City breaks in Europe are a popular type of holiday for those on a tight budget and many cities off the beaten track have lots to offer travelers.
Eastern Europe is particularly affordable and a long weekend in countries such as Bulgaria, Poland and Croatia definitely does not have to break the bank.
Here are five of the best for an affordable city break:
Budapest
Historic Hungarian capital Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of Europe. Famous for its thermal spas and gourmet pastries, Budapest is a city that is definitely on the up.
Condé Nast Traveler has named Budapest the world's second best city and it boasts an extensive World Heritage Site, which takes in locations such as the banks of the River Danube and Heroes' Square.
Budapest is also renowned for its unique cuisine and strong café culture, while visitors should visit some of the Danube's seven islands, the best of which is perhaps Margaret Island, with its lovely park.
Prague
Prague may well be the cheapest city in Europe for food and drink, so a long weekend in the capital of the Czech Republic can be easily done on a small budget.
The city has countless top cultural attractions to explore too - there is too much to fit into one trip - but must-see sights include Old Town Square and the Prague astronomical clock, Prague Castle and Charles Bridge.
With very diverse nightlife options, city breaks in Prague are particularly suited to younger travellers but there are lots of museums, galleries and theatres to enjoy for the older crowd too. Czech beer is famous around the world and Prague is undoubtedly the best place to sample it.
Sofia
Sofia is the second oldest city in all of Europe but is enjoying a sudden boost in popularity. The National Literature Museum and the Museum of Socialist Art are two of the most important cultural locations in the city, which also hosts the National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria.
Among Sofia's UNESCO World Heritage sites are the Boyana Church, while those interested in religious buildings should also take time to visit Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which can hold as many as 10,000 people.
Sofia also has a completely unique atmosphere and its location at the foot of the Vitosha mountain gives the city a very special feel.
Zagreb
Croatia's capital city has a rich history and its museums are the envy of the whole of Europe. Zagreb is also famous for its INmusic festival, which takes place in the middle of the summer and attracts some of the biggest names in music each year.
Among the best tourist attractions the city has to offer is the Maksimir Park & Zoo, which is just a ten-minute tram ride out of the centre. Seals, sea lions and otters are among the zoo's many animals, while this part of the city is also home to Croatia's national football stadium, where Dinamo Zagreb play their home matches.
Warsaw
Warsaw has long been one of the most popular affordable city breaks in Europe.
The Polish city is known around the world for its unique nightlife, with countless pubs and bars to choose from. Revellers are advised to head to the courtyard in Listopada, which is where the amazing alternative club Hydrozagadka can be found.
Warsaw has lots to offer during the day too, with royal art collections and a series of fascinating museums to explore. A walking tour through Warsaw's historic Old Town is also a great way to get a feel for the city and learn about its past.
The Chain bridge over the Danube in Budapest. Photograph: Sylvain Sonnet/Getty Images
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
Few European cities can rival Budapest’s glorious setting astride the Danube river. Its two sides, Buda and Pest, were separate cities until 1873, and they retain their own distinct identities, the former run through with ancient history, the latter noisier, earthier and more cosmopolitan. In Buda you’ll find royal palaces, Ottoman-era spas and wooded hills, while over in Pest you can pore over a clutch of fine museums, fantastic art nouveau buildings and a resurgent Jewish quarter.
At any time of year, Budapest has myriad charms, but nothing beats gazing out across the broad sweep of the Danube from the Castle District on a sultry summer’s evening. It is at this time, too, that open-air bars and pavement cafes do roaring trade, and restaurants go alfresco – indeed, Budapest’s gastronomic renaissance is one of the most exciting developments to hit the city in recent times. Throw in a flourish of new design hotels, fabulous food markets and venerable coffee houses, and it adds up to one of the continent’s most enticing summer city breaks.
People soaking in the waters of the the Gellert Baths. Photograph: David Levene
Thermal baths It’s inconceivable, in this city of spas, that you’d leave without taking to the waters, as the natives have done since Roman times. Take a dip inside the majestically appointed art nouveau Gellért Baths (Kelenhegyi út 4, open daily 6am-8pm) – complete with majolica tiles and Roman columns; partake in a game of chess in the water at the enormous, palace-like Széchenyi Baths (Állatkerti körút 9-11, open daily, times vary); or go further back in time with a soak in the atmospheric, 16th-century Király Baths (Fő utca 84, open daily 9am-9pm) arguably the Turks’ finest contribution to the city. A more unorthodox way to enjoy this quintessential Budapest experience is to pop along to one of the increasingly popular night-time bath parties, if you’re into laser discos, that is. •Details at spasbudapest.com
Passengers queueing to get on the Children’s Railway. Photograph: Attila Volgyi/Corbis
One way to escape the often sweltering mid-summer heat is to do as the locals do and take to the hills. As well as rambling and biking, there is an enduringly popular railway circuit, which comprises the 3km-long Cog-wheel Railway – operational since 1874, electrified in 1929 – and the Children’s Railway, an 11km narrow-gauge constructed by communist youth brigades after the second world war, and to this day still mostly staffed by teenagers. It’s a lovely slice of communist-era nostalgia, and heritage trains sometimes run.
