When you think of London most people think of the Royal Family, Big Ben, the Tube and other top tourist attractions. But have you ever stopped to think about street art? Me either, but as I found out when I took part in the Alternative London Tour it’s alive and kicking.

The tour owner Gary, lives and breathes this stuff. He knows who created the pieces, how long they have been up, the history of the artists (how much he knew about each artist blew me away) and so much more. I might have only developed a passing interest in street art from my alternative tour in Berlin but by the end of this tour I was in love with it. So much of it you wouldn’t even see until it was pointed out to you.

The tour runs through London’s East End covering the Spitalfields, Banglatown and Shoreditch areas. Over two hours you learn about paste ups, stencils and spray can’s which are all used to create some seriously stunning art work. Of course you will also learn the names of these artist’s like Stik, Mighty Mo, Ben Eine and Invader to mention just a few.

The best part about this tour is that it is always changing. Councils eventually find the works and paint over them or the weather does the nasty work instead, so the artists return to create new pieces. It is a shame really as some of these art works are just so good I’d prefer to see them each day rather than a plain old wall left painted in a patchwork of colors after the council has been.

In my mind, for a free walking tour where you leave a tip at the end I don’t think you can go wrong and encourage anybody coming to London this summer to check it out. And if all of that isn’t enough to convinced you to take this tour, then see below for some inspiration.

Related posts:

1. The London Blitz at Aldwych Station
2. Finding Accommodation in London – The Ups and Downs
3. The London Transport Blues

Thanks for checking out my post - Street Art in London. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Florence lured me in with the chance to meet a couple of travel friends, but what I found was so much more. The pizza, the gelato, the friends, the sheer beauty of the place. Oh and have I mentioned the gelato yet? It was clear my budget for Florence was going to be decided for me as the city took over.

I fell in love with Italy from that moment on and as I dwell over future travel plans I keep wanting to return there because it just felt right. Such a strange feeling given I wasn’t meant to have seen this part of Europe until some 12 months later.

As with all the beautiful cities I’ve been to so far, the best way to explore them is by foot which is great for anybodies budget. The streets just ooze “I’m an old old place” and while was easily lost in the maze of streets I didn’t care.

I was unlucky on my trip from Munich to Florence and had two trains to catch with very little change over time between them. As was my luck the first train ran very late and which forced into handing over an extra 10 Euro reservation fee. Had I know the train I had to catch for the last 2 hours to Florence was going to have its heater stuck on, there is no way I’d have ever paid.

I booked my hostel on the recommendation of one of my friends I was going to meet in Florence. It was just down the road from them and again not that far from my second friend I wanted to meet up with.

Overall the hostel was alright as long as you forget it had a 2am curfew and has a lockout from your rooms for cleaning between 10am and 2pm. With such amazing weather while I was there we had many nights out drinking so having to end the night so I could go to bed did slightly take away from all the fun. Especially when said friends started to joke about getting me home in time to be tucked in for the night.

Still there was free wifi, good showers, full kitchen with laundry facilities and as I was there during the World Cup a massive projector screen showing the games in the common room.

Florence turned into more of a relax with friends than an explore everything. I did however make time to stop in at the Boboli Gardens which is worth a visit if you can spare the 10 euro entry fee. I ended up spending all morning there just sitting around on the grass in the sun and taking in the view out over Florence.

The other attraction cost was going to the Accademia Gallery to see the David statue. A 1.5 hour wait and 10 euro later I was totally un-impressed. You are far better off checking out the replica at Palazzo della Signoria where you can take a photo and not be herded around inside the museum.

On the free side of things I stopped by the massive Duomo and climbed the endless amount of stairs to Piazzale Michelangelo and scored a great view at Florence from the opposite side of town to the Boboli Gardens.

I was also very lucky to catch a live band performance as my friend Annie’s boyfriends band were playing. The bonus of hanging out with locals as you travel.

Can you say PIZZA and GELATO.Oh dear lord did I enjoy both of these fine foods while in Florence. I’m pretty sure the poor woman at the gelato shop near me knew my name by the end of my stay but I didn’t care as it was so so good. I’d go back to Florence just for that as I’ve never had it better anywhere else in my life.

