What’s New in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia in 2006
By Rick Steves
From the warm beaches of Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast to the chilly climes of Copenhagen, here are the best new tips I’ve collected for 2006, after a year of updating my guidebooks. This is the fourth part of a five-part series, outlining major changes for travelers in the year to come.
The big news this year throughout Eastern Europe is the arrival of no-frills budget airlines (www.skyeurope.com, www.wizzair.com, www.centralwings.com). Westerners are arriving en masse and newly popular destinations are improving their tourist infrastructures. In some places, such as Kraków, the increase in demand has sparked the creation of better-value accommodations. In other places, including Budapest, supply isn’t keeping up with demand and prices are going way up. Budget airlines are increasingly using the airport in Bratislava, Slovakia, because of its proximity to Vienna (about an hour away), always a big tourist draw.
In Warsaw, the new Warsaw Uprising Museum commemorates citizens’ brave insurrection under the *** in World War II (www.1944.pl). While far from the main sightseeing zone, it’s an excellent museum.
Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast — long a headache to connect with the rest of Europe — is becoming more and more accessible. A new expressway and a sleek "tilting train" with banked tracks connect two Croatian cities, Zagreb (in the interior) and Split (on the coast), in six hours or less. Budget flights are also a good possibility. A speedy new catamaran now connects Split to the popular Croatian island, Korcula, four mornings each week.
In Dubrovnik, Croatia, big, expensive hotels are renovating so they can "add a star" and begin charging even more astronomical rates, while the selection of good-value sobe (B&B-type rooms in private homes) is steadily increasing. Recently war-torn Dubrovnik now hosts a new gallery called War Photo Limited, exhibiting true-to-life photographs of warfare from around the world (www.warphotoltd.com).
Far north, in Scandinavia, the city of Copenhagen has a new Danish Jewish Museum. The exhibit is small and good, but the real attraction is the building itself, by American architect Daniel Libeskind, who is redeveloping the World Trade Center site in New York City. The floor plan, a seemingly random squiggle, is actually in the shape of the Hebrew characters for Mitzveh, which loosely means "act of kindness." The uneven floors and asymmetrical walls give you the feeling that what lies around the corner is completely unknown … much like the history of Danish Jews.
Copenhagen’s tourist information office — which used to be called "Wonderful Copenhagen" — has changed its name to the more demanding "Copenhagen Right Now." Regardless of the name, it is not an "information service," but an ad agency promoting businesses for a fee that make money off of visiting tourists.
Copenhagen still has no direct night trains to Oslo or Stockholm — but you can usually sleep your way to either destination on night trains that depart from nearby Malmö in Sweden (just a half-hour ride away over the Øresund Bridge). For train schedules and to book seats click here
In Oslo, the Nobel Peace Center opened near the harbor front. It celebrates the spirit — and winners — of the world’s most prestigious award (www.nobelpeacecenter.org).
Oslo’s Munch Museum has reopened after the headline-grabbing heist of a couple of artist Edvard Munch’s famous works, including one of his Scream paintings. In a classic case of "closing the gate after the horse has left," the museum has dramatically bolstered their security system. Some of the alleged robbers are now on trial, but the missing paintings have still not turned up. If you’ve got them, turn 'em in now — no questions asked.
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