For a long time Budapest was an expensive place to get to, but since the cheap airlines have started to fly there rates have tumbled. Flights on the big airlines like BA and Malev (the excellent Hungarian airline) out of Heathrow and Gatwick are often not much more expensive than their supposedly cheaper competitors, particularly if you book ahead. Easyjet and Ryanair have regular flights and can be very cheap. There are Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt and KLM flights from Amsterdam but most big European airlines now fly into Ferihegy, Budapest’s main airport, as well as US carriers including American and TWA.

Getting from the airport to the Var is easy. There is a regular shuttle bus service, organised by the airport, which acts as a sort of group taxi. Once they get enough people wanting to go to any one part of Budapest they set off and drop everyone off wherever they want to go. Often, though, it is as cheap to get a cab, particularly if there are several of you. The taxi drivers always speak at least enough English to get you where you want to go and, in any case, everyone knows the Var. The days when the local mafia controlled many taxis at the airport has gone, luckily, and you are no more likely to get ripped off than anywhere else in Europe, but make sure that they start their meter when you set off.