Pizza was the other big food for me. While I knew I’d be eating even more pizza in Naples I just couldn’t help it and hey I was in Italy it would be wrong not to get a good dose of it really… right? It wasn’t the cheapest but I’ve never had pizza’s so big and fresh before. Just ordering a margarita pizza left me full and my taste buds singing. Back home you would have had to order all the toppings in the world to make it worth your money.

I was socialising with some travel friends so beer was a big cost here, the rest went into my gelato addiction. It wasn’t cheap but I found that as my trip was winding down I knew I had money to play with so didn’t watch my budget as closely.

Everything about Florence is beautiful, in fact my first impressions of Italy were “how can I move here“. The five days wasn’t nearly long enough and I am going to use any excuse possible to get back there when I can. Some parts of the world just capture you and for me Italy is one of those spots.

A total cost of 308 Euro or $452.92 AUD (at an exchange rate of 0.68 Euro = 1 AUD) over the five days stayed just under budget with an average daily cost of $90.58 AUD a day.

As you can see from the day I only spent 31.5 Euro you can do cheap days by relaxing and just walking around. It really does come down to what you want to do while travelling. Some days its just nice to sit, relax and watch the people go past. You do this at home so why would you not do it in another country?

Had I travelled to Florence now (May 2011) the total cost for the 5 days would have been $410.91 AUD. Better by a few dollars as the Aussie dollar continues to boom against the rest of the world. If you are considering travel then do it now while the dollar is performing better than I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Related posts:

1. How Much Did It Cost – Naples Budget
2. How Much Did It Cost – Stockholm Budget
3. How Much Did It Cost – Riga Budget
4. How Much Did It Cost – Warsaw & Krakow Budget
5. How Much Did It Cost – Prague Budget

Thanks for checking out my post - How Much Did It Cost – Florence Budget. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Learning about the history of a place is what really tickles my travelling taste buds. So when Justin from 48houradventure.com invited me along to one of the events setup to mark the 70th Anniversary of the London Blitz I jumped at the chance.

At the now closed Aldwych Tube Station the London Transport Museum re-created what it was like for people during the blitz. With actors setup in the old tube carriages and some noise for added effect they described what is was like for so many people who literally lived on the Underground during the bombings.

There was the guy who would peddle his goods to the people never missing a beat to make a buck, the woman who was to spend her first night in the underground and the Red Cross attendant who helped to direct the people and give what food and drink they could manage.

To learn that well over 100,000 Londoners called the tubes home at night was a mind-boggling number to try to comprehend. Then for them to go on and describe how the people would sleep end to end huddled together with minimal bedding on the platforms and tracks while the bombs rained down above, well it must have been one of the most frightening experiences to ever go through.

Aldwych Station was one of the few tube stops proposed as a suitable shelter early in the war as it could be closed without affecting the rest of the underground network. This also made it a suitable place for deep storage by the British Museum where they kept thousands of valuable artworks including the Elgin Marbles and Parthenon sculptures. Even some 15 years after the war the storage shelter was still a quarter full with the museums possessions.

The added bonus to this tour was that we actually got to enter the closed station. While it has been opened to allow TV shows and films crews to film in the past, it’s only other use is as a training ground by the undergrounds emergency response unit. The station cannot be opened for regular public tours because of safety concerns as the lifts no longer work leaving the stairs as the only way in and out of the lower levels.

This rare sneak peek into London’s history was so much more rewarding than the usually high trafficked main attractions. I left the tour knowing I’d seen something so many people walking past the old station will never get to see and I think there is something rather special about that.

Have you been on a special tour like that before or found another hidden treasure in your travels that was only open for a limited time. If so I’d love for you to share it in the comments below.

Related posts:

1. The London Transport Blues
2. Getting Setup In London – Transport
3. Street Art in London
4. Finding Accommodation in London – The Ups and Downs

Thanks for checking out my post - The London Blitz at Aldwych Station. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Summer, well what passes for summer is fast approaching here in London and that means sessions with my friend cider in the park and getting among the activities that come to life when the sun burns bright-ish. Last year I arrived a little late and a fair bit broke so am looking forward to a little more fun this time around.

