Anyone 'done' Eastern Europe?

[Anthony1]

We plan to leave for Norway, via Calais, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden on Thursday.

I had thought about returning via Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Has anyone 'done' these Eastern European countries? If so any tips?

Thank you.

 

[Amarillo]

Yes - we did that in the summer of 2017, departing the UK on 5 June, returning 17 August - 73 days.

Calais, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, then Norway to Nordkapp, some very remote roads in North Eastern Norway to Nuorgam, then South through Finland, crossing from Helsinki to Tallinn. Through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, into and across Poland to Germany. Luxembourg, Belgium again and France again. I called the trip The Baltic Loop, and was the first 10 weeks of a full year tour of the European Union.

The trip is documented in our blog: www.au-revoir.eu

Campsites in the Baltic States and Poland are not dissimilar from sites across the rest of Europe, but can be delightfully quirky: see https://www.labirinti.lv/en

 

[Anthony1]

Yes - we did that in the summer of 2017, departing the UK on 5 June, returning 17 August - 73 days.

Calais, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, then Norway to Nordkapp, some very remote roads in North Eastern Norway to Nuorgam, then South through Finland, crossing from Helsinki to Tallinn. Through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, into and across Poland to Germany. Luxembourg, Belgium again and France again. I called the trip The Baltic Loop, and was the first 10 weeks of a full year tour of the European Union.

The trip is documented in our blog: www.au-revoir.eu

Campsites in the Baltic States and Poland are not dissimilar from sites across the rest of Europe, but can be delightfully quirky: see https://www.labirinti.lv/en

Excellent

Thank you

For the ferry from Helsinki. do you just turn up?

 

[Amarillo]

Excellent

Thank you

For the ferry from Helsinki. do you just turn up?

I’m struggling to remember. I think that we probably booked online ~24 hours before arriving in Helsinki.

 

[Amarillo]

I’m struggling to remember. I think that we probably booked online ~24 hours before arriving in Helsinki.

I have found the confirmation email, sent at 18:44 on 21 August 2017 for a passage at 13:00 on 22 August 2017. Booked as a vehicle less than 1.90m - and we got away with it! £95.04 charged to our credit card.

 

[BillyCasper]

I took the very same route last summer.

I think I booked the ferry from Helsinki to Talllinn a day or so beforehand on the internet. There's a decent campsite in the east of Helsinki with an easy metro ride in to the centre. It's also nice out to the west of Helsinki to Hanko.

Tallinn. Now I might get flamed, but I found it meh. Over-restored, somewhat artificial, Disneyesque. Decent campsite in a far western suburb of Tallinn and an easy train ride in to the centre. Much preferred Haapsalu and Parnu out to the west and south west.

Quite liked the Gauja Valley and Cesis in Latvia, Kurtuvėnai in Lithuania, Białowieża in Poland.

The campsites in the Baltics tended to have giveaway campsite directories.

Things I learnt and found interesting: the histories of Finland in WW2 (Winter and Continuation Wars) and WW1 in that part of east Europe (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn August 1914).

What I found odd: the control of alcohol sales in Sweden and Finland (the systembolaget, anglicised by me as systembuylager, stores are quite pleasant) but the seemingly lack of control of access to slot machines/betting terminals. They are everywhere. I have the strange recollection of banks of slot machines being fed straight after supermarket checkouts.

ps. How much do you rely on the cooker in your van and Campingaz? It's not available, so take a spare bottle or use the campsite facilities which are always very good.

 

[Amarillo]

Decent campsite in a far western suburb of Tallinn

Was it Vanamõisa Caravan Park?

We thought it was great with its own petting zoo, and rare breed sheep escaping from their field then running amok around the campground.

 

[BillyCasper]

Yes that's the one.

Was it Vanamõisa Caravan Park?

We thought it was great with its own petting zoo, and rare breed sheep escaping from their field then running amok around the campground.

 

[Anthony1]

I took the very same route last summer.

I think I booked the ferry from Helsinki to Talllinn a day or so beforehand on the internet. There's a decent campsite in the east of Helsinki with an easy metro ride in to the centre. It's also nice out to the west of Helsinki to Hanko.

Tallinn. Now I might get flamed, but I found it meh. Over-restored, somewhat artificial, Disneyesque. Decent campsite in a far western suburb of Tallinn and an easy train ride in to the centre. Much preferred Haapsalu and Parnu out to the west and south west.

Quite liked the Gauja Valley and Cesis in Latvia, Kurtuvėnai in Lithuania, Białowieża in Poland.

The campsites in the Baltics tended to have giveaway campsite directories.

