Other Hungarian cities

I haven't gotten to Eger yet; it will be part of my next Hungarian itinerary.

Pecs is an especially good destination for folks interested in decorative arts. It's the home of the Zsolnay ceramics company, which was responsible for the colorful architectural ceramics you see in Hungary and some other cities in the area of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Another good option would be Gyor, which has a very pretty historic center, a number of small museums (most art-related) and is near the Pannonhalma Abbey.

All three of those destinations are doable by train or car in similar time frames. I didn't check the train schedules for frequency, however.

acraven nailed those two. Eger is about wine. So unless wine interests you .... no, there is a little more but thats the bulk of it. Three others you might research are:

Tihany
Kecskemét
Lillafüred

But you didnt say for how long. Day trips are
Szentendre
Esztergom
Visegrad

And of course time of year will matter.

Good options. Pécs and Eger are both solid picks, and easy by train or car from Budapest.

Pécs: Known for the Zsolnay ceramics company, whose colorful architectural tiles show up on buildings across Hungary and the old Austro-Hungarian Empire region. Good pick if you like decorative arts.

Eger: Mostly known for wine. If that's not a big draw for you, there's less to pull you there specifically.

Other ideas worth researching:

Győr: Pretty historic center, several small art museums, close to Pannonhalma Abbey.
Tihany, Kecskemét, Lillafüred: Worth a look depending on your interests.

Easy day trips from Budapest:

Szentendre
Esztergom
Visegrád

Safe travels!

We visited Eger in 2025. Details are in our trip report (part 3): https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-hungary-aug-2025

The highlight of Pécs for us was the early Christian necropolis.

HK both