Baltic tours

  Tours in Lithuania

  Weekends in Lithuania

  Sightseeng in Lithuania

Tickets online

 

Welcome to the database of World Travel Tips For Travellers and by Travellers

From panic to peace in Lithuania

	The Curonian Spit is an easy day-trip from Palanga

We trudge through the security checks and into the departure lounge, and are ready for a little light airport shopping when our stress levels, hovering around acute, soar back up to alarming: our flight to Copenhagen is delayed. When we get there, we'll have only 15 minutes to catch our connecting flight to Palanga. Was this trip really going to de-stress us?

I won't bore you with how my friend Leonie and I came to find ourselves in a last-minute bid for sun, sanity and soothing surroundings, but suffice to say that mounting work loads combined with school holidays, the ghastly British weather and the need to convene (we work together, but from our separate homes) were driving us to the brink.

Do we have to meet in Basingstoke again, I moaned (it's equidistant). Let's get away somewhere sunny, somewhere different, for a few days. We had no time to research destinations, so the moment had come to press that panic button, the one I noticed on blacktomato.co.uk.

Black Tomato is a savvy new travel agency that has as its shop window not brochures but a slick website, full of ideas for short breaks all over the world, pigeonholed into Action Time, Sports Time, Stylish Time, Intrepid Time and so on. Normally I dream up my own perfect break, but Black Tomato's panic button is there to provide urgent inspiration with a few days' notice.

With some trepidation, I filled in the detailed questionnaire on the home page and pressed the button. Within minutes I received a phone call from an adviser on the panic desk. Within hours we'd plumped for a three-night stay in a country we'd never been to (Lithuania), a town we'd never heard of (Palanga), with an equally obscure natural wonder, the Curonian Spit, nearby. Within days we were off, Black Tomato having taken care of our flights, transfers, hotel and hire car. The tickets arrived in the nick of time, with two gifts: a CD and book of our choice.

When we land at Palanga it's late, we're tired and although we made the transfer at Copenhagen, our bags didn't. However, the efficient staff at the tiny airport issue us with survival kits to get us through until morning when our bags, we hope, will appear.

Palanga is Lithuania's premier Baltic-coast resort: part colourful playground with a carnival vibe, full of bars, clubs, live music, tacky stalls and fairground rides; and part calm oasis, with houses hidden in a forest of scented, sky-high pines, a huge and beautiful botanical garden and a superb beach carpeted by the most luxuriant sand I have ever set foot on, stretching for miles.

We love our contemporary hotel, an elegant construction of curving glass almost obscured by the trees that surround it. Our standard room, with balcony, is comfortable and spacious, the staff are exceptionally friendly, and the food, we discover, is excellent: fresh, contemporary and inexpensive. And there's a swimming pool and spa (pre-book treatments).

Breakfast is more characteristic of the region than dinner: an amazing spread of curd cheese with jam and cream, poached salmon, stuffed eggs, frankfurters and salads - plus all the usuals, too. We set off, stuffed, to explore the Curonian Spit.

It's an hour's easy drive from Palanga, including a short ferry crossing from Klaipeda, Lithuania's second city, to the start of the spit. You can hire a car, or take a driver or, as we did, take a guide as well. Either way, you'll find an extraordinary and fragile landscape: a 60-mile lick of sand dividing the Curonian lagoon from the Baltic.

A Unesco World Heritage Site, it has given shelter to Crusaders crossing the winter ice, provided a through-route for the coaches and fours of European postal services, and been the summer home of Thomas Mann, whose wooden house is now a museum. Mann wrote of the spit's beauty and its fantastic dunes.

The sweeping, shifting sands, responsible for burying a number of villages, are the spit's highlight, but it has other charms: the sense of calm; the scent of pines; the herons in the tree tops; and the intricate weather vanes that once adorned family fishing boats.

We lunch in the village of Nida, with its colourful houses, its fabulous beach (equal to Palanga's, without the crowds) and its remarkable cemetery. The Curonians had only sand and pinewood at their disposal, so their tombstones are in wood, carved by relatives of the deceased. The graves lie in a tranquil glade, and are still smothered in flowers and greenery.

