Houdini museum, Budapest

Famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini was born Erich Weiss in Budapest in 1874, and one of the largest collections of Houdini artifacts can be found there in the House of Houdini (11 Dísz Square, H-104 Budapest, Hungary; phone +36 1 9518066, houseofhoudinibudapest.com), located next to the funicular at the foot of Buda Castle.

Artifacts on display include handcuffs, straitjackets, movie posters and memorabilia such as a replica of the water-torture cell he escaped from in his final show (the original was housed in a museum in Niagara Falls, Canada, that burned down in 1995, destroying many of the magician’s illusions). 

Open daily, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. €8 (near $10). Tours in English are available. The museum also has a stage where magic shows are performed.