A 2000 seat capacity theatre in a slightly out of the way auditorium not far from the seamy back streets of Keleti train station, the Erkel Theatre is definitely worth the detour for anyone interested in high culture on the cheap. That means the classics of world and Hungarian opera, night after night, week after week. Government subsidised theatre and the sheer scale of the place keeps prices way down. Hold your breath: Tickets can be as cheap as 500 HUF. Bártok, Toscanini and Yves Montand have all performed inside this imposing example of 1950s socialist architecture, built on the site of what previously had been known as the People's Opera.