It's been a busy day. We'd thought we needed to flop, but we find that plunging into another world, one quite outside our experience, is far more cathartic than lying prone on the beach. And anyway, next day, back in Palanga, we get our share of sunbathing, as well as cycling gently through the botanical gardens and ambling round the intriguing Amber Museum, where million-year-old flies can be seen trapped in golden coffins made of pine resin.

Waiting for each of us at home is a package from Black Tomato containing a £25 voucher for an upmarket takeaway and a copy of The Week so we can catch up with the news. That's a nice touch, too, but what we're really grateful for is a panic button that worked.
 

Baltic beauty: basking on Lithuania's coast

Still haven’t found a beach? Andrew Quested tries something completely different

You want a whey-hey-hey beach party with a cast of extras from Baywatch? No problem. You want to kick back in a seaside shanty and buy smoked fish from a man with a smoked face? Step this way. Or maybe you just want to stroll on a squeaky beach until your own footsteps drive you styrofoam-insane? You can do that too. And here’s the best bit: if you’re not sure what you want, these various options are so close together that you can easily flit between them.

So you don’t even have to make up your mind... apart from the “going to Lithuania for a beach holiday” bit.

Such variety is possible because two-thirds of the Lithuanian coastline is shadowed by the Curonian Spit — a long, thin strip of dunes pinned down by hand-planted pines. The spit originates in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, to the south, thrusts up along the Lithuanian coast and comes “that close” to touching the mainland, but doesn’t actually make it. (A five-minute ferry ride bridges the gap.) In effect, it extends the Lithuanian coast by about 80 miles and adds a string of calm lagoon beaches that are just a short flip-flop away from vast, untouched sea beaches on the other side.

The spit is too narrow to support any real development, but it has sprouted a few villages and towns big enough to offer the essentials for a laid-back holiday: good services and accommodation, not much to do, and beautiful environs to not do it in. Pottering about seems to be the most popular pastime here, but it is often interrupted by sitting about in pleasant cafes, restaurants or waterside gardens, enjoying good food and a cool drink.

On the mainland, a half-hour drive from the point where the spit almost touches, is Palanga — party central for Lithuanians in summer. As warm weather approaches, locals move into broom cupboards and rent rooms out to holidaymakers, and the place goes bonkers. The beach and promenade are constantly swarming with mildly delirious and arrestingly beautiful people, making Palanga a good choice for those who like the lively burble and fizz of constant action, and don’t mind the high probability of tripping over one gorgeous, scantily clad body while trying not to look at another. Try-hard trendies come here to show off in the sun, cool off in the water and bask in each other’s marvellous presence. It’s all very Dolce Banana.

Palanga offers a quieter side. too. Deviate from the maindrag and you’ll discover the beautiful botanical gardens and an amber museum housed in an old mansion. It also has a few tucked-away cafes and bars that have, despite what can seem like a moronslaught on the main street, carved out their own quirky niche and offer a subtly spellbinding atmosphere.

Regardless of which beach you choose to sift through your toes, the summer climate on the Lithuanian coast is almost always superb. The sun won’t fry you and the Baltic Sea, filled as it is with low-salt glacial runoff, is mountain-stream cool and fresh. So you won’t go home looking like a cooked and salted prawn.

Page 2: travel brief

()Travel brief

Getting there: Air Baltic (00 370 5-235 6000, www.airbaltic.com) flies to Vilnius from Gatwick and Dublin. FlyLAL (252 5555, www.flylal.com) flies there from Gatwick and Shannon, and once a week from Dublin to Palanga. Fares start at £70. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com) flies to Kaunas, Lithuania’s second city, from Stansted, Liverpool and Dublin; from £54. Buses run from Vilnius and Kaunas to the port city of Klaipeda — from which a ferry shuttles passengers to the Curonian Spit for about 50p — and direct to Palanga.

