EuroCheapo's Hungary Articles

Budapest tip: Five favorite cafes

Feb 07 Back in the day, it was fairly typical to see many old Hungarian men and woman hanging out well into the night at a traditional coffee house in Budapest. Ideas were discussed and many pastries were consumed. Today, it’s hard to narrow in on some of these ancient gems (no, we’re not talking about the » Read more

Posted in Budapest, Food, Hungary, Local Customs

Budapest: A Day at the Races

Budapest: A Day at the Races

Jun 15 Budapest Tours. For HUF8000 (€32; $43) your own personal guide will welcome you with drinks, introduce you to the history of horse-racing in Hungary and the rules of betting, and show you all the behind the scenes preparations for the race. You will be given some racing tips and two coupons for betting on the » Read more

Posted in Budapest, Hungary, Local Customs

Budapest: Margit Island Summer Performances

Budapest: Margit Island Summer Performances

Jun 14 Summer in Budapest means long, warm nights, which the city uses to best effect to host some excellent outdoor theatre performances. The most extravagant summer performances are on Margit Island, the luscious green spot in the middle of the Danube. This year, the season’s first performance on the island stage is on June 10; the » Read more

Posted in Budapest, Hungary, music, Performance

Kecskemet: Hungary’s Architectural Masterpiece

Jun 13 Kecskemét, 86 kilometers from Budapest in the center of Hungary, possesses arguably the most beautiful town center in the entire country. Almost every building on the main square is art nouveau. The finest examples are the Town Hall and the new college, which houses elementary and high schools specializing in music education and named in » Read more

Posted in Hungary

Budapest: Fiery Culture on Midsummer Night

Budapest: Fiery Culture on Midsummer Night

Jun 12 On June 23, 2007, Budapest will hold its third Night of Museums to celebrate St John’s Midsummer Night. Traditionally, this is the night when fires are kept burning for unmarried girls to jump over and so guarantee themselves a husband, and fruit is thrown into the fire to guarantee a good harvest. Torches and candles » Read more

Posted in Budapest, Exhibitions, Hungary, Museums

A Toast to Unicum, Hungary’ s National Drink

Jun 05 One of the chief pleasures of visiting another country is sampling its special food and drink. If you visit Hungary you expect to taste the goulash (gulyás), which you may be surprised to find is a soup, not a stew you should also expect to have a shot of the national drink, unicum. Unicum is » Read more

Posted in Food, Hungary, Local Customs

Wandering Cheapo: Trendsetting Budapest

Wandering Cheapo: Trendsetting Budapest

Jun 01 Photo courtesy of Kari Hoerchler Where would you go if you wanted to sport crazy tights and ride Critical Mass? Or don a wool blanket while dining out at the latest ‘It’ restaurant? A place where ‘sör’ means ‘beer’ and ‘bor’ means wine? Budapest, babája (baby)! During a recent to trip to the Hun capital, » Read more

Posted in Bars, Budapest, Fashion, Hungary, Trend Update, Wandering Cheapos

Palkonya: 2007 European Village of Culture

Palkonya: 2007 European Village of Culture

May 25 The European Cities of Culture movement was launched in 1985 one for each member country—together with a “Cultural Village of Europe” titleholder for the year. This year the title has been awarded to Palkonya, a settlement of 350 people in southern Hungary, famous for its protected buildings, beautiful natural scenery, and spicy red wine. Each » Read more

Posted in Hungary

Local Customs: Good Guest Behavior in Hungary

Local Customs: Good Guest Behavior in Hungary

May 21 If you are invited to a Hungarian home for dinner—as you very possibly will be during a visit, since Hungarians are famed for their hospitality and cuisine—here are a few tips. Take the hostess flowers. Roses are a good choice, but always an uneven number of blooms—even numbers are considered unlucky. A bottle of good » Read more

Posted in Hungary, Local Customs

The Hungarian Girl Trap

May 11 Visitors to Hungary should consider buying a copy of the novel The Hungarian Girl Trap, written by English ex-pat Ray Dexter, who lives in Miskolc (a still life of which can seen above) in the east of the country. The title is a reference to the scores of foreign men who are drawn to settle » Read more

Posted in Book Reviews, Hungary