Memento Park For the full-on communist-era experience, the Memento Park (also known as Statue Park) has an assemblage of oversized statues and memorials that once stood in prominent public spaces throughout the city, but which were shunted out here following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Visitors can wander among various apparatchiks, see giant statues of Stalin and Lenin and watch a secret agent training video. They can then hop inside a Trabant 601 car, that most iconic of Eastern Bloc symbols. • Open daily 10am until dusk, corner of Balatoni út and Szabadkai utca, +36 1 424 7500, mementopark.hu
Southeast Asian Gold Museum Budapest is full of terrific museums, but this little-known gem close to Városliget park is dazzling. The privately owned collection of a former diplomat to the region, it has nine rooms packed with a spectacular hoard of religious and secular metalwork, typical ritual statues and jewellery. There is also a collection of naughty-looking linga, phallic-like symbols hewn from stone or rock crystal – they’re guaranteed to raise a smile. Afterwards, visitors can chill out in the delightful oriental teahouse and garden. •Andrássy út 110, +36 1 482 3190, thegoldmuseum.eu
Great Market Hall Built in 1897, the splendid, wrought-iron Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok) is the place to go for foodie treats. Aside from the usual fruit and veg stalls, there are counters piled high with meats, cheeses and baked goodies, as well as more exotic fare like foie gras, truffles and tokaj wine, though it is a little more expensive than elsewhere. Locals tend to head upstairs for a no-frills, canteen-style lunch at Fakanál, or just make for one of the many stalls selling lángos, a delicious, doughy, deep-fried flatbread topped with sour cream and cheese. •Vámház krt 1-3, open 6am-6pm (3pm Saturday), closed Sunday
BorkonyhaBudapest has four Michelin-starred restaurants, and this one is the most convivial and reasonably priced. Diners can sample dishes such as red tuna with strawberry sour (£8.60) and mangalica pork belly with buttered vegetables (£7.20), washed down with a glass of crisp, dry furmint white, one of more than 200 (mostly Hungarian) bottles to choose from here. •Sas utca 3, +36 1 266 0835, borkonyha.hu
Just a stone’s throw from Great Market Hall – from where it sources many of its ingredients – the refreshingly low-key “Wine Court” is one of the more satisfying places to sample modern, affordable Hungarian cuisine. A good choice is the veal with foie gras served with pepper sauce and dumplings (£10.50) and a salty caramel and pear crumble (£2.80) accompanied by a glass of delicious dessert wine tokaj aszú to round off the evening . •Csarnok tér 5, +36 1 219 0902, borbirosag.com
Menza Few restaurants on touristy Liszt tér warrant serious consideration, but Menza bucks the trend. Designed to recreate the atmosphere of the socialist-era canteens of the 1960s and 70s, the cool retro fixtures and fittings are a delight. The food is anything but canteen-like, with dishes such as catfish stew with Hungarian cottage cheese gnocchi (£7.40), and a duck burger with gorgonzola cheese and blackberry mayonnaise (£6.90), maintaining a happy stream of punters. •Liszt Ferenc tér 2, +36 1 413 1482, menzaetterem.hu
Szimplakert, a ruin bar in an assortment of agreeably ramshackle, heavily graffitied spaces. Photograph: Alamy
Ruin barsOccupying formerly dilapidated buildings and courtyards, these paragons of cool are now a firmly established fixture on the Pest party scene. Big-hitters such asInstant (Nagymezo utca 38), comprising more than 20 themed rooms, andSzimplakert (Kazinczy utca 14), an assortment of agreeably ramshackle, heavily graffitied spaces, draw huge crowds for their broad mix of music, dance and film. Less raucous is Café Bobek (Kazinczy utca 53), which was named after a communist rabbit no less, and whose relatively genteel decor and tree-filled garden is geared towards more contemplative drinking.