Things I learnt and found interesting: the histories of Finland in WW2 (Winter and Continuation Wars) and WW1 in that part of east Europe (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn August 1914).

What I found odd: the control of alcohol sales in Sweden and Finland (the systembolaget, anglicised by me as systembuylager, stores are quite pleasant) but the seemingly lack of control of access to slot machines/betting terminals. They are everywhere. I have the strange recollection of banks of slot machines being fed straight after supermarket checkouts.

ps. How much do you rely on the cooker in your van and Campingaz? It's not available, so take a spare bottle or use the campsite facilities which are always very good.

Thanks for all the info. I have been in touch with the Helsinki - Tallin ferry people (Viking) and they reckon it is best to book, but we don't have a date for the crossing. Perhaps I will telephone them when we enter Finland and that will give us a few of days to get down there.

I found a nice looking campsite east of Helsinki -Rastila Camping. I have copied the details of the one you mentioned in Latvia.

I have done belt and braces for cooking, a full bottle of gas, an electric hotplate for when we are on hookup and an portable cooker with four spare bottles for outside cookin. We will also use the on site facilities.

Did you wild camp much or just play it by ear re. official sites?

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks for all the info. I have been in touch with the Helsinki - Tallin ferry people (Viking) and they reckon it is best to book, but we don't have a date for the crossing. Perhaps I will telephone them when we enter Finland and that will give us a few of days to get down there.

I found a nice looking campsite east of Helsinki -Rastila Camping. I have copied the details of the one you mentioned in Latvia.

I have done belt and braces for cooking, a full bottle of gas, an electric hotplate for when we are on hookup and an portable cooker with four spare bottles for outside cookin. We will also use the on site facilities.

Did you wild camp much or just play it by ear re. official sites?

We nearly always stayed on campsites - just one wild camp in Finland. But wild camping is dead easy throughout Scandinavia.

One 907 gas bottle was sufficient for four for four weeks. Hot drinks in the morning and a proper cooked meal every evening. Our second 907 bottle ran out in Krakow and we couldn't exchange our two empty bottles until we got to Trier. But eating out is cheap in Poland; not so cheap in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; and almost unaffordable for a family in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

 

[BillyCasper]

Thanks for all the info. I have been in touch with the Helsinki - Tallin ferry people (Viking) and they reckon it is best to book, but we don't have a date for the crossing. Perhaps I will telephone them when we enter Finland and that will give us a few of days to get down there.

I found a nice looking campsite east of Helsinki -Rastila Camping. I have copied the details of the one you mentioned in Latvia.

I have done belt and braces for cooking, a full bottle of gas, an electric hotplate for when we are on hookup and an portable cooker with four spare bottles for outside cookin. We will also use the on site facilities.

Did you wild camp much or just play it by ear re. official sites?

I booked my ferry on one of the English language booking sites. Could have been aferry.co.uk

Also stayed at Rastila.

Cooking - belt and braces and more! How many in your party? The cooking facilities on sites are excellent. I generally stayed on sites.

If you go via Copenhagen and the bridge, I recommend staying at Charlottenlund Fort in the northern suburbs. There’s a surburban train into the city.


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[RoB5urf]

We were in Northern Poland for a week last summer. I wouldn't describe it as beautiful from what I saw but has loads of history.

Would recommend a visit to the WWII museum near Gdansk (also the lighthouse more or less where it began). And to the medieval town of Torun.

Returned via the Gdynia - Karlskrona (Sweden) ferry.



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[Anthony1]

I booked my ferry on one of the English language booking sites. Could have been aferry.co.uk

Also stayed at Rastila.

Cooking - belt and braces and more! How many in your party? The cooking facilities on sites are excellent. I generally stayed on sites.

If you go via Copenhagen and the bridge, I recommend staying at Charlottenlund Fort in the northern suburbs. There’s a surburban train into the city.


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Only two in our 'party' I might ditch the hotplate. I doesn't take up too much room, but I hate doing a journey and unloading at home with stuff I never used or wore or ate. We are planning to go via the bridge. First night Bremen, second night adjacent to the bridge (Gronnehave Strand Camping) then over the bridge and off up north through Sweden to Norway. I haven't booked the camping in denmark so I might have a look at Charlottenlund Fort instead.

 

[Amarillo]

Only two in our 'party' I might ditch the hotplate. I doesn't take up too much room, but I hate doing a journey and unloading at home with stuff I never used or wore or ate. We are planning to go via the bridge. First night Bremen, second night adjacent to the bridge (Gronnehave Strand Camping) then over the bridge and off up north through Sweden to Norway. I haven't booked the camping in denmark so I might have a look at Charlottenlund Fort instead.

