In the past five years, numerous budget airlines have started flying to the Hungarian capital, meaning it is now possible to get a low-cost fare from Helsinki, Barcelona, Berlin, Geneva, London, Dublin and Glasgow among other places.

Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air are among the dozen or so budget carriers that now connect to Budapest. Malev, the Hungarian national carrier, along with Lufthansa, British Airways and Turkish Airlines are among the standard regional airlines that operate flights to Budapest.

Budapest Airport offers a good range of places to pick up a drink or a meal such as a couple of Ritazza coffee shops, other cafes and a bistro. There is even a marzipan shop along with the usual range of duty-free shops offering liquor, cigarettes and perfume.

Airport information: +361 296 9696

Transportation: getting to and from the terminal is straightforward thanks to good transport links to the city. A train service runs from Terminal 1 to the western train station, a new service started in July 2007; and a direct bus service from both terminals takes passengers to nearby Kobanya-Kispest metro station, which connects to the rest of the network.

Parking: Ferihegy Airport offers a total of 1,300 short-stay parking spaces at its two terminals with prices starting at 280 forints for the first 15 minutes. The long-stay car park charges 4,000 forints for the first day with discounts on three or more days.