10 Days in Central Europe

But are these places gay friendly?  All three of these cities have differing levels of LGBTQ acceptance, but there are vibrant gay communities in each and we have only ever felt welcome in all.  Berlin is famous for its extremely open culture of "unique" gay nightlife, and Prague is one of the world's gay hotspots.  With the exception of Berlin, these aren't places you'll find fully public displays of affection, but all are places that you can feel comfortable telling the locals, or visiting gay bars, or requesting one bed for you and your partner.  

The traditional food in this part of the world could be generally described as "heavy", but hey, you're on vacation!  Bratwurst, stews, goulash, meats, schnitzel, etc.  It's definitely not a salad culture here, but in these modern times with "modern" diets most restaurants now have options for vegetarians as well.  We'll eat well on this trip - don't worry.  Detours doesn't believe in limiting your choices by including all of your meals at pre-decided restaurants as part of the trip package. Instead, we include all of your breakfasts to start your day off, then we explore all of the different restaurant options available for lunch and dinner. This way we can eat when we want, where we want, and spend what we want! Your trip leader definitely has their favorite spots so if you'd like some advice on the best in each location, just check with them.

Our advice is simple. Pack your bag, then take half of those things out and leave them back home. It’s common to hear people wishing they’d packed less stuff, but we’ve never heard anyone complain that they didn’t bring enough. Even if you realize you forget to pack some crucial item you can always pick up a replacement once you arrive Europe. Just make sure to review the climate section above and remember that our trips are run in a casual style so you can leave your tuxedos at home. We'll include some trip-specific packing advice based on expected weather as part of our update email to you, sent 10 days prior to your trip.

While credit cards are commonly used in this part of the world, it's always good to have some local cash on hand.  Here's a brief idea of what to expect in each spot along the way:

• Budapest (Hungary) - The official currency here is the Hungarian Forint (HUF) and that's what we suggest bringing with you for your first few days.  Credit cards are widely accepted, but Euros are only accepted with high exchange rates.
• Prague (Czech Republic) - The official currency here is the Czech Crown (CZK) and similar to Hungary, we suggest bringing a bit of this too.  Again, credit cards are widely accepted so don't bring much cash, but it's good to have a small amount on you.
• Berlin (Germany) - The official currency here is the Euro (EUR) and again we suggest having some Euros on you too.  Basically, everywhere will accept credit cards so just a small amount of cash is good to have on hand.

It can sometimes be challenging to use large-denomination bills at shops and restaurants, so we encourage you to request small denomination bills when getting cash prior to your trip.

If possible, it's always a good idea to travel internationally with a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.  The savings will add up over the course of your trip and may end up being worth the work of getting a new card prior to your trip.  Once you're overseas, if presented with the option to pay in the local currency or your home currency, we suggest always choosing the local currency to further avoid fees.

While tipping isn't a native custom in these destinations, those working in the tourism industry all over the world have come to expect gratuities when providing good service.  This extends to local guides, restaurant wait staff, bus drivers, and your Detours trip leader.  Of course the actual amount is left up to your discretion, if you've been provided excellent service we suggest leaving around 15% for restaurant/wait staff as well as the local equivalent of a few dollars to bus drivers and luggage porters, as well as around $10-15 USD per day for local guides and your Detours trip leader.

All Detours trips are led by one of our own Detours trip leaders.  They're there with you every day and their job is to help ensure that this is your trip of a lifetime by taking the hassle out of your trip and enabling you to experience everything you came to Europe for.  Consider them like a friendly concierge that's traveling along with you.  All of our trip leaders are gay and all are well-traveled and experienced in the destination they're leading in, so they'll be a great part of your experience!

We've got NO scheduled early mornings on this trip, which will be music to the ears of the night owls!  A world without alarm clocks is one we want to be part of, and your “rise and shine” while in Europe should come from the sound of church bells in the distance, or maybe a local festival in the streets. 

Overall, we've found that approximately 60% of the travelers on trips join solo, while the other 40% or so join with their partner or a friend, and 90% of our travelers are in their 30's, 40's, and 50's. Whatever the age of the guys on our trips everyone's already got something in common, an exciting new experience in a new country!   Each group is led by a Detours trip leader who is there to ensure everything goes off without a hitch, allowing you to focus on having the time of your life! We welcome both men and women onto our trips although it’s important to know that almost all groups are 100% gay men.

We have pretty high standards when it comes to choosing our accommodations, and trust us, we’ve done plenty of room-sniffing, pillow-patting, and bathroom inspections to make sure we stay at quality spots. To be approved as a Detours accommodations provider, a guesthouse must: be locally owned (to support the local community), be in an amazing location (close to the beach or other hot spots), AND be gay-owned or gay-friendly. We won't be staying in 5-star Ritz-Carltons but we also won't subject you to anything we wouldn't want to stay in ourselves. Clean, comfortable, well-located spots that'll put a smile on your face, you can count on that!

No problem! Don’t worry, lots of our travelers come solo and our trip will provide plenty of chances to meet great people both inside and outside of our group, including other solo travelers. As far as your accommodations go, you’ve got two choices. We can either pair you up with another solo group member in a two-bed room for no extra charge, or you can have your own room for a reasonable surcharge. 

To ensure you don't lose connection along the way, your cell phone provider likely has several roaming options available.  We suggest reaching out to them prior to the trip to find out which package is right for you as it will depend on how much you intend to use your phone while traveling.  Keep in mind that all accommodation and most restaurants have free WiFi available as well.

All countries on this trip use the European plug known as a "type C" and "type F" plug, the same as most European countries and several other places in the world. The voltage is 230V with 50 Hz frequency. These days, the majority of items that are plugged into an outlet are built to handle varying voltage and frequency levels, but just to be sure, we suggest checking your item for its acceptable range