Upstairs from a McDonald's and across the hall from a casino, Prague's latest attraction greets visitors with a hulking iron statue of Lenin

Upstairs from a McDonald's and across the hall from a casino, Prague's latest attraction greets visitors with a hulking iron statue of Lenin and a whimsical poster: "Come see a 40-year episode of 'Big Brother."' It's the Museum of Communism -- just one of many points of interest in a now-unabashedly capitalist corner of the continent that's getting renewed attention from wanderers in the West. Cities like Prague, Budapest, Bratislava and Warsaw long have beckoned young backpackers and other travelers who've already done London, Paris and Rome. They've been wide open to tourists since communism collapsed across eastern Europe 15 years ago, and even before that for those adventurous and tenacious enough to go to the trouble of getting a visa. But the historic May 1 expansion of the European Union to take in 10 mostly ex-communist nations is putting these and other capitals of the "new Europe" on the radar of travelers looking for a change of pace or a fascinating diversion from a vacation to Austria, Germany or Scandinavia. The new countries are the former communist nations of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Cyprus and Malta, which were not part of Eastern Europe's communist empire. Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is within easy day-trip range for those touring Austria. Like Prague, the Hungarian capital of Budapest is just a 45-minute flight or a 31/2-hour drive or train ride from Vienna. Warsaw is a short flight, a 6-hour rail journey or an 8-hour drive from Berlin. And the capitals of the Baltic nations joining the EU this spring -- Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; and Vilnius, Lithuania -- are doable for travelers touring Stockholm, which offers good air connections.