My very first event last year and one I’ll be looking forward to attending again this year was the Notting Hill Carnival. Described as a full-blooded Caribbean Carnival with its stunning floats and costumes, amazing aroma’s of food and various sound systems setup across the entire area you wouldn’t want to miss it.

People are everywhere and I mean everywhere. Imagine the busiest club you’ve ever been in and then take it outside to the streets, it’s utter chaos but so so awesome. Throughout the day we fought our way through the crowds to different sound system setups and danced around like idiots with the masses.

Scattered all around the streets with their fires burning and the aromas just pulling you in were the food stalls. Jerk Chicken, Curried Goat and Rice and Beans were prominent dishes and soon became my new favourite foods.

And the carnival wouldn’t be complete without the vibrant coloured costumes. Unfortunately I missed the floats going past but having seen just a sample of what people were dressed up in, I really want to make time for them this year.

I will warn you though, if you have a tiny bladder then learn to either hold it or pay up for the privilege. With a million or so people all partying and drinking in the streets of London, toilet’s are going to be required. The problem? your just in any old street in London and there isn’t any. Many entrepreneurs capitalising on this and opened up their houses for a fee and while some signs did say luxury, after half a day of people tramping through they were far from it.

Overall if you haven’t been before and you find yourself in London for the August bank holiday weekend then get yourself up to Notting Hill and take part in the largest street festival in all of Europe. The atmosphere will be pumping and you can’t help but be excited.

Related posts:

1. Finding Accommodation in London – The Ups and Downs

Thanks for checking out my post - Notting Hill Carnival. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Munich was never on my radar as a place to stop for this trip but with all good backpacking adventures, plans always change. Instead of heading to Austria as originally planned I came here as it allowed the easiest path to my new destination in Italy and what would be the end of my trip around Europe.

Quickly made plans don’t always pans out well and as such I could only find 2 nights accommodation in this captivating city. Unlike Berlin where I was easily lost, Munich felt safer and easier to navigate from the start. It might have only been two days but the sun warmed my body and the beer cooled it down making me dream of returning.

Like all of my favourite cities visited to this point, I’ve used my feet to get around. The only travel costs I incurred were reservation fees for my Eurail pass. The first day was how much it cost me leaving Prague and the second was the one leaving Munich.

My accommodation choices were limited to a list of expensive hotels and just one hostel. Some major car conference was happening in Munich at the time of my arrival and the result of that meant finding a bed for the night was almost impossible. To add to my misfortune it was also a weekend and we all know how much busier these can get.

I got lucky with my hostel in the end but would have loved to have stayed longer. It had wifi, bar, laundry facilities and pretty darn comfortable dorm rooms.

I had just one full day to explore Munich so lined up a free walking tour (tipped 5 euro) and the evening pub crawl as the main events of the day. The walking tour was really good but I would have loved to catch the tour detailing Hitler’s story in Munich. I got such a small taste that it left me wanting to know more.

Between the tour and the pub crawl I also climbed the tower at St Peter’s Church for the cost of 2 euro to get a good look out over Munich.

The pub crawl cost 11 euro which walked a happy bunch of backpackers around to three different beer halls while providing the first stein free at each. Our reasonably small group allowed us to bond quickly which fuelled the fun we had on such a warm evening. Drinking games naturally occurred and by the time I crawled home there was grave concerns for my ability to be up early for the train to Italy.

To read about everything I saw and did in Munich including the Glockenspiel check out my post Munich in a day.

Food was little bits here and there as I was always on the move. My favourite meal however was stopping at Hofbrauhaus for lunch after the walking tour. Crispy pork knuckle and potato dumplings sure go down a treat with a nice cold stein of their finest. It wasn’t really cheap at 15 euro but really how can you not want to stop at the Hofbrauhaus when in Munich.

Some snacks along the way,  extra beer on the pub crawl and a souvenir bottle opener from the great beer city were my only other expenses. I’d have loved a stein to take with me but they were just too big and I didn’t fancy my chances of not breaking it between here and London.

I loved my very short stay in Munich but it kicked a big old hole in my planed expenditure. I put part of that down to having been travelling through the cheaper eastern half of Europe and my inability to sacrifice a good time over a bit of money. I’m travelling for fun and to enjoy myself not lock myself away after lunch time because I reached the spending limit for the day.

