About Discover Eastern Europe

Discovering Eastern Europe, One City at a Time

Scott · American · First passport: 2002 · First Eastern Europe trip: 2005

My first trip to Eastern Europe started almost by accident. A friend who had been backpacking through the Czech Republic wouldn't stop talking about Prague — the architecture, the beer, the sense of stepping back in time. I booked a flight and haven't stopped exploring the region since.

What I found in Eastern Europe was something most Western travel sites completely miss. These countries aren't "undiscovered" — they have centuries of history, world-class cuisine, and cities that rival anything in Western Europe at a fraction of the cost. But the travel information available was either outdated, superficial, or written by someone who spent three days there on a press trip.

Over the years, I've walked the cobblestone streets of Krakow's Old Town, watched the sun set over Dubrovnik's city walls, soaked in Budapest's thermal baths, explored Tallinn's medieval quarter, and eaten my way through the markets of Ljubljana. Each trip deepened my appreciation for a part of Europe that deserves far more attention than it gets.

Eastern Europe rewards the curious traveler — the one willing to take the local tram instead of the tour bus, eat at the neighborhood restaurant instead of the tourist trap, and stay long enough to feel the rhythm of a city. That's the kind of travel this site is built for. I want you to experience these places the way I do — not the Instagram version, but the real one.

Our Story

20 Years in the Making

2005
First Landing: Prague

A friend's recommendation leads to a week in Prague. The Charles Bridge at dawn, beer cheaper than water, the sense that this is a part of Europe the mainstream travel world is overlooking. The obsession begins.

2008
Budapest & the Balkans

A month-long trip through Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia. Thermal baths in Budapest, the Dalmatian Coast, and Belgrade's energy after dark. The realization that Eastern Europe is not one place — it's dozens of distinct cultures.

2012
The Baltic Discovery

Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius — three capitals, three distinct personalities. Medieval walls, Art Nouveau architecture, baroque churches. The Baltics become a favorite corner of the continent.

2015–23
Deeper Into the Region

Return trips to Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia. Off-the-beaten-path towns, mountain hikes, local food markets. Documenting everything — video, notes, real prices.

2025
Discover Eastern Europe Launches

Two decades of notes, videos, and travel experience finally become a proper resource. The site we wished existed when we first started exploring this region.

Meet the Writer

The Person Behind the Pages

Scott Murray
Scott Murray
Founder · Writer · Videographer

Healthcare IT professional by day, Eastern Europe travel obsessive by every other waking moment. Based in San Diego, California. First visited Prague in 2005 and has returned to the region every year since. 40+ countries traveled, but Eastern Europe remains the first love — the history, the food, the value, and the sense that there's always another city worth exploring. Enjoys the trip planning almost as much as the travel itself.

20+
Years exploring EE
13
Cities covered
40+
Countries traveled
Our Promise

What You'll Never Find Here

We built this site because we got tired of Eastern Europe travel content that's secretly a press trip recap or a sponsored hotel review dressed up as honest advice. Discover Eastern Europe exists because we wanted the resource we wished we had back in 2005.

0
Sponsored posts
ever
0
Press trips or
free hotel stays
20+
Years of Eastern
Europe experience
100%
Real prices in
local currency & EUR
If we recommend it, we've been there. If we list a price, we've paid it. If we tell you to skip something, we've wasted our own money there first. This is a truthful, fact-based site — and we want you to feel like you've experienced it with us.
What We're Building

More Than a Travel Blog

Discover Eastern Europe isn't a collection of "Top 10" listicles. It's a living resource built on years of real experience and technology that actually helps you plan a better trip. Here's what makes us different:

  • 🎥 Video guides for select destinations — see the castles, old towns, and landscapes before you book
  • 🤖 An AI trip planner that builds custom itineraries with real prices, not hallucinated estimates
  • 💰 Every price listed in local currency and EUR, updated regularly based on what we actually pay