The moment I knew: after our first kiss, the night felt like Before Sunrise
After meeting Sam at a Morocco hostel, Alisa Bittner thought he’d be just another holiday memory. Then they backpacked together in Budapest – and had the best week of their lives
September 2023
In the tracks of the Orient Express: my train ride from London to Istanbul
The fabled railway service returns in 2025. But you don’t need to wait until then, or pay the eyewatering fares, to ride this classic route
May 2020
Glad you’re not here: stag party capitals vow to ‘do tourism differently’
From Prague to Kraków, locals take advantage of travel restrictions to reclaim tourist hotspots
February 2020
How do you get teenagers on a cycling holiday? Try the Danube for an easy ride
‘The prospect of cajoling my kids to cycle from Vienna to Budapest filled me with dread – but the only drama came from the scenery’
January 2020
Let’s go to the lindy hop: a swing dancing holiday in Budapest
This passionate but shy dancer takes her moves to the next level at Lindy Shock ‘university’, where the teaching’s so good and the joy so infectious she dances with strangers
August 2017
Free world
Budapest’s Margaret Island, a green haven in Hungary’s capital
The landscaped acres of this island in the Danube make a peaceful (and pretty much cost-free) day out in the middle of the city
November 2016
Budapest's Christmas markets: winter made cosy and cool
From gingerbread to bubblegum marzipan, music boxes to blackcurrant rum punch, Hungary’s capital is a great festive shopping destination
August 2016
Budapest to Berlin: stranger on a train
Returning home from a beery few days in Budapest, Ed Cumming decided to try the train. Soon he was lost in Berlin
June 2016
On my radar
On my radar: Charlotte Gainsbourg’s cultural highlights
Budapest: where a spa and cool sounds makes it 'sparty' time
August 2015
Sziget: more gap-year spirit than Glastonbury hedonism
The Hungarian megafestival isn’t a place to seek an alternative way of life, but a fun atmosphere full of well-groomed kids on a safe journey of self-discovery
July 2015
Joanne O'Connor's great escapes
Travel tips: tranquil Teesdale, buzzing Budapest, plus deals of the week
Head for the moors – and art exhibitions – of the northeast, bed down in a London barge, and let the music play on at the Sziget Festival in Budapest. By Joanne O’Connor
June 2015
Budapest city guide: what to do, plus the best bars, restaurants and hotels
The Hungarian capital comes into its own in summer. We have the lowdown on the best of the city’s unique outdoor bars and thermal baths, plus escaping to Buda Hills
Readers' travel tips
Summer in Hungary: readers’ travel tips
Aside from providing some insider’s tips to Budapest our readers are on the trail of dinosaurs, enjoying an arts festival in wine country and relaxing by one of the most stunning lakes in Europe
Top 10 craft beer bars in Budapest
Already known for its lively nightlife, the Hungarian capital is also experiencing a boom of new microbreweries and specialist ale producers – which are celebrated at Főzdefeszt, a beer and street food festival that runs from 5-7 June
March 2015
Insider's guides
The insider's cultural guide to Budapest: 'ruin bars are the city's social hubs'
From bars in empty buildings to the world famous Sziget festival, Jennifer Walker gives a local’s lowdown on the Hungarian capital’s cultural gems
June 2014
Top 10 city guides
10 of the best budget hotels in Budapest
Budapest has plenty of cheap hostels, but for a more stylish stay in the Hungarian capital you can book a design hotel for under £100 a night, says John Brunton
March 2014
Hungary law requires photographers to ask permission to take pictures
A day in Budapest's Eighth District: city guide
January 2014
Weird world
Claustrophilia: how a live-action game became Budapest's top tourist activity
In the Hungarian capital, tourists are lining up to ... escape from a room. We look at a growing trend, inspired by computer games and horror movies