A total cost of 158 Euro or $232.34 AUD (at an exchange rate of 0.68 Euro = 1 AUD) over the two days exploded my recent below expected average daily cost out too $116.17 AUD a day.

I know my short stop does have an effect on this as had I stayed longer my activities would have been spaced out over time. Still it was a bit of a shock and it quickly reminded me of the vast variations in costs you will meet while travelling around Europe.

Had I travelled to Munich now (May 2011) the total cost for the 2 days would have been $210.66 AUD. A little better for the wallet but still on the high side for such a short stay.

I can only imagine how much Munich would hurt your bank balance around Oktoberfest time but when the surroundings are this beautiful city and you have beer that goes down oh so well, it’s hard to deny the cost isn’t worth it.

Related posts:

1. How Much Did It Cost – Berlin Budget
2. How Much Did It Cost – Florence Budget
3. How Much Did It Cost – Helsinki Budget
4. How Much Did It Cost – Tallinn Budget
5. How Much Did It Cost – Brussels Budget

Thanks for checking out my post - How Much Did It Cost – Munich Budget. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

It starts with the winding streets that lure you into the Old Town Square where on a sunny day I could have sat all day and people watched. From the Old Town you are lead out across Charles Bridge and up to the stunning Prague Castle that is a sight to see during the day let along at night from the bridge. Oh and let’s not forget they know how to make a beer here as well.

To put it simply Beautiful + Cheap = Prague

I had a hostel booked not far from the train station which in turn is not far from all the action so it was down to my feet to get around. Thinking about it now, I covered a fair bit of ground in Prague especially on the day I visited the Castle. With every view a postcard moment just waiting to have its picture taken I didn’t complain.

The only transport  was a train out to Kutna Hora on a tour but that cost was built into my fee so doesn’t really count and I haven’t a clue how much that cost anyway.

Prague has a bit of a reputation for a party town and after Krakow I wasn’t really looking for that. Unfortunately I ended up in a party hostel anyway so dealt with noisy drunks running through my room at all hours.

Otherwise I had free breakfast and free wifi reception throughout the building which for around the $20 AUD mark made it doable. The advantage over some of the other backpackers I met in Prague was that I could walk into the centre of the Old Town in around 20min while the rest had a bit of a trip so I guess you take a bit of a hit for convenience.

Over three days I was fairly active in the exploring department. I arrived at 7am the first morning so after resting up at the hostel for a bit I caught up with the 11am free walking tour around Prague (Tip at your leisure). It was here I learnt about the day trip they run to Kutna Hora where the Bone Chapel is located. At just on $40 AUD it was a little on the expensive side but honestly the day turned into an amazing one and was worth every cent (We all fell asleep on the train back to Prague).

Had I attempted it on my own I’d have missed stopping at a stunning church and a local meal from a pub where I got to sample some mead for the first time. Re-thinking the ground we covered I know for a fact I’d have got lost seeking out the Bone Chapel in the process of it all.

My last day saw me visit Prague Castle where I didn’t pay a cent. I got the impression I was supposed to pay to enter the Cathedral there but nobody stopped me so why hand over the coin. Most other sections of the Castle were closed for some reason so I’m glad I’d not booked a tour of the entire complex but in saying that it would have been great to hear about the history of the site from someone with a bit of an idea.

Prague was burn your skin hot so much beer and ice cream was consumed while exploring. As breakfast was free I had spare money but instead of splashing out too much I tried out a couple of local restaurants with vouchers from my hostel.

Lastly if I ever go back to Prague and for the rest of you deciding to go there, a stop off to buy a Trdelník is a must. I didn’t eat nearly enough of these and think if I lived there they would easily added to my ever-growing stomach. It’s basically dough rolled around a rolling-pin and cooked up before it’s rolled around in sugar. How could that not be delicious? (Check out my Seeing Prague Castle post for pictures)

Due to the warm weather I stopped for drinks both alcoholic and not through my stay. Partly for an excuse to get out of the sun and partly because it was just good beer. There was no crazy nights out here just relaxed slow travel where I could stop and drink a beer while sitting on the steps that lead up to the Castle or enjoy a cold bottle of water in the shade of the trees surrounding the Old Town Square.