Where to stay: in Palanga, it doesn’t get much better than the five-star Palanga Hotel (00 370 4-604 1414, www.palangahotel.lt), a looming luxury cruise ship of a building moored in the forest just 50yd from the beach and a five-minute walk from all the action; a double costs £100 in high season. Or there’s the cosier Vila Ramybe (605 4124, www.vilaramybe.lt), a family-run guesthouse with one of the best bars and cafes in town; doubles from £60.

In Nida, on the Curonian Spit, Vila Banga (695 1139, www.nidosbanga.lt) offers thatched-roofed fishing-village charm, with clean, simply furnished doubles from £56 in high season. Or try Nidus (695 2001, www.nidus.lt), a subtly stylish hotel, midway between the lagoon and sea beaches; doubles from £70.

Where to eat: in Palanga, you can feast on fish at Zuvine (604 8070), where a belt-bursting meal with wine will cost about £15pp.

In Nida, Eserine (695 2757) is the place to try local fish; about £20pp.

Five members of my extended family had decided to visit Lithuania to pursue our heritage. In discussions with a U.S. representative of Visit Lithuania, Rimas Chesonis, we agreed on a 10-day tour by van with a driver who would also serve as our guide.

The tour was marvelous. Our driver, a wonderful fellow always anxious to please, did not speak English. Consequently, depending upon where we were, we were provided -- at no additional cost -- two tour guides, both very knowledgable and charming, to assist us. We saw major cities and experienced their centuries-old atmospshere, visited numerous ancient churches, stopped at old villages. We saw the Hill of Crosses, the Witches' Hill and Gruto Parkas, where massive Soviet era statues have been assembed in the wooded setting. We viewed the Baltic Sea, high atop a sand dune, and delighted in the Amber Museum.

Our hotels were very nice and the breakfasts generous and delicious. Our other meals were very good and the beer was exceptional. And the cost of all this was, in comparison with U.S.-based tour companies, quite reasonable. For anyone interested in visiting Lithuania, we highly recommend Visit Lithuania (585-216-9714, www.visitLithuania.net).

Loren Karacki

Derwood, Md.

Write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Fax: 202-912-3609. E-mail: travel@washpost.com. Provide your full name, town of residence and daytime telephone number. Letters are subject to editing for length and clarity.

Where: Northern Europe, bordering Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia.

Why go: The Old Town of Vilnius, the capital city, is one of Europe's most attractive town centers. With its medley of architectural styles (Gothic to classical), cobblestone streets and brown-brick facades, it offers a near-perfect glimpse into the past. Kaunas, the country's second-largest city, is an alluring enclave of well-preserved buildings dating from the 14th century.

Don't Miss: the intriguing cultural attractions of Vilnius, such as the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, which documents the extermination of the city's vibrant Jewish community during WWII; the KGB Museum, where thousands of Lithuanians were interrogated and tortured during the Soviet occupation; and Paneriai, a small museum with a memorial to WWII victims outside the capital in a beautiful forest; the stebuklas tile between the Vilnius cathedral and bell tower, which marks the beginning of a human chain that some 2 million Baltic citizens formed between Vilnius and Tallinn in 1989 to protest the Soviet occupation; the Hill of Crosses, near Siauliai, blanketed in thousands of crosses; Gruto Parkas, near Druskinin-kai, an outdoor museum of notorious Soviet political figures; the sea resort of Palanga and its Amber Museum, with thousands of examples of "Baltic Gold"; the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante, a site of wooden sculptures based on legends and folk tales.

Sample Packages: Visit Lithuania has a host of land-only packages that range from a weekend in Vilnius to a week traveling from the city to a sea resort.

The "Lithuanian Experience," a 10-day escorted tour, includes the Dzukija National Park, a drive along Panemune castle road and a climb up the Hill of Witches. The price of $1,460 includes accommodations, some meals, transfers, tours and more. Departures are May 28, June 18, July 2, Aug. 6 and Sept. 10.

Info: 370-5-2625-241, www.visitLithuania.net.

