Nearly a decade after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Eastern Europe has become the darling of budget travelers. Undiscovered cities, pristine national parks, open hostel beds, and ridiculously cheap beer are steadily luring in adventure-, culture-, and bargain-seekers. From hip, urban centers like Prague, St. Petersburg, and Budapest to the peaks of the Tatras and Caucasus, from the karst-covered shores of the Dalmatian Coast to the expanses of barren Siberia, the myriad wonders of Eastern Europe sprawl across 16 countries and two continents. While distances are great and transport connections unpredictable, it’s all part of the Eastern European adventure. After all, where else in the world can a single train take you across seven time zones? Where else is a bottle of vodka a more effective visa than the visa itself? Where else is the most reliable transportation a weekly mail bus or, better yet, a yak? In the face of such dilapidated bureacracy, the most important thing to bring is flexibility; go ahead and make plans, but always be ready to scrap them.

Part of the unpredictability of the region is, of course, due to political and economic restructuring. You’ll inevitably encounter frustrating delays, astronomical inflation, and mind-boggling bureaucracy. When the absurdity of the post-Soviet world is about to get you down, take a deep breath and know that for every stony border guard and badgering babushka (grandmotherly old women common throughout the region), there are countless locals willing to give you a bed, a shot of homemade liquor, and a ride to the next town. With a little patience and a lot of perseverence, you’ll have an utterly rewarding jaunt through one of the most geographically varied, historically interesting, and culturally rich areas of the world.

BEHIND THE FALLEN CURTAIN

Eastern Europe's vast size has prevented both Stalinist planners and Capitalist money-grubbers from completely destroying its immense wildernesses. From the rolling hills of the west to the wild expanses of Siberia, the untamed corners of Eastern Europe are a thrill-seeker’s Eden. Bialystok National Park, in Poland, is home to Europe's last herds of Bison. Spanning Poland and Slovakia, the High Tatras offer jagged peaks and Olympic-quality skiing, though Eastern Europe’s most treacherous and rewarding hikes lie farther east in the Caucasus. Truly isolated adventure awaits along the Trans-Siberian Railroad, from the isolated desert beauty of the Altai Republic to Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake.

Eastern Europe's shores are not internationhally famous, yet the region boasts enough surf and sand to accommodate months of lounging and sunning — provided those months are in summer. You can choose between the Mediterranean, lapping Croatia’s fabled Dalmatian Coast, the Black Sea at Yalta, in the Crimea, and the chilly Baltic, where you can bike for days along the deserted roads of the Estonian Islands to reach equally deserted beaches. If you can’t make it to the coast, Hungary has the answer: Lake Balaton is like a slice of sea in the middle of the Hungarian plain, complete with tanned masses, endless water sports, and tacky discos.

Of course, everyone knows that water is not the favorite liquid of East Europeans. Mmm...beer. And vodka. Absinthe. Plum brandy. Kvas. Even wine. Eastern Europe is perhaps most loved for its endless shelves of locally produced, throat-burning liquors. Don’t limit yourself to imported, far-away versions; drink these magic liquids straight from the source. The world’s best hops are in the Czech Republic, from Plzen's Pilsner Urquell to Ceske Budejovice's Budvar and Prague's very own Krusovice. In Karlovy Vary, locals imbibe Becherovka, an herb liquor purported to have “curative powers.” The Ukrainian version of beer, kvas, is sold from barrels on the streets of Kiev, even in pouring rain. Vodka is a specialty of the Russians, who prefer grain vodka, and the Poles, who go for the refined potato version — try Zubrowka, flavored with a strand of Bison grass. On the Latvian/Estonian and Belarussian/Polish borders, vodka smuggling makes for very cheap inebriation. Hungary has the monopoly on Eastern Europe’s potable wines — don’t miss Bull’s Blood in Eger, Aszú vintages in Tokaj, and the Balaton-flavored wines of Badascony.

A lot of backpackers like Eastern Europe so much, they decide to make it home. Prague is Eastern Europe’s ex-pat capital; the number of Anglophone residents here today has elicted comparisons to 1920s Paris. If the hordes of Hemingway wannabes frequenting Prague’s cafes frightens you, head south to Ceský Krumlow, where mellower backpackers-cum-locals relish the tight-knit community of this medieval town. Budapest’s English-speaking denizens spend their days lingering in Turkish baths and their nights dancing at Fat Mo’s Speakeasy. And who can really blame Dubrovnik’s recent converts? It is the most beautiful city on the Adriatic, after all. The most unlikely (and un-European) of the alluring locales is Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Sure, you’ll sleep in ger and ride yaks, but there’s an English bookstore.