I can see why Prague has fast become a MUST for so many, it combines beauty with a cheap stay. I was never worried about spending money and until now really hadn’t paid attention to what I’d paid during my visit.

With a total cost of 3300 Czech Koruna or $186 AUD (at an exchange rate of 17.74 Koruna = 1 AUD) I stuck to an average of $62 AUD a day. When you consider I paid for an all day tour and didn’t hold back with regards to buying food or drinks as I went that’s super cheap.

Had I travelled to Prague now (April 2011) the total cost for the 3 days would have been $186 AUD. Yep the Australian dollar is still on par with the Czech Koruna and while I can only imagine Prague is getting more popular I can’t see local prices sky rocketing that much.

I don’t know where my plans will take me once my visa for the UK expires but I do know if I’m left with a choice of places to spin my heels for a month or two then Prague will be right up their fighting for top spot. I’ve only seen such a small part of the country but going on what I know so far…  a month or two in the Czech Republic may just not be long enough.

Related posts:

1. How Much Did It Cost – Munich Budget
2. How Much Did It Cost – Stockholm Budget
3. How Much Did It Cost – Riga Budget
4. How Much Did It Cost – Warsaw & Krakow Budget
5. How Much Did It Cost – Florence Budget

Thanks for checking out my post - How Much Did It Cost – Prague Budget. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

For so many Aussies with travel dreams London has become a rite of passage. You get your visa, book your flights to London  then backpack Europe and live in London for a while sampling everything it has to offer.

Sitting at home I would read Facebook updates and hear stories about friends that had headed to London to live abroad and were living the life. Wild parties in Europe with new friends and the never-ending joke about Fosters always bringing me to a chuckle.

What’s not to love right? So I made the leap and did the same. I travelled Europe and then landed in London ready to find a place to live and join in with all of the fun. Only this is where you find out it’s not all fun, you see those fun-loving friends of your’s never informed you of just how hard it can be to find a place to live in London.

Unless you have a friend here to begin with or shares in a timeshare, your housing will consist of a hostel. Nothing wrong with that as I love hostels it’s just the small fact that London hostels are some of the worst I’ve ever stayed in. To escape the hostel you begin searching online at places like gumtree and other similar sites trying to track down that share house in the right location and with the right people to live out that dream you built up before leaving home.

The majority of people find a house and go on their way, for the rest London beats them down like it nearly did me and they head for home or a cheaper location like Asia. Maybe it takes a week, could be a month or even longer in my case. I spent 4 months living in a London hostel/pub all while working a full-time job which as you can imagine really made things difficult.

To clue you in on what it was like my living conditions consisted of a kitchen that included a microwave, oven, kettle and toaster all kept company by a handful of mismatched plates and cutlery. A VERY small common area big enough for two fridges that were never cleaned and a small table completed the upstairs area. For this reason the majority of us sat downstairs in the bar so that we could actually move around as the bedrooms were tiny as well.

The bathroom facilities were terrible at best and down right scary at their worst. Leaky showers caused 3 different rooms to have their ceilings collapse. Toilets were constantly blocked and at one point we had no toilets or showers working in the entire building. Oh and did I mention the place was nearly closed down because it was deemed a safety risk? You can see why I prefered to find a house to live in.

OK back on topic. Once you come to terms with searching for houses and sending off the right worded email you then wait to get contacted about when interviews will be taking place. If you hear back then it’s time to front up to your interview with your best pitch praying to the gods because most likely you are number 40 to have seen that house today and the housemates picked their favourite at number 5 and just saw everybody else to be polite.

I found getting interviewed for a house in London is much like going for a job interview… only a million times worse. You have until they finish showing you around the apartment before their mind is made up. I can see where they are coming from as well, some interviews I went to were seeing 30 people today and then another 30 the following day. It’s all about supply and demand and well there just isn’t enough supply my friends. As a result I spent a lot of time in the hostel bar drinking my frustrations away.