Hungarian wine may not be as famous as some, but it has fantastic pedigree. Among the rash of wine bars that have sprung up throughout the city, the brick-vaulted Doblo, in the atmospheric Jewish quarter, is the most relaxing. It has more than 200 varieties from Hungary’s 22 wine-growing regions, many available by the glass, perhaps paired with a ham and cheese platter. For oenophiles, there are dedicated tasting sessions (£22). •Dob utca 20, +36 20 398 8863, budapestwine.com
Centrál KávéházAround the time of the first world war, writers and intellectuals would gather to while away the hours in this magnificent coffee house. Its grandeur impressively intact, Centrál remains the city’s most appealing cafe, doing great espresso with a slice of rétes (strudel) or dobos torta (layered sponge cake). It’s also not nearly as expensive as the more touristy places close by. •Károlyi Mihály utca 9, centralkavehaz.hu
Tamp & Pull
Coffee – increasingly of the artisanal variety – is now big business in Budapest, and few places do it quite like Tamp & Pull, one of the new breed of espresso bars. It’s a tiny space but run through with charm, and the coffee is exquisite, lovingly crafted by champion baristas using beans from around the globe, details of which are displayed across the walls. It would also be remiss not to try one of their delectable pastries. •Czuczor utca 3, tamppull.hu
AriaIf you’re looking for a wow factor, albeit at a price, you’ll find it at Aria, a new luxury boutique hotel. Elegance pervades the place, from the distinguished, musically themed rooms (with marble tables and chairs, multimedia entertainment systems, iPads, and free bottled water and chocolates), to the Harmony Spa and beautiful glass-covered Music Garden. On top of all this designer splendour, complimentary wine and nibbles are served each afternoon. •Doubles from £200 B&B, Hercegprímás utca 5, +36 1 445 4055,ariahotelbudapest.com
The erstwhile residence of the Hungarian prime minister, this handsome villa is something special, accommodating 11 idiosyncratic rooms, each one named after the artist whose work is featured within – and which, in some cases, used to be their studio – and features chunky wooden bedsteads, recycled furniture, roll-top baths and the like. The honesty bar is fab, and there is more fun to be had in the Brody Members’ Club and bar, to which guests receive free access. •Doubles from £50, Vörösmarty utca 38, +36 1 266 1211, brodyhouse.com
Tucked away on a sunny little square, Gerlóczy has a vaguely Parisian ambience, its 19 rooms ranged over four colour-themed floors, namely red, blue, grey and yellow-green. Each room is beautifully fitted, with parquet flooring, big windows and lofty ceilings and – perhaps best of all – the mini-bar is free. The buzzing terrace cafe below is a favourite haunt of Budapesters. •Doubles from £68 (breakfast £9), V Gerlóczy u 1, +36 1 501 400, gerloczy.hu
Home-Made Hostel Reassuringly warm and welcoming, Home-Made couldn’t be further removed from your average hostel. The spacious dorms (no bunks) are furnished with second-hand bits and pieces garnered from Budapest homes, such as radios, typewriters and trunks, while two beautifully conceived double rooms – one with a loft space – offer a touch more intimacy. In the evenings, guests congregate in (and have the run of) the sweet little kitchen, where staff members occasionally rustle up a free meal. •Dorm beds from £8, double room from £23 (cash payments only), Teréz krt 22 1/7 (Oktogon), +36 1 302 2103,homemadehostel.com
THE NEW ‘GOLDEN EAGLE DANUBE EXPRESS’ LUXURY TRAIN
TO RECEIVE A BRITISH ROYAL SEND-OFF IN BUDAPEST
·HRH Prince Michael of Kent launches new luxury train in Budapest
·Speaks of passion for rail travel at historic Rail Museum in Budapest
·The Venice-Simplon Orient Express and Golden Eagle Danube Express scheduled to be arriving and departing in Venice simultaneously
HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who once described driving the steam-hauled Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express launch train in Moscow as one of the most exciting moments in his life, is to launch a gleaming new Anglo-Hungarian-owned and British-operated train in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, the Golden Eagle Danube Express, on Saturday 2 May.
The Royal launch will take place before a brief run between Budapest ’s Nyugati station and the Hungarian Railway Museum and Park and will depart the following day (May 3) on its official inaugural journey to Venice operated by Golden Eagle Luxury Trains. [Photographers are invited to picture His Royal Highness at the Railway Museum as he leans out of the window of the steam locomotive that will haul the new train for the first or last hour of most journeys.] Other celebrations include an evening reception in honour of the Royal couple at the British Ambassador’s residence on Saturday and, on Sunday morning at Budapest ’s Nyugati Station, a short reception in the Royal Waiting Room and an official naming ceremony. Joining the celebrations will be Tim Littler, President of Cheshire-based Golden Eagle Luxury Trains - the world's leading operator of exclusive long-distance rail journeys, who for almost 20 years has successfully been operating Russia ’s premier train (the Golden Eagle) on Russia ’s Trans-Siberian Railway.
Their Royal Highnesses will join the train with invited guests for its inaugural overnight run to Venice, lunching and dining on board with a harpist in the restaurant, enjoying pre-dinner drinks in the bar car to musical accompaniment by the train’s resident pianist and stopping en route to visit Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.