(Filed: 01/05/2004)


Loop the loop in Lithuania
Ride a Lipizzaner horse in Slovenia
Breweries of Bohemia
Visit a salt mine in Poland
A night at the opera in Riga
Finding Andy Warhol in Slovakia
Floating sauna in Estonia
Driving a steam train in Hungary
Ollie's Last Pub, Malta
The Berlin Wall revisited - in Cyprus

As of today, the floodgates will open. The removal of borders between western and eastern Europe will mean that what has so far been a trickle could become a torrent. With travel restrictions lifted, it will be easier to slip in unnoticed and, once in, to move around more freely. And as more and more people successfully make the journey — and like what they find — so sisters and brothers, cousins and friends will follow in their wake.

No, we're not talking about eastern hordes about to invade these shores. On the contrary, it is eastern Europe that is bracing itself for an onslaught of tourists from the West. At least that's the hope from Tallinn to Bratislava as eight countries from the former Communist bloc — plus the Republic of Cyprus and Malta — become full members of the European Union.

New bars and hotels have been opening in anticipation of the rush for new sights and experiences, from flying fighter jets in Lithuania and luxuriating in Turkish baths in Hungary to looking for Andy Warhol in Slovakia. And the no-frills airline revolution is already making deep inroads into the region.

EasyJet has started services between Luton and Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia — the first of the former Yugoslav republics to join the EU. Today, the airline begins flights between Luton and Budapest — a city to which SkyEurope, a Bratislava-based airline, has been flying from Stansted since November. Wizz, another newcomer to the budget-airline scene, earlier this year opened up a service from Stansted to Katowice in Poland.

"We have noticed a huge surge of interest in Poland and lots more people from Britain are inquiring about travelling there," said Eva Birkin of the Polish National Tourist Office in London. "After years of being seen as a rather cold place full of sad people in grey jackets, eastern Europe is acquiring colour. It is no longer terra incognita. It has rules and regulations that western Europeans recognise. Rather than all this talk of swarms of eastern Europeans coming to Britain, the movement will be the other way."

Refreshing: diving from a floating sauna in Estonia

Ian Morgan, a 27-year-old entrepreneur based in London, certainly thinks so. To coincide with the EU expansion, he has set up a company (www.infamousevents.co.uk ) specialising in clubbing weekends to Warsaw and Krakow, to which he will be sending his first group later this month.

"I couldn't believe how beautiful Krakow was when I first saw it," he said. "It has a wonderful castle, a huge market place and a real buzz. We want to send people there who want to combine some great nightlife with great culture. This is an exciting time to go: Krakow is on the cusp."

Julian Tall, another British travel entre-preneur, is also confident there is going to be an explosion of interest in the region. He, too, has set up his own company, Baltic Adventures, specialising in holidays to the Baltic states with an emphasis on activities such as paintballing, firing Kalashnikovs, river rafting — and even playing cricket on ice in Estonia. In part, his venture is targeted at the growing number of Britons looking for exotic venues — and activities — for stag- and hen-party weekends. But Tall hopes the appeal will extend much further.

"The Baltic states still have something of a special ring to them," he said. "For people who have been to Madrid, been to Barcelona, been to Nice, they are something a bit different, somewhere to talk about when you get back to the office.

"They are also fascinating for anyone who grew up during the Cold War. The Baltics were part of that huge unknown Soviet world out there, which you can still see and sense — especially when you get out of the capitals. And, of course, there's another great reason to go. They are incredibly cheap."

Low prices have always been one of the main attractions of eastern Europe. Although holidays there are no longer as ludicrously inexpensive as in the Communist era, it is still possible to eat well for as little as £2 to £3, travel cheaply on trains and find perfectly comfortable hotel rooms for £30 to £40 a night — or less. Standards have moved a long way, however.

While you may still catch glimpses of the old Soviet order, cities such as Prague and Budapest now boast designer hotels and restaurants serving fusion food. But unlike during the Communist era, there are now many modestly priced establishments that, in terms of quality, are light years away from the surly service and drabness of the Soviet past.

