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.)

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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.

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The launch followed a spate of violence against women taxi passengers in Moscow, and has proved so popular that the original ‘fleet’ of two cars has now grown to 20. It has its own website at www.pinktaxi.ru and can be booked by telephone telephone at 940 76 76.

The company has also expanded its range of services. Now it will even pick the kids up from school and make your grocery run for you. Its main advantage for Cheapos, though, is as a godsend for women in London or Moscow on their own. After all, what price can you put on peace of mind?

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This is a shame, because Slovak beer is excellent and the festival has a great program, and is very cheap. A ten-entry pass costs SKK550 (€16.25; $22) and includes a free Junifest beer glass, a discount card, vouchers, and ten raffle tickets.

And the festival is certainly not just about beer. Every night is a themed music night, rock, dance, R-n-B concerts as well as a men’s night and a ladies’ night, and also a performance by the Scorpions. The highlight of the festival: an attempt to break the Guinness Book of Records entry for the largest mass toast.

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Slovakia’s budget airline SkyEurope flies between Košice and Bratislava, making the city both easy and cheap to visit. We found one-way fares from Bratislava to Košice for as little as SKK436 (€13; $18) in May. That’s including taxes and charges, Cheapos.

In Košice, take time to just wander through the cobbled streets with their pastel buildings, dating from the time when Košice was an eastern metropolis of the Hapsburg Empire. We recommend a visit to Craftsman’s Row, a long street in the heart of the city, where leather and jewelry makers, silversmiths, coin minters, herbalists, potters, and bakers make and ply their wares.

In the summer, cold Czech beer flows freely on the streets and squares. On the main street look down. Glass panels under your feet display 13th century fortifications underground. Finally, pay a visit to the Jakab’s Palace, a small gem of art nouveau architecture.

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Siamese twins in formaldehyde, the skeleton of “Bourgeois the Giant,” and the Tsar’s collections of teeth—which he himself had pulled—are not for the faint hearted. Yet Peter’s intention for his kunstkamera was to prove to the superstitious of his time that abnormality was the result of natural causes and not the devil’s work.

The Museum has a total of one million artefacts from all over the world and is currently running a new exposition of African exhibits. For details, check out the Kunstkamera site. Admission is RUB200 (€5.75; $7.70), with students going half price.

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The lack of attention probably explains why Velence is less touristy, more peaceful, and cheaper than Balaton. It is also nearer to Budapest—only one hour and a mere HUF560 (€2.30; $3.05) by train out of Déli (south) station. The water is great for swimming, and windsports and fishing are also popular. The lake’s average water temperature of 26-28°C makes it one of Europe’s warmest lakes.

There are six settlements around the lake, each with its own character. Gárdony has the largest beach, Agárd has a thermal spa and Sukoró is the most picturesque, with winding streets, cosy inns and flowers everywhere.

This Web site offers some more information about Lake Velence.

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Palóc traditions combine folk elements of Turkish and eastern origins with a Hungarian way of life. Their rather peculiar dialect of Hungarian is famous for its long vowels. Each village has its own twist on the Palóc heritage and especially on the beautifully embroidered folk dress: Kazár is renowned for beautiful bonnets; Rimóc for the shortest skirts.

Although the Palóc are now largely Roman Catholic, relics of pre-Christian traditions survived until the 1960s, and are still recalled. In the past, girls in village hall cubicles received the courtship of fully dressed young men lying down alongside them, a relic of the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde.

The easiest way to reach the region is to travel by bus to the largest Palóc village, Hollók?, a UNESCO World Heritage site. At weekends an express bus leaves for Hollók? from the central bus station in Budapest, adjacent to Stadionok metro station. The trip takes two hours and costs HUF1400 (€5.60; $7.50).

Alternatively, the Palóc Route Society arranges a variety of tours around the region and to special events in individual villages.

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There is accomodation on site, from basic motel-style digs for HUF8500 (€34; $45) for four people per night to luxury wooden cottages, priced around HUF17,000 (€68; $90) per cottage per night. Alternatively, you can find cheap bed and breakfast accomodation in the village itself, where you will be served hearty Hungarian food paired with some good regional wines.

In the village, you can also order a private open carriage ride to explore the surrounding countryside and see an unspoiled rural Hungary—even if the ride is a little bumpy! Check out the spa’s comprehensive Web site.

From Budapest, Kiskunmajsa can be reached by train in two to two and three-quarters hours, depending on train type.

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