If doing our ten week trip again I’d take 2 x 907 bottles and an electric hot plate. We didn’t buy our hot plate until halfway through our trip. It is an excellent backup, and, as you have identified, takes up little space.

 

[KGCali]

We did all of Europe from Spain to the Arctic Circle and Eastern block plus Turkey and Greece back in 2005 during a 2 year break in our old T4 and the only issue we had was finding gas, we had two bottles but it was impossible to exchange them and then we eventually found that many of the boat marina's could refill our 907 tanks once you chat to the locals. A hot plate and electric heater kept us going whilst skiing in Italy Have fun on your travels!

 

[Amarillo]

many of the boat marina's could refill our 907 tanks once you chat to the locals.

Two short videos of the gas refill process:

 

[Anthony1]

We did all of Europe from Spain to the Arctic Circle and Eastern block plus Turkey and Greece back in 2005 during a 2 year break in our old T4 and the only issue we had was finding gas, we had two bottles but it was impossible to exchange them and then we eventually found that many of the boat marina's could refill our 907 tanks once you chat to the locals. A hot plate and electric heater kept us going whilst skiing in Italy Have fun on your travels!

Thank you

 

[Anthony1]

We did all of Europe from Spain to the Arctic Circle and Eastern block plus Turkey and Greece back in 2005 during a 2 year break in our old T4 and the only issue we had was finding gas, we had two bottles but it was impossible to exchange them and then we eventually found that many of the boat marina's could refill our 907 tanks once you chat to the locals. A hot plate and electric heater kept us going whilst skiing in Italy Have fun on your travels!

I took the hot plate out of the van this evening. I might put it back now. Nothing like being prepared for the worst but hoping for the best etc. When I walk up places like Snowdon, Scafell Pike etc, I take a rucksack with a first aid kit, torches, whistles and survival blankets etc. Just in case.

I am not a worryer, although I might appear to be one. But like insurance, you hope you'll never need to call on it, but its nice to know it is there.

 

[WelshGas]

Only two in our 'party' I might ditch the hotplate. I doesn't take up too much room, but I hate doing a journey and unloading at home with stuff I never used or wore or ate. We are planning to go via the bridge. First night Bremen, second night adjacent to the bridge (Gronnehave Strand Camping) then over the bridge and off up north through Sweden to Norway. I haven't booked the camping in denmark so I might have a look at Charlottenlund Fort instead.

You can pay the Oresund Bridge crossing on line, single or return, with a 10% Discount.

Köp din Onlinebiljett här

Med onlinebiljetten sparar du upp till 5% när du anmäler dig till vårt nyhetsbrev och kan smidigt köra igenom betalstationen med nummerplåtsavläsning.

www.oresundsbron.com

 

[KGCali]

I took the hot plate out of the van this evening. I might put it back now. Nothing like being prepared for the worst but hoping for the best etc. When I walk up places like Snowdon, Scafell Pike etc, I take a rucksack with a first aid kit, torches, whistles and survival blankets etc. Just in case.

I am not a worryer, although I might appear to be one. But like insurance, you hope you'll never need to call on it, but its nice to know it is there.

You sound like me, always prepare for the worst and it'll never happen
Important: Remember to take a breaker bar for your wheel nuts and loosen then tighten them before you go.

 

[Anthony1]

You can pay the Oresund Bridge crossing on line, single or return, with a 10% Discount.

Köp din Onlinebiljett här

Med onlinebiljetten sparar du upp till 5% när du anmäler dig till vårt nyhetsbrev och kan smidigt köra igenom betalstationen med nummerplåtsavläsning.

www.oresundsbron.com

Thank you. I have just bought my ticket.

 

[Anthony1]

You sound like me, always prepare for the worst and it'll never happen
Important: Remember to take a breaker bar for your wheel nuts and loosen then tighten them before you go.

I have spider, that should be OK, I guess.

 

[Geesvw]

Have you considered Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria? - I can certainly recommend Romania, wild camping everywhere is the norm! but there are decent campsite as well
On our trip in 2012 we even went into the Ukraine, as word of warning though, the border crossings are a nightmare, took 1.5 hours to get in but 2.5 to come out!

 

[kevinstewart500]

We plan to leave for Norway, via Calais, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden on Thursday.

I had thought about returning via Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Has anyone 'done' these Eastern European countries? If so any tips?

Thank you.

 

[kevinstewart500]

I’ve done them all, very simple without any dramas. Really enjoyed Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia but all were great! In Poland they let you park in some Hotel car parks FOC and charge you for a shower and you can use the bar restaurants and not expensive.