Also long gone for British travellers are the need for visas and complicated money-changing procedures: although the east European countries joining the EU today will not simultaneously become part of the euro zone, the currency is widely accepted throughout the region and there are no longer any difficulties obtaining local currencies.

Of course, cities such as Prague are hardly undiscovered. But it doesn't take long to get beyond the obvious attractions and to explore what are still, for most British travellers, virgin territories. From the pristine beaches of the Baltic to the bison-inhabited forests of Poland, from the mountains of Slovakia to the brewery havens (or heavens) of Bohemia, there are lots of new travel experiences which — from today — will be much more accessible. Here are just 10 of them:

Loop the loop in Lithuania
The Cold War may long be over, but if you want a taste of how things used to be — and fancy covering a lot of ground quickly — strap yourself into a fighter plane for a high-speed tour of the countryside surrounding the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Rides, which can include looping the loop, a barrel roll and dives at up to 500mph, are in an L29 — a Czech-built jet aircraft — which takes off from an old Soviet airstrip. Like the other Baltic states, Lithuania used to be home to thousands of Soviet troops and the country is still a point of transit between Russia itself and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad . While you're there Take in a game of basketball (Lithuania are one of the world's top teams); walk along miles of pristine beach on the Curonian Spit; be moved by the symbols of resistance to Soviet rule at the Hill of Crosses at Siauliai ; and, in Vilnius, admire the bust of the late Frank Zappa: the zany musician had no link to the country but that didn't stop fans showing their appreciation.

Further information

• Fighter-jet flights can be booked through Baltic Adventures (01582 462283, wwww.balticadventures.co.uk) and cost £300 for 15 minutes. Lithuanian Embassy (020 7486 6401 , http://lithuania.embassyhomepage.com).

  Ride a Lipizzaner horse in Slovenia
  For a change of pace and style, head to the Julian Alps in Slovenia where aficionados of the equestrian arts can learn to ride a Lipizzaner — the elegant "imperial white" horses that have been gracing the Spanish Riding School in Vienna for more than 400 years. The horses were originally bred at Lipica , a small Slovenian settlement close to the border with Italy.

  	Majestic: Lipizzaner stallion in Slovenia

  It is possible to learn to ride them there, but for a less formal atmosphere and more scenic setting, the Pristava Lepener farmhouse has its own team of pure-bred Lipizzaners. Holidays are aimed at both beginners and more seasoned riders. While you're there Stay in the villa on Lake Bled where the former Yugoslav leader Josef Tito entertained foreign guests; explore the Unesco-listed caves of Skocjan (arguably more rewarding than the more famous Postojna cave); enjoy the architecture of Joze Plecnik in Ljubljana; savour a glass of Movia wine.

  Further information

   

• Lipizzaner riding holidays at Pristava Lepener can be booked through Slovenija Pursuits (0870 2200 201 , www.slovenijapursuits.co.uk). A seven-day trip, including flights, accommodation and instruction, costs from £696 per person. Slovenia Tourist Office (0870 225 5305 , www.slovenia-tourism.si).

  Breweries of Bohemia
  Heading farther north, you cross back into beer-producing territory — and of all the countries joining the EU today, none has more to contribute here than the Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser (Budvar), Gambrinus , Staropramen ... the names trip off the tongue as easily as the beers (or pivos) slip down the throat. Although it's possible to get all these beers in Britain, nothing beats sampling them in the breweries that produce them, or in atmospheric beer halls and bars nearby. Many of the best Czech beers are brewed in Bohemia, one of the most attractive parts of the country. Tours of the region can include stops in Pilsen , Ceske Budejovice (home of Budvar), Velke Popovice and Eggenberg . In between breweries, there are some spectacular castles in the region. While you're there Be awestruck by the tombstones in Prague's Jewish cemetery; have a mud bath in the spa town of Marianske Lazne (Marien- bad); marvel at the immaculately preserved baroque theatre in Cesky Krumlov castle (the most impressive sight in the country, outside Prague). Buy wooden toys and eat lots of dumplings.

