How to see Europe in 7 days: Poland, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary

What initially began as a winter holiday in Poland to visit a couple friends quickly turned into a multi-country adventure. I was sick with a mild cold but wouldn’t let that stop me from continuing my mission to get to 30 countries before the end of the school year. It was during the 2022 FIFA world cup, and I coincidentally came from a country that was playing my destination country: Poland. The Poland/Saudi Arabia game was a smash hit and the spirited locals dawned their red and white colors in support of their home team. Just days prior, Saudi Arabia had made history by defeating the almighty Argentinian team 1-0. The international spirit combined with the holidays helped bolster my excitement about traveling to four European countries during the start of winter. Waking up from a red-eye slumber, I looked out my window just in time to see the Lufthansa crane bouncing from the impact of landing.

First destination: Krakow, Poland

Krakow came with many surprises. After my body acclimatized to the 2° Celsius weather, I grabbed my luggage and made my way to my accommodation on Studenker street, immediately west of Old Town square; a perfect location from which to see the main UNESCO and historical sites. Most vendors and businesses operated with the Polish Zloty so I grabbed some cash from the ATM at the airport and headed to town on a pre-reserved shuttle service courtesy of my accommodation. While thinking about monarchs and past nobility, the KFC logo with Colonel Harland David Sanders staring at me from the first town we passed made me chuckle to myself. What would the Polish Kings make of this fried chicken monopoly that has staked a claim in almost every country around the world? Is it strange that I travel whilst thinking about the mindset of someone from 500 years ago? Did the Poles even fry their chickens back then? It’s a strange thing to think about.

I enjoy adventuring as much as I enjoy planning so traveling is generally split half and half between the two. Oftentimes, I stumble across a hidden gem or famous attraction that I hadn’t thought of before and it has worked out well for me to learn through exploring. Speaking of which, the first building that caught my eye from the morning walk was the Wawel Royal castle. It houses crypts of the nobility, chancellors, kings and queens throughout Polish history. It’s pretty much the Westminster Abbey of Poland and touring through the cathedral and museum was a great way to introduce myself to the likes of Krakus, Boleslaw, Poniatowski, and Kazimierz. Given the ornamented nature of the architecture, it seemed Poland and Italy were strong allies.

With four days in Krakow, I spent one day paying my respects in Birkenau and Auschwitz then explored the salt mines of Wieliczka. The last day was spent enjoying some colorful booths at the Old Town Christmas Market. Some of my favorite foods included krokiety, Borscht soup, and any combination of bread, onions, sauerkraut, and meat. It was all warm and delicious in the cold winter air. There was also a subway or train station that had numerous booths lining either side which provided for some eye candy as well. Many colors lit up the night while customers and visitors perused the various artifacts and foods that the local Polish community had to offer.

Second destination: Bratislava, Slovakia

From Krakow, I flew to Vienna and took a bus to Bratislava. I hadn’t planned a tour through Slovakia because the other countries on my somewhat impromptu trip took priority but a four hour stint in Bratislava was more than enough to catch a glimpse of the famed 9th-century Bratislava castle, a couple nice Slovakian dishes and a walk through a mall that was right next to the main city bus stop. From Bratislava I took another bus ride to Budapest. There was a love Portuguese family with a grandmother who couldn’t stop watching meme after meme and for two hours straight I had to use my ninja-like mental toughness to muster through all her videos. I have no idea why some people are resistant to the idea of headphones. “My life is a blessing, I am on a European tour, I have much to be grateful for.” I survived.

Third destination: Budapest, Hungary

Hands down the most memorable experience I had while in Budapest was the day-long biking trip I took through the city by myself. I managed to climb steep hills, pass by Fisherman’s Bastion, historical monuments, happened upon the Music Museum where I heard a professional cellist play some classical Hungarian compositions, traverse across Margaret bridge, loop around the island, have lunch across the river on the Pest side at a local hot spot, go back across the bridge and return my bike just in time for a 4pm river cruise. Whew! I must have burned at least 500 plus calories biking around the city that day but it was the best time to breathe in the crisp winter air, look out on the city from a beautiful park where I sat next to the statue of ethnomusicologist Zoltan Kodaly. After the arduous climb for the view, whizzing down the street back to the river was an adrenaline shot I didn’t know I needed.

Luggage holding facilities while traveling exist in cafes, train stations, and sometimes along busy streets and intersections. The only other country I traveled to that had conveniently placed luggage storage that you could pay for by the hour was Japan.

Fourth destination: Vienna, Austria

Besides the Billy Joel classic echoing in my head, I had many other reasons to feel excited about my trip to Vienna. Andre Rieu’s Strauss Orchestra made famous the Viennese Waltz and I can still hear the music coming from my family room TV when I think back to the youthful days of watching random PBS specials with my family. The excitement around Vienna mostly comes from the philosophers, artists, musicians and thinkers that I associate with the land of the Habsburg Empire. Many advancements were made in this region and to this day, I spend many hours a week playing the violin, something I wouldn’t be able to do if it weren’t for the genius of Austrians and Germans. So, I took advantage of the hop on hop off bus and toured the major museums and parliament buildings, ate a delightful Austrian dessert and wienerschnitzel, and looked up the houses and buildings that were once inhabited by some of my favorite composers such as Haydn and Beethoven.