10 day trip - stay in Hungary the whole time or???

Budapest is a wonderful place. I'd consider 5 nights in Budapest and 5 nights in Vienna. Vienna is an easy train ride from Budapest.

Other options are Pecs, Hungary (2 nights), Eger (day trip), Szentendre (day trip).

Since you are not museum people, that cuts out 50% of my suggestions.

Thank you!

Curious what the “other 50%” would be?

Count your nights, not your days, as those can often be misleading. 9 nights? 10 nights?

1. Are you flying round trip Budapest? If you are considering a second location, fly into one and out of the other.
2. Have you been to Europe before? If not, Paul’s suggestion of Vienna is good - but since you aren’t museum people, I would spend 6 nights in Budapest and 4 in Vienna (in either order). If you have been to other countries, well, there’s a reason you chose Budapest - and you could easily spend all 10 nights there with either day trips or an occasional 1 night stay in another town. Check this thread for some day trip/overnight trip possibilities. You could even train to Koćise, Slovakia.

WizzAir has a lot of cheap flights so your options if you want to spend half a day traveling are really open. Just depends on what you want to do!

Thank you.

Yes have been to Europe several times. Budapest came up as a place neither my daughter nor I had been to and seemed to “check the boxes” as to what we like to do (we also considered mainland Greece).

Plane tickets not yet purchased do some flexibility on where to fit in and out of, but timing of connections works better for Budapest than Vienna on the outbound.

You will enjoy Budapest! Last Spring we spent 3 nights there and felt we covered most of the major sites we were interested in seeing. If we had another night we would probably have taken a day trip outside the city - we like the contrast smaller villages offer.

TexasTravelMom, how many days have you spent in Hungary in the past 30 months?

So many options. It comes down to your personality.

1. Ten days in and around Budapest
2. Time in Budapest and time in Vienna
   3.. Time in Budapest and time in a location served by WizzAir or Ryan (Budapest is served by both). Montenegro for instance. 90 minute away and about $100.
   

But since I love Budapest thats what I will talk about. Just looking at full and half days, you can be very busy for 8 to 10 days.

For how much time. In very rough terms each of these takes a very long day
1. District VII and Jewish Budapest
2. The Pest Corso from the Great Market Hall to the Parliament
3. Pest Andrassy ut and District VI
4. Buda Castle Hill
5. Vaci utca to Vorosmarty ter to the Basilica

Mix in a half day each for:
1 Bath House Experience
2. City park boating and walking
3. The zoo
4. Each museum that interests you
5. A hike to Elizabeth Tower
6. The chairlift
7. Children's Railway.
8. District VIII Jewish history and the cemeteries
9. Shopping
10 Margrit Island
11. Kayaking on the Danube

Then day trips might include:
1. Szentendre: https://youtu.be/KHTrW5AUs9E?feature=shared
2. Kecskemét https://youtu.be/u8XY8TxK_4k?feature=shared
3. Vac (and maybe the Bear Farm nearby) https://youtu.be/InDkSA-tnYg?feature=shared and https://medveotthon.hu/
4. Visegrad https://youtu.be/36VE0zKOWqA?feature=shared
5. Esztergom https://youtu.be/8QnjPTTj82c?feature=shared
6. Or Budapest is surrounded by Vineyards and I know the perfect guide to visit one or two.

Then there are the overnight trips. With an airbnb you take a small bag and hop train. then have a home to return to a day or two later.

1. Gyor and the Archabbey at Pannonhalma https://youtu.be/kBYsexwEbPc?feature=shared and https://youtu.be/NbH6u0J-Xos?feature=shared
2. Pecs
3. Lillafüred https://youtu.be/h3Ug63uIXs0?feature=shared
4. Tihany on lake Balaton https://youtu.be/Jwhd8vO0ZO4?feature=shared

Then sometimes the problem isn't enough days, its enough evenings.
Many, many amazing local and world class restaurants.
Jazz Clubs
Gypsy Music
Classical Concerts
Broadway style musicals in beautiful old theaters
Opera
Ballet
Dancing
Wine Bars
Pubs
Ruin Pubs
Dinner Boats on the Danube

Mr E: this is a marvelous list. I’d be interested in the name of the individual who could take us on a tour of a nearby vineyard(s).

Also interested in your thoughts on an evening Danube cruise. We’ll be in Budapest for a couple of days in April but back for at least 4 more days in May. Any advice on scheduling an evening cruise to appreciate the lights. Is it easy to book once we get there or should that be in advance?

Thanks

Mr. É is not wrong that it is easy to spend your entire 10 days in Budapest. And since you have traveled before, you probably aren’t needing to pack an additional cultural experience in. In 13 months (2022-2023), I spent 4 weeks there and will be back this year. You could rent an apartment and unpack once - and pop out for day trips as the mood strikes you. Very few sights in Budapest needs to be reserved way ahead. I am hopeful on my next trip I actually make it out of town! 🤣

Wine tours:
This young lady does is sort of laid back, but well done: https://gerardevent.com/wine-tour/
This one is a larger operation: https://tastehungary.com/tours/

And two boat cruise companies. My only advise on these is you want a later cruise when the lights are on and when the sun isnt beating down inside the glass boat:
https://silver-line.hu/product-category/dinner-cruises/
https://legenda.hu/en/candlelit-dinner-cruise

I would book guides a few months out and the cruise at least a month out .... just to be sure.

Tell me the dates and I will suggest what I would do for 10 days.....

Such wonderful information. Thank you everyone. Lots to consider.

This young lady does is sort of laid back, but well done:
https://gerardevent.com/wine-tour/

Used her again the other day. She knows some great family vineyards. Much more interesting than the large commercial ones. Excellent wine too. Came home with too much ..... again.

She stays pretty busy so book in advance. Took me weeks to schedule her on a free day.

If you have 10 days set aside for this, it can be easily done. Stay in Hungary.

I would suggest, too, that half be spent in Budapest, then spend the other days in Lake Balaton and other interesting towns.

Numerous towns historically within your distance radius. I know what I would pick in this regard.