Photo by Salsano

Do something in Budapest that will be unforgettable and likely much cheaper than it would be at home—an organized afternoon at the horse races, through 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 filly of your choice. Then you can cheer on your fancy in the race itself.

All in all a winning day, even if your horse isn’t first past the post.

Photo by GoGap

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 honor of Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály.

The town has other treasures, too. It is home to the Pálinka Museum, where, for HUF1250 (€4,90; $6.60), you can take a tour of the original and modern schnapps distilleries.

We recommend you finish a trip to Kecskemét with a visit to a wonderful Rrench restaurant, the Montmartre Francia Étterem, located at the charming mill centre (Malom Központ 3).

To get to Kecskemétfrom Budapest take a direct train from Nyugati (West) Station. The journey takes 85 minutes and costs a mere HUF1770 (€7; $9.30.)

Photo by TraceyF

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 a dark brown bitter sweet liqueur, made from herbs and beloved by Hungarians as a pick-you-up. It is instantly recognizable in its round, jet black bottle, which has not changed for six generations.

As well as tasting unicum, you may also consider paying a visit to the Unicum Heritage Vistitors’ Centre (www.zwackunicum.hu) which charts the colourful history of the drink and of the Zwack family, who invented it. The museum houses one of the largest collections of miniature bottles in the world15,000 of them. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., and a tour, including a tasting session at the end, will cost you 1,500 forints.

Photo by Naftalin9

The European Cities of Culture movement was launched in 1985 by Melina Mercouri, and has become more and more popular with every passing year. In 1999, Europe’s villages decided they wanted a piece of the action. Ever since, the EU has nominated European Cultural Villages every year—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 month, from May until October, the representatives of two different countries organise colourful programs: fairs, musical and dance performances, and children’s entertainment.

This year’s other European Cultural Villages are: Aldeburgh (UK), Bystré (Czech Republic), Kilinge Nōmme (Estonia), Kirchheim (Austria), Mellionec (France), Paxos (Greece), Pergine Valdarno (Italy), Porrúa (Spain), Schachdorf Ströbeck (Germany), Tommerup (Denmark), and Wijk aan Zee (Netherlands).

Photo by argirl

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 quality dry red wine will also be appreciated.

You won’t be expected to help out in the kitchen, but when the food does arrive, eat liberally. Refusing seconds, thirds, or even fourths is a sign you are not enjoying the food! The same applies to drink. Your wine glass will continually be refilled, so go easy! If you are vegetarian, tell your hosts in advance. Vegetarianism is still rare in Hungary, but people do recognise and respect it.

Finally, learn how to say a couple of words in Hungarian. Hungarians are proud of their fiercely difficult language and a foreigner’s attempts to pronounce it are really appreciated. Try thank you (köszönöm – sounds like kersernerm) and this is tasty (finom) and delight your host!

Photo by antausento (Villő)

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 in Hungary by a beautiful Hungarian girlfriend. Dexter’s observations on living and working in his adopted country are always witty and sometimes laugh-aloud funny. Alongside the humor, he makes intelligent reflections on the socio-political quirks of a country that since 1989 has been continually in transition.

The novel also functions as an effective travelogue for those planning to travel beyond Budapest.

Photo by Aknay Tibor

For the third year running, the town of Szilvásvárad (translation: plum castle!) is hosting its outdoor festival on May 26. The festival features all manner of extreme sports: rodeo riding, bungee jumping, speed, hot-air ballooning, hang-gliding, and motor sports among others. Great news for Cheapos: the outdoor festival is free of charge.

Best of all, the setting of the festival is idyllic. Szilvásvárad is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Hungary, at the foot of the Bükk Hills. The area is surrounded by forests and blessed with trout pools, an old wooden train that passes through forests, and even a prehistoric cave.

To get to Szilvásvárad from Budapest, take the train from Keleti Station. The journey takes just over three hours and costs HUF3570 (€14.40; $19.60.)

Photo by little_petal

We don’t mean to sound like mommy, kiddos, but, if we’ve told you once, we’ve told you a thousand times. Plan ahead.

Every guide book to Budapest mentions May Day, usually around page six.

Today, inside the Yellow Zebra Bike Tours and Rental shop near Déak Tér, tourists the world over who failed to heed the page six warnings are facing their worst bedtime nightmares. Without a reservation, it seems to be impossible to book a bed for tonight. As we type in this alert to you, expletives fill the air.

Another anecdote: While checking out of the Mellow Mood youth hostel in central Belvéros yesterday morning, we overheard a French school teacher—one of two in charge of 60 kids—arguing with a surprisingly calm hostel staff.

Apparently, she forgot to request breakfast for les enfants. First, she could not understand why May Day meant a four-day weekend, then she was incensed that the hostel was unable to provide 62 croissants when 90% of the businesses in town are closed. And, oh, she needed them the next morning at 6 a.m. Actual quote, en français: “We are leaving the hotel.”

And going where, madame? With 62 children? On May Day weekend? Best of luck.

Photo by SzentesDailyPhoto2

No visit to Hungary is complete without trying lángos, the national fast food.

A lángos is a deep-fried flat bread made of potato dough. It comes with a choice of toppings: garlic, sour cream, grated cheese, or all three. The name comes from the Hungarian word láng (flame) from the days when the snack was baked next to the flames of a brick oven.

The good news for Cheapos is that a lángos is the size of a dinner plate and so is an easy meal-replacement. Even a deluxe lángos will only set you back about HUF300 (€1.20; $1.65).

Photo by Veronika & Tibor

The warm season has started early this year in Hungary. With wall-to-wall sunshine virtually guaranteed throughout the Hungarian summer, now is a good time to check out the National Open Air Museum in Szentendre.

Only 20 kilometres from Budapest and set in a beautiful national park, this massive museum features replica villages from each of Hungary’s seven regions. You can stroll through the houses, watch traditional craftsmen at work, and sample traditional foods. Pop into the inn for grill specialities, baked on lava stone, or pick up a patisserie at the on-site bakery.

The museum is open every day except Monday. All-day entry is a mere HUF1000 (€4.10; $5.60) for adults—just half that for students. To get there from Budapest, take the suburban train from Batthyány Square and then take a short ride on special bus. On special festival days—our favorite is the Wine Festival on September 8 and 9—a direct bus runs between the Árpád Bridge and the museum.