What should I do there?
Immerse yourself in the atmospheric coffee houses and bars of Budapest, panoramically split by the Danube. Take the cable car up Castle Hill for great views and wander cobbled lanes. Get pummelled to a pulp at one of the thermal baths and bag yourself a ticket to the opera.

What should I avoid?
The Capital Sewerage Works Museum.

Where should I stay?
The ultra-modern and trendily lower-case art'otel (00 36 487 9487; artotel.hu). What these converted baroque fishermen's houses lack in capital letters they make up for with abstract art works from expressionist New Yorker Donald Sultan and stunning views of the Danube and Castle Hill. Double rooms from £130.

What should I eat?
Most Hungarian delicacies are heavy on the goose liver, veal or sausage, often accompanied by a generous sprinkling of paprika. China Lanzhou Restaurant (Luther utca 1B, 00 36 314 1080), specialises in spicy tripe, duck heart and tongue salad. Vegetarians head for Al-Amir (Kiraly utca 17, 00 36 352 1422) which serves up a good selection of Middle Eastern dips and salads and rather fine cheese and spinach-stuffed flatbreads. The sweet of tooth should head to Ruszwurm Cukraszda (Szenthearomsag utca 7), a buzzing cafe serving delicious pastries and scones.

What should I drink?
Wine. It's cheap, plentiful and often very good. Sark (Klauzal ter 14) is an atmospheric bar with a smoky cellar with table football and DJs.

Those crazy Hungarians...
Don't even think about smuggling in drugs, guns, or... paprika, they're all contraband. How do I get there? Return fares with EasyJet (0871 750 0100; easyjet.com) start from £40.98 including tax. Malev Hungarian Airlines (0870 909 0577; www.hungarian airlines.co.uk) has a twice-daily flight from Stansted to Budapest from £79. British Airways (0870 850 9850; ba.com) has return flights from Heathrow starting at £68 return this month.