For weeks I would stop off for an interview on my way home from work. Sometimes even getting within 5 minutes from the house before getting a txt to say sorry we have found someone. Other times I’d have the most amazing chat with the people at the house and leave with a great feeling. The house was great, it was in the perfect area and most of all the people seemed really nice. Still an email would come the following day saying sorry but we picked someone else.

I was lucky and had a job waiting for me when I arrived but for people coming to find work and a house you can see how week after week it slowly beats you down as your money runs dry? You need an address to get a bank account but you can’t get one without a house and how do you get paid from work without a bank account?

Eventually after viewing 20-30 houses I got my break and found a nice little flat. Did it offer me everything I wanted? Not really but after so many people saying no you jump on the first offer you get. Now that I have been in it for over 6 months it is actually what I wanted. I have a great housemate and I’m well connected with the rest of London should I have a big night out and need to get a night bus home (curse the tubes for stopping at midnight).

London is a great city to live in but you have to roll with it and some times it rolls in a direction that you really do not want to go.

Related posts:

1. Street Art in London
2. The London Blitz at Aldwych Station
3. The London Transport Blues
4. Missing In Action

Thanks for checking out my post - Finding Accommodation in London – The Ups and Downs. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Forget the contiki tours, 2 week trips away with the boys (or girls) and seeing the world as a couple. You will learn more about yourself and become better for it if it’s just you and your trusty backpack to keep you company on the road.

OK so before you grab your pick axe’s and begin to beat me half to death proving why the above mentioned ways of travel are better hear me out because I already agree with you. There is no best way to travel… period. I’m talking more from a character building perspective.

Leaving everything behind to see a part of the world that is as foreign to you as the language, is at it’s hardest when you are doing it alone. You have no-one to lead you by the hand from place to place like a tour will, there are no mates for backup when you get lost and for the couples well boys there will be no girlfriend there to save your ass either.

Taking off to travel solo builds self-confidence which to me is something everybody needs in huge doses. Especially with a world that is constantly beating us down because we don’t look a certain way, have a certain education or act a way that the world perceives as correct.

I look back now and wish I’d thought of/been pushed into travelling after high school instead of now. I left Australia with what I thought was a fairly high confidence level. After two months travelling Europe I soon discovered that what I thought was high, really only filled up to my reserve tank level.

Be it the people you meet (both local and travellers), the places you visit or the things you do everything is off your own back and it forces you to grow as a person (this is a good thing people).

To tackle university or a job with that kind of experience under your belt would have been a major bonus to me. Not only because you get to make everyone jealous with your travel stories but because you have gone out there on your own and proved to yourself you can do it.

If you could navigate getting from foreign city to foreign city where you don’t speak the language and enjoy yourself without the usual support you get at home, then presenting yourself for that job interview should be a breeze. The feeling of having conquered something on your own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m tackling a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.

I don’t want to say you can’t do all of this as a couple or group travelling but there is that inherent feeling that you won’t talk to others because you have friends etc with you already or won’t push the envelope as far. I know personally I’d have stuck to my ways from home more had there been a friend with me while travelling. I wouldn’t have been pushed as hard or been as far from my comfort zone because there was always that safety net there.

To me solo travel was a shot in the arm that unleashed a better more confident person that was ready to tackle anything life had to throw at me. If you have travelled do you agree/disagree? I’d love to know what you think.

Related posts:

1. Solo Travel – My Interview on ABC Radio
2. My First Solo Day
3. Why I Won’t Pre Book My Travel
4. Why I have decided to travel
5. Tentative Travel Itinerary

Thanks for checking out my post - Solo Travel Should Be Compulsory. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Oh Poland I adore you. Some countries I just wanted to see. Not for any particular reason, something just clicked inside and said you know what I can’t wait to see Poland. The 10 hour over night bus ride from Vilnius almost killed me but Poland put it all right. With just a one night stay in Warsaw (wish it had been longer) and a few days spent in Krakow with a traveller I met in Stockholm it was only the rain that got in my way.

Transport in Poland…. Well for one my Global Eurail Pass was allowed and then it wasn’t (only country specific Eurail passes work for Poland). Turns out it should never have been allowed but oh well you get that. Not so much fun frantically trying to find some money to pay for a ticket as you are exiting a country so here is a tip, always carry some Euro’s for emergencies it saved me getting kicked off a train and into the rain at a train station in no mans land.