On Monday morning (4 May) a reception party will be held at Venice ’s Santa Lucia station to welcome the arrival of the Golden Eagle Danube Express. Subject to timings on the day, two British operated luxury trains will pass one another, one arriving, the other departing. The iconic Belmond Venice-Simplon Orient Express arrives at 1800 just as the new Golden Eagle Danube Express departs for its 9-day Balkan Odyssey tour.
The new Golden Eagle Danube Express will offer a range of pioneering new itineraries between May and November annually. Among them are The Balkan Explorer grand tour between Istanbul and Venice which takes the train into a raft of new territories through Greece , Macedonia , Bosnia & Herzegovina , Croatia and Slovenia . Additionally Budapest arrivals and departures will experience steam haulage. While the first Jewels of Persiatour departed on a pre-train-launch run from Budapest to Tehran in the autumn of last year, among the most exciting new routes for this train in 2015 is the Heart of Persia tour which goes to places that have been off the tourist map for many years.
THE NEW TRAIN
Combining first-class facilities with a romantic exploration of some of Europe and Asia ’s most remarkable sites and cinematic landscapes, theGolden Eagle Danube Express hotel-on-wheels offers the ultimate in exclusive rail experiences. From the moment guests step aboard they can expect everything to be taken care of, from fine dining, both on the train and in local restaurants, to a personal cabin attendant and a diverse range of touring options in some of Europe’s lesser-explored destinations – and Iran ’s too. With some 65 guests onboard, passengers will also benefit from the signature touches of a Golden Eagle rail adventure such as the option of a Deluxe en suite cabin, a champagne reception, a special Gala Caviar dinner (Persian trips), 5-star hotel accommodation before and after each journey, live musical performances and an onboard doctor. The train is usually headed by steam, at other times by a gleaming red 1960s M61 diesel locomotive, or the arrivals and departures from Budapest . There are eight newly refurbished cars in total: four deluxe en suite cars (with shower / wc) – something no other European main-line cruise train boasts - two classic sleeping cars, a restaurant car, a lounge car, and a staff car, plus heritage presidential cars which can be added to the train formation where required.
SAMPLE GRAND TOUR
The Balkan Explorer: Journeying from Istanbul to Venice , discover the fascinating history, verdant landscapes and coastlines of the Balkan nations and their neighbours – destinations never previously explored by a luxury private train. Taking in nine countries over 12 days, venture through the intriguing countries of the former Yugoslavia to witness the lasting influences of recent and ancient conflicts in the cities of Sarajevo , Belgrade and Dubrovnik , among others. Price: from $9,995pp based on two sharing all-inclusive, including 2 nights in Istanbul, 7 nights on the Golden Eagle Danube Express and 2 nights in Venice. Upgrade to Deluxe from $15,995pp. A few places remain on 11 July 2015 departure. Departures in 2016 include 9 June and 4 July.
MORE GRAND TOURS FOR 2015
Heart of Persia: Starting and finishing in Tehran , the 12-day luxury rail adventure offers a whole host of sites that have been rarely experienced by the Western traveller, from the deserted citadel at Rayen to one of the oldest cities in the world, Yazd . Other special experiences are: the ruins of Persepolis and Necropolis; Iran ’s oldest garden, dating back to 1590, in Kashan; and a spectacular journey through the Zagros Mountains . Price: from $9,995pp all-inclusive. Depart 19 October 2015.
Jewels of Persia: A 15-day trip from the banks of the Danube in Budapest to the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul and through Iranto trace the legacies of the Persian Empires. Explore historic cities and World Heritage sites, medieval fortresses and towns off the beaten track, among them Brasov , Kazanlak, Cappadocia, Van, Akdamar Island , Zanjan, Yazd , Isfahan , Shiraz and Tehran . Price: from $13,595pp all-inclusive. Depart Sept 4 & 17, Oct 6 & 29 2015.
Central Europe & Transylvania: For an unforgettable rail adventure through the dramatic landscapes of Central and Southern Europe, opt for this epic 14-day, 3,000kms passage between Istanbul and Prague which discovers an incredible eight countries. Price: from $10,195pp all-inclusive. Depart 18 July 2015.
PRICES are per person, based on 2 sharing a Heritage cabin on the Golden Eagle Danube Express, and include all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks, fully guided off-train excursions programme, porterage, arrival and departure transfers, the services of a Tour Manager, on-board Doctor and all gratuities. Deluxe en suite cabins are also available at a supplement. Hotel accommodation is 5-star. Flights are extra.
NEW ROUTES FOR 2016
*NEW* Champagne Express – Budapest to Champagne and Paris
*NEW* Treasures of Eastern Europe– Venice to Gdansk , Kaliningrad and Budapest
