routing.

With so many potential routes, it all depends on which cities you want to see on your custom tour. Our travel advisors and expert trip planners will help you decide when we prepare your initial itinerary. Any of our sample itineraries can also be taken in reverse.

Many factors affect the cost of a tour of Eastern Europe. Traveling solo works out more expensive than traveling with others, as none of the costs are shared. You can get a rough idea of the cost of our suggested Eastern Europe itineraries by using the Price Guide function.

Spring, early summer and early fall are the very best times of year to visit Eastern Europe if you’re visiting for a primarily cultural and historical interest trip. The weather is not dissimilar to that of New York. July and August can be very warm. Late fall and mid January through mid March are the low season. The cities experience another busy period with Christmas markets visitors from mid December until Orthodox Christmas in early January.

It is very difficult to see all of Eastern Europe in one trip, especially if you want to visit multiple countries as usually this means flying between cities. With just a week we suggest no more than two big cities, such as Moscow and St Petersburg. With ten days you could spend three nights in each of three cities, adding on Minsk, capital of Belarus, to the aforementioned Russian cities. In Ukraine a popular itinerary is Lviv, Kyiv and Odessa. Add on a couple of days to incorporate Moldova. Three nights in each place gives you enough time to experience the city itself and take a day trip somewhere close by to get more of a sense for the country as a whole. With two weeks you would have enough time to see two or more countries, combining Russia and Ukraine for example.

Being on the edge of our map, there are plenty of possible extensions to the south and west, if you have time. Head west from Russia or Belarus and add on Finland or the Baltic States. With good flight connections between Kyiv and Tbilisi, Ukraine and Georgia makes for a great pairing – Georgia is a mecca for foodies and winelovers. You could also combine Ukraine with its neighbor to the south-west, Romania, where Bran Castle and Transylvania are a big draw.

Some of the distances between cities in this part of the world are vast and are best traveled by plane. Where suitable we will make recommendations for trains or private transfers. In some cases, train or bus is an option, though not on all routes. The night train might look appealing for logistical reasons but you’re unlikely to get a good night’s sleep! We only recommend public transportation for journeys we’ve tested the comfort level of ourselves. Your travel advisor and trip planner will put together the optimal route for your tour and present options where available. We highly recommend that you do not rent a car for a tour of Eastern Europe. Road quality, general driving standards, high one-way rental fees, as well as the reasonable cost of private transfers, make being driven by a professional a much better option.

Each of the countries of Eastern Europe uses its own currency. Your personalized Guest Page is full of advice on how to work with the local currency in each country. You may be able to use Euros or US Dollars in some circumstances but they are not universally accepted.

While you’ll often see a picture of Prague Castle advertising Eastern Europe Tours, but for a number of reasons we think these countries are best grouped as Central Europe, along with other countries in the middle of the continent: Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

In general almost everything to do with a vacation is cheaper in Eastern Europe than Western Europe. Certain consumer goods such as electronics and clothing are often more expensive however. When eating out, stick to places serving local cuisine and beverages, and you’ll find your bill much more reasonable than if you accompany your meal with an imported wine. Keep your souvenir-buying to locally produced items and this shouldn’t be a concern. The Guest Page we provide is packed with recommendations to help you make the most of your time, and budget, on the ground.

All our Eastern European tours are private and crafted specifically for your interests. With so many potential combinations of countries and destinations, no one itinerary could please everyone. Traveling with us combines the best aspects of group travel with the advantages of independent travel. We take care of all the details, but you don’t have rigidly set meals, no early morning wake-up calls, unless you want them, you get to choose when you want to do things, and how long you spend in each destination.