  Further information

   

• Czech Beer Tours (08700 112201 , www.czechbeertours.com) offers four-day packages to Bohemia from £299 per person. Czech Tourist Authority (020 7631 0427 , www.czechtourism.com).

  Visit a salt mine in Poland
  It may sound grim, but the salt mine at Wieliczka , near Krakow, is genuinely spectacular. Salt has been mined here for more than 1,000 years and, in addition to an elaborate network of passageways, pits and underground lakes, the mine contains a number of carved works including a replica chapel complete with chandeliers and altarpieces, all made out of salt. "As remarkable as the pyramids — and more useful," said one 18th-century visitor. While you're there Shoot up to the 30th floor of the Stalinesque Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw for a bird's-eye view of the city, then enjoy a recital at the Chopin monument in Lazienki park. Seek out bison in the Bialowieza forest, go to Gdansk and visit the shipyard that was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement. Then head into town and buy an amber necklace. (Also available — even cheaper — on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania.)

  Further information

   

• Details of the salt mine can be found at www.krakow-info.com/wielicz.htm. Polish National Tourist Office (020 7580 6688, www.travelpoland.com).

  A night at the opera in Riga
  Latvians describe their country as "the land that sings" — and singing certainly played a crucial part in the revolution that saw Latvia and its neighbouring Baltic States break free from the Soviet Union in 1991 . Folk festivals featuring massed choirs are still a key element in the country's culture but in Riga, the newly renovated opera house — where seats can be had for less than £4 — is now acknowledged to be one of the finest in northern Europe. Weekend visitors from Scandinavia already combine a night at the opera with tours of Riga's wonderfully preserved old town. While you're there Riga has a rich mix of Swedish, German and Russian architectural influences and some of the most fantastical art nouveau buildings in Europe. Head for a street called Alberta and the creations of Mikhail Eisenstein . Beyond the capital, Sigulda boasts a medieval castle — and an Olympic bobsleigh run, which the adventurous may like to try out. In summer, head for the sandy beaches of Jurmala, a dacha-filled resort that used to be favoured by party officials from Moscow.

  Further information

   

• Details of this year's Riga opera programme, including the summer festival, available at www.opera.lv . Operas Abroad (0151 493 0382 , www.operasabroad.com) offers three-night breaks including three tickets for the opera, flights and accommodation from £501 per person. Latvia Tourism Bureau (020 7229 8271, www.latviatourism.lv or www.lv).

  Finding Andy Warhol in Slovakia
  Although he claimed to have come "from nowhere", Andy Warhol's parents started life in a small village near the Slovak town of Medzilaborce , in the remote region of sub-Carpathian Ruthenia . Apart from some fine wooden churches, there isn't a lot there — one reason why the couple decided to emigrate to the United States. But lovers of Warhol's unique contribution to pop art should head for the Warhol Family Museum of Modern Art for a good run through his main works, his life and the origins of his family. While you're there The youngest kid on the block (Slovakia came into being at the beginning of 1993, following its "velvet divorce" from the Czech Republic) boasts some beautiful mountains — in particular, the Low and High Tatra ranges. They're great for hiking in summer and skiing in winter (the resorts and runs may not be quite on a par with those in France, Austria or Switzerland — but then, nor are the prices). It also has 180 castles — the most spectacular of them being at Spissky Hrad .

  Further information

• Slovak Embassy (020 7313 6481); visit www.sacr.sk.

   

  Floating sauna in Estonia
  Like their Finnish cousins to the north, Estonians like nothing better than a sauna to offset the harshness of the Nordic winter. One of the more unusual — and attractive — ways of enjoying the experience can be had in the Soomaa National Park in southern Estonia, where it is possible to spend time on a raft with its own on-board sauna. Let off steam and float downstream past some of the country's most beautiful scenery. The park boasts some 120 species of bird (which can be spotted from hired canoes). It is also a good place to track wolves. While you're there From nature in the raw to digital technology. Estonia may be one of the smallest countries joining the EU, but it's big on the internet. No self-respecting politician would be seen without a laptop and a mobile phone. Tap into the new age at one of the many WiFis (wireless internet hotpoints) in the capital, Tallinn. And if you want a sauna here, try Club 26 at the top of the Reval Hotel Olumpia , where you can swim, sweat — and enjoy stunning views of the medieval old town.

