• Travel to Eastern Europe is booming-international arrivals to Eastern Europe have increased by an average of 3.9 percent each year since 2004
• Destinations covered in this guide are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moscow & St. Petersburg, Slovakia, Slovenia,and Kaliningrad
• According to a May 2006 Euromonitor article, Poland has the most visitors (15 million in 2005), with Hungary close behind
• The fastest growing destination in Europe is Bulgaria; inbound tourists increased 17 percent between 2004 and 2005
• Low cost airlines continue to add more routes to and within Eastern Europe

Frommer''s. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

• The most unforgettable experiences Eastern Europe has to offer, including ancient ruins, unspoiled beaches, and bucolic villages.

• Outspoken opinions on what''s worth your time and what''s not.

• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.

• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Find great deals, the latest travel news, trip ideas, and more at Frommers.com

Mark Baker is a long-time American expat, living in Prague, and a frequent traveler to both Slovakia and Poland. He's one of the original editors of The Prague Post and was for years a foreign correspondent and editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague. He''s now a freelance writer and reporter.

Dr. Keith Bain originally hails from the South African coastal city of Durban, where he developed a penchant for the beach, extra-hot curry, and all-night nightlife. He holds a doctoral degree in contemporary cinema studies and is the co-author of Frommer''s India and a contributor to Frommer''s Dream Vacations.

Angela Charlton first went to Russia a few weeks after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and spent the better part of the ensuing decade living and working there as a journalist. She was a Moscow-based correspondent for the Associated Press for six years and is the author of Frommer''s Moscow & St. Petersburg.

Heather Coombs is a freelance travel writer and translator of Russian and French. She studied languages at Cambridge University while moonlighting as a correspondent for a Russian newspaper before moving to Paris where her credits include work for Today in English and Living in France magazines, and ForbesTraveler.com.

Dr. Ryan James earned a doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. He has been living in Budapest, Hungary since 2001, and has been a full time instructor in the American Studies department at Eötvös Loránd University since 2002. He has traveled to forty-six countries, so far. He welcomes e-mail from readers. Write to him at drryanjames@gmail.com.

Hana Mastrini is a native of the western Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary who became a veteran of the "Velvet Revolution" as a student in Prague in 1989. She is the author of Frommer''s Prague & the Best of the Czech Republic.

Karen Tormé Olson is the author of Frommer''s Croatia. Karen is a photographer, freelance travel writer, and former Chicago Tribune editor. She recently earned her doctorate in administration and currently holds a day job as a high school counselor and fencing coach. She lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband, son, and three large dogs.

Sanja Bazulic Olson is the coauthor of Frommer''s Croatia and a Croatian national who was born in Denmark, but has lived in Croatia all her life. She graduated from Zagreb University with a degree in agricultural engineering. She currently is working as a project manager for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Kabul, Afghanistan.