Krakow was also my first time ever catching a taxi abroad. Normally I just wander around lost for hours until finding my way but when it’s pouring rain and I don’t even know the right direction to be heading you just hop in the taxi parked right in front of you, was 20 Zloty well spent if you ask me.

I’m always reluctant to name hostels I’ve stayed at on my blog but I do want to mention the hostels I used in Warsaw and Krakow because they were great. If you are in either I suggest you look up Nathan’s Villa Hostels in both locations.

In Warsaw as I arrived dog tired and all but slumped on the reception counter the beautiful receptionist took pity on me and upgraded my room to one that was empty so I could grab 40 winks. Everything about the place was great from the gated entry to the super hot showers.

Krakow was even more off the hook. Drinking sessions with the aussie lads in the bar and even sharing a few vodka’s with the man himself of Nathan’s Villas. The hostel just says party with the bar/pool table/mini cinema all downstairs in the basement and vodka served straight from the freezer like it should be.

My only gripe was the wifi wouldn’t work for my Mac but did for everything else. Still I’d stay there again without even questioning it, sometimes its about more than the free wifi.

In Warsaw I stomped my way up Royal Road, grabbed a massive meal (with 1 Litre Beer) in the center of the Old Town, climbed St Anne’s Tower (4 Zloty) and finished off with a tour through the Castle (5 Zloty). Not bad for a day’s activities if I do say so myself.

Krakow saw me visit Auschwitz. Getting there yourself is much cheaper and its a breeze to do so you’d be silly to book a tour. It was 4 Zloty for the return bus trip from the local bus station and 20 Zloty for the tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau.

I also visited the Old Synagogue (15 Zloty which included charge to takes pictures) in the Jewish Quarter and strolled around the grounds of Wawel Castle. Unfortunately Schindler’s Factory was having restoration work done so I couldn’t visit but I’d love to make the time on another trip.

Warsaw opened my eyes to 1 Litre beers but that was about it. Krakow on the other hand was a different story. I had a feast cooked up by the hostel my first night and then went on to have dumplings, some hotdog concoction, a lovely restaurant meal and finally a very interesting dish from the small cafe at Auschwitz.

The masterpiece was the Zapiekanka which I only discovered on my final day there. I’m going to blame the boys in the hostel bar for not informing me about that one.

Oh dear I don’t even know how to start here. Warsaw was a few beers with the Dutch girls I met in Vilnius. We crashed this party they had heard about which turned out to be a complete waste of time and then couldn’t find anything open after midnight to serve us booze so called it a night.

Krakow… oh how you tested my liver more than anything in my life. I’d only been there about 4 hours and already I was playing drinking games with an English stag party. It only went down hill from there really. More beer, strip clubs and a vague recollection of a cash machine run driven there by a patron at one of the strip clubs. My tip avoid English stag parties at all costs because as you can see from my table above I spent nothing the day after due to severe hungoverness.

If someone said lets go to Poland this weekend I’d find the money even if I didn’t have it. I was won over by the people I met and everything I saw. In the end I needed to leave so my poor liver could survive otherwise I’d have stayed even longer.

With a total cost of 1270 Zloty or $453.54 AUD (at an exchange rate of 2.80 Zloty = 1 AUD) I stuck to an average of $75.59 AUD a day which had it not been for that bender with the English lads would have been much less. Still you have to go crazy in the cheaper places, image what that would have cost me in Paris or Stockholm of all places.

Had I travelled to Poland now (April 2011) the total cost for the 6 days would have been $432.87 AUD.

I really enjoyed my time in Poland and having a friend to tour around with in Krakow was an extra bonus as Auschwitz wasn’t a place I’d really have wanted to see solo (Read my post about Auschwitz here). If I was to do the time again I’d allow more time for Warsaw as well. Nothing was expensive and I missed out on some sights that I had never even known about till I got there.

Even with a good few days in Krakow I missed seeing the Salt Mines and spending enough time in the Old Town area. Again I’ll blame the booze for some of that but the rain also played a part. I know there are some countries I’ll go back too because I just didn’t stay long enough for but Poland I’d go back just because.