  Further information

   

• Two hours in the floating sauna in the Soomaa National Park costs about £20; it can accommodate up to 15 people. Contact 00372 506 1896, www.soomaa.com. For general information about Estonia, contact the Estonian Embassy (020 7589 3428 , www.estonia.gov.uk) or visit www.visitestonia.com.

  Driving a steam train in Hungary
  Just the ticket for Thomas the Tank Engine enthusiasts. The Hungarian Railway Museum in Budapest offers courses in cleaning, preparing and stoking traditional steam loco- motives, culminating in a test drive on which trainees take control of a train (usually the 424 locomotive) for the 30-mile journey between Budapest and Vac . The museum is home to 30 steam engines (16 in working order), numerous sidings and a working turntable. While you're there Less train-fixated spouses or friends can enjoy the thermal spas and Turkish baths for which Budapest is justly famed. Afterwards, eat kremes (a pastry and custard cake) in one of the city's grand Habsburg-era coffee houses. Outside the capital, go great bustard spotting or riding on the legendary puszta (Great Plain), and drink Bull's Blood wine in Eger. Finish off with a glass of Tokaji dessert wine.

  Further information

   

• A six-day steam train driving course in Budapest, including accommodation and all tuition, costs from £704 per person through Hungary specialists Interchange (0208 681 3613). Hungarian National Tourist Office (020 7823 1032, www.hungarytourism.hu).

  Ollie's Last Pub, Malta
  It may be a little macabre, but fans of Oliver Reed can join him (metaphorically, at least) for a swift one in the bar in which he enjoyed his final tipple — or 30 — during a stay on Malta in 1999 to shoot the film Gladiator. According to legend, Reed died of a heart attack after downing several pints of lager and engaging in a heavy bout of rum-drinking and arm-wrestling with sailors from the Royal Navy. A modest establishment, The Pub (nicknamed Ollie's Last Pub) is one of several reminders of the strong British influence on the island. While you're there In addition to its beaches and famously clear water, Malta boasts a grand capital, Valletta, which clearly bears the imprint of the Knights of St John, who founded the city in the 16th century. Equally impressive are the mysterious Neolithic temples that pre-date the Egyptian pyramids. Holidaymakers seeking a slightly gentler pace of life head for the nearby island of Gozo, offering the best scuba-diving sites in the Maltese islands.

  Further information

   

• Malta Tourist Office (020 8877 6998 , 00356 21 237747); The Pub, Archbishop Street, Valletta (00356 21 23 7525).

  The Berlin Wall revisited - in Cyprus
  If you want to get a feel for how things used to be in the Iron Curtain era, head for the Green Line in Cyprus — still very much in place following the failure of the attempt to unify the island in last weekend's referendum. Just like pre-1989 Berlin, the city of Nicosia is physically split in two: Greek, Turkish and UN-manned checkpoints and a buffer zone separate the two halves. From the south, visitors can take daytrips to the north but there is a palpable tension — and they have to make sure they are back by midnight. While you're there Cyprus hardly needs any introduction. Beautiful beaches, scenery and a wonderful climate combine to make it a hugely popular holiday destination. As in Malta, the British influence is still pronounced, but beyond that there are Byzantine monasteries, Muslim shrines, pretty ports, rolling hills and two mountain ranges. Then, for clubbers, there is Ayia Napa .

  Further information

   

• Republic of Cyprus Tourist Office (020 7569 8800, www.visitcyprus.org.cy).
  

We were lucky. To mark May Day, actors had been recruited to dress up and march around as Soviet pioneers, singing paeans to the dignity of work; Stalin waved his pipe and delivered tedious speeches; and Lenin sat on a bank fishing. Surreal it was, but suddenly Paksas seemed slightly less bizarre.