Welcome back to the Boards,
stanncie. Long time no "see".
Great to see you venturing "out east" a little, you won't be disappointed. Here are some points/tips/thoughts on the cities you've listed:
Turkey: Istanbul - one of my favourite cities and you'll see why when you get there. As you're arriving in July, it will be well warm by then, but evenings are still comfortable. If you can give yourselves 3 full days in the city, that will allow for any jet lag as well as time to explore the city on both sides of the Bosphorus. Things to see/do/drink are: visit a bathhouse and enjoy a steam and a massage (rough, but good), you'll float out, so make sure you don't have anything to do for a few hours - try Caðaloðlu Turkish Bathhouse); visit the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia - amazing building opposite the Blue Mosque that has been a Basilica, a Mosque and is now a museum showing remnants of both faiths); the Sultan Ahmetd Mosque or Blue Mosque (again, another incredible building that is the main Mosque of Turkey, the blue refers to the light inside from the tiles and it is a serene place considering how many people - tourists and locals - visit the building); wander through the Spice Markets, real name is the Egyptian Markets, and marvel at the colours and smells (and tastes!); take a boat ride on the Bosphorus Straight at the Golden Horn and cross over to Asia; wander the maze that is the Grand Bazaar/Covered Bazaar, but make sure you haggle a lot if you're going to purchase anything. The stall holders used to always haggle, but now they just shrug unless you really put up a good arguement. Plus it's fun to hear the words "genuine fake" when they are referring to shirts, bags, etc - seriously! I like the Bazaar, and it's good to have conversations with some of the stall holders, but it's not for everyone; drink Apple Tea (in a cafe, when haggling with a vendor/carpet seller, whenever you have the chance) and Mint Tea; Topkapi Palace is a great place to visit if you have a few hours and are into all things Sultan-esque and grand. There is a lot of ground to cover, so do your research and allow time if you plan to visit; nightlife - try the area of Beyoglu (on the European side of the city) for cafes and bars, specifically Peyote Bar which is a cult venue for live music. Also try the area of Kadikoy (on the Asian side) for great bars and clubs, there is one street in particular (Kadife Sokak) which is lined with choices, otherwise Taksim (on the European side) is the best-known area for bars, music venues and cafes.
There is usually an International Jazz Festival in Istanbul in July - not sure exactly when but check dates and book your accommodation asap as it fills up with jazz enthusiasts and tourists alike in July.
You can travel to/from Turkey and Bulgaria by bus (Metro, local companies, Eurolines) and the trains, although slow, are better now, although many still say bus is the way to go in these parts as the trains aren't that comfortable or new.
Bulgaria - I've really enjoyed each visit I've had to Bulgaria, the countryside is beautiful and although it's been a few years since I was last there, I believe things are still pretty regardless of the progress and building that has been happening since EU acceptance, but you'll still need to allow time for border crossings (into and out of) even though they aren't a tedious as they were even 10 years ago.
Sofia is an interesting capital city, with a long history, a palace-national gallery, churches from various centuries and well-preserved city walls from the 7th Century, to name a few sights. I'd be inclined to suggest 2 full days here. Even though it will be July, I'd still like to see you visit another place in Bulgaria, perhaps on the Black Sea (Burgas, Sozopol, Varna). You don't have to sit on the beach (although there are plenty of resorts, towns and sand if you wanted to), but you would get to see another side of the country. You could do this on the way from Istanbul, say for 1-2 full days, then continue on to Sofia. If you do this, then book ahead as this is the season when many Bulgarians (and other Europeans now) holiday at the Black Sea, so late July/early August will be busy.
While you're in Bulgaria, the bus network is pretty reliable and covers most places (especially the larger cities/towns). From memory (I now write things down!) there are a few bus companies, one of which was Biomet (or along those lines). In Sofia, there are busses and trams to get around the city.
One point worth mentioning, you'll find Cyrillic writing on signs is not often translated into the Latin alphabet, so make sure you check the symbols against the signs whilst you're in these places - you could end up in the ladies bathroom, or even find yourself on the bus to Bursa instead of Bucharest!
Public transport travel between Romania and Bulgaria is still difficult and very long - they still don't like each other much; there's a massive bridge (Giurgiu-Rousse Friendship Bridge - ironic name) that forms the only border crossing between the two that has been at the centre of many heated discussions and niggling arguements. The train probably be the best way in this case, although you'll still take 10 or 11 hours to get from Sofia to Bucharest, and that's without factoring in border control time. The reason I say take the train here is that at least you have somewhere to sit and wait that is a little more spacious than a bus whilst they process your passport. Having said that , if you do go by bus, at least you'd get to cross that bridge I mentioned!
Romania - Bucharest, Brasov, Maramures region
Of the cities/areas you've listed, I'd be inclined to spend 1-2 full days in Bucharest and 2 full days in Brasov (will allow time to explore the city as well as get out to Bran Castle. If you want to go to Sighisoara you'll have to stay longer). For the Maramures, that will depend on what you want to see and where you want to stay, but 1-2 full days would be good. The Wooden Churches of note can be found in many of the in the World Heritage Listed villages which are dotted around the region. Getting around this part might be a little more difficult as while there are train stations in the major towns, I believe there are only roads linking the smaller villages. Check on the website I've given below, and do a little searching as I'm sure there will be other options for transport such as busses.
Consider a night in Cluj-Napoca as the city centre is small but grand and it would be a good 1 night stopover on your way to the Maramures if the journey directly from Brasov seems too long to do in one day (it's doable, but will take around 9hr30 during the day or there are overnight trains).
If you've been having trouble finding out information on Romania, try the Tourism website
www.romaniatourism.com for some further ideas, especially transport information.
To get from Romania to Hungary, you could take the train (from Baia Mare for example) to Oradea and cross the border there and on to Budapest via a 3-ish hour shuttle bus ride. If you have to spend a night in Oradea, that wouldn't be a bad thing as the city centre is pretty, it has some good nightlife and I believe there is a hostel there too.
Hungary- Budapest is a great town, lots to see and do so allow 2 fulls days minimum. The river area comes alive during Summer, with clubs on the banks and even on an island and a river cruise (at night or day) is a must, along with the Segway tour! If you need more suggestions of things to see/do, let me know.
Travel from Budapest to Krakow can be by train (daytime 11hr30mins with 2 changes, ovnight train 10hrs30mins no changes) or check flights with Malev Air or LOT Airlines, but I'm not sure if there are direct flights between Budapest and Krakow.
Poland - As I'm sure you know, Krakow is the best city from which to access a visit to Auschwitz and it also has an interesting history itself, so allow 2-3 full days in Krakow, with one of those days allocated to Auschwitz. If you need details on travelling to Auschwitz, let us know or check the Auschwitz-Birkenau website.
Krakow to Prague will involve a long train journey too, and there are choices of day trains (8-ish hours with changes) or an overnight train (8hr30-9hrs no change on one service).
Czech Republic - Prague, Plzen, Cesky Krumlov are all good choices and I'd suggest using Prague as a base to visit Kutna Hora (not on your list, but a good half-day trip) and Plzen (a day trip by train, 2hr ride one way) so stay there 4 full days to allow day trips and time to see Prague. Stay an additional day if you want more time to explore as it's a great city. Cesky Krumlov is a long day trip (4hrs by train one way), so plan to stay overnight and then continue to Austria the next day.
To get to Salzburg will be a 5 or so hour train ride, so you can do this in one day, or if during your planning you find the time, you could spend a day or two (preferrably 2!) in Vienna before continuing to Salzburg. The train time is the same (thereabouts) from Cesky Krumlov, but in a different direction. From Vienna to Salzburg, however, is only around 2hr30mins by train.
Train and bus travel in Romania and Bulgaria is relatively cheap, so you won't be spending all of your money on transport, plus cheap meals can be found easily (one had a US$10 steak in Brasov which was amazing, right in the city centre near the huge church) and hostels, B&Bs and budget hotels are also relatively easy to find now.
Hopefully this fills in some of the blanks for eastern Europe.
sorry for being away for so long but you guys know how it is, life gets in the way. For those of you who remember me I'm the professional torturer PT 
sorry for being away for so long but you guys know how it is, life gets in the way. For those of you who remember me I'm the professional torturer PT 