Nothing at all to do with the vodka…..

Related posts:

1. How Much Did It Cost – Vilnius Budget
2. How Much Did It Cost – Prague Budget
3. How Much Did It Cost – Stockholm Budget
4. How Much Did It Cost – Riga Budget
5. How Much Did It Cost – Florence Budget

Thanks for checking out my post - How Much Did It Cost – Warsaw & Krakow Budget. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.

Arriving in Vilnius I assumed it would be a similar story to Tallinn and Riga on my trip down through the Baltic States. As I wandered from the bus station down the streets to my hostel I got the distinct impression time was moving much slower here. Buildings appeared to show their age as cracks slithered up the walls like snakes while the hostel staff were so blase about booking me in I got the impression I was somehow getting in the way.

The bus to Vilnius was just as comfortable as the one to Riga and cost almost exactly the same as it too (55 Litas). I also pre-purchased my overnight bus ride to Warsaw (105 Litas) because what was planned as a relaxing few days to catch up on rest turned into an I-need-to-escape-my-hostel situation. It’s a shame I ended up leaving Vilnius early but sometimes it’s just easier than dealing with the situation at hand.

Worst hostel I’ve ever stayed in and certainly not worth the 50 Litas a night it cost me. Luckily I was travelling with a friend from Riga or I’d have been worried about staying there. The only people booked in appeared to be middle age alcoholics and even then it was an empty shell of a place. Never had I seen a kitchen in a hostel empty at night time.

Add to all of that my room smelt like it had been locked up for months with a pile of dirty old socks left in the corner. Luckily it was located at the opposite end of the drinkers and had a window to try and suck the smell out (it didn’t work). Wifi was non-existant almost and overly complicated to use. My advice if you find yourself in Vilnius don’t book the AAA Hostel.

A free walking tour around the town including Uzupis was a great way to find out about this town I was in. It also highlighted just how much Vilnius seems to be behind its neighbours in terms of development in the old town (the high street however was as fancy as any in London).

I also stopped in at the University (5 Litas) to look around their courtyards but was left rather disappointed and also the Natural History Museum (5 Litas) which had a great display of clothing and artifacts if you are into that sort of thing.

I can say eating out in Vilnius was a treat. Mouth watering food and extremely cheap, I never even considered cooking in my hostel (not that I was game too). The feeling of sitting down in a relaxed restaurant like you would find in your local trendy locations and handing over just 70 Litas ($30 AUD) for a two course meal including drinks just can’t be denied.

Some extra drinks, a bottle opener for my collection and a stock up on toiletries was the majority of my spend here. The hostel was empty of life and having drank more than enough in Riga so my travelling friend and I took it nice and easy.

Vilnius failed to win me over and what was meant to be 4 days turned into 3 as I left on an overnight bus a day early just to escape. With a total cost of 539.40 Litas or $226.62 AUD (at an exchange rate of 2.38 Litas = 1 AUD) I managed to stick to an average of $75.54 AUD a day. As almost a third of my costs in Vilnius related to transport I can say things definitely worked out on the cheaper side.

Had I travelled to Lithuania now (March 2011) the total cost for the 3 days would have been $214.04 AUD.

My time in Vilnius was tainted by a bad hostel stay, I can’t deny that. Had there been others around to explore with and share a bit of fun I know it would have been a different story. I’d love to head back at some stage to have a second look around and make a real judgement but for now I just can’t find the desire like I have for other places around Europe.

I want to say more about my stay here but failing some good food and a few interesting sights (you can read about my stay in Vilnius starting with my Arriving in Vilnius post) I don’t have the fond memories like I do of places like Tallinn, Berlin or Paris.

Related posts:

1. How Much Did It Cost – Warsaw & Krakow Budget
2. How Much Did It Cost – Berlin Budget
3. How Much Did It Cost – Helsinki Budget
4. How Much Did It Cost – Riga Budget
5. How Much Did It Cost – Prague Budget

Thanks for checking out my post - How Much Did It Cost – Vilnius Budget. For more of the same head on over to my blog The Aussie Nomad and check out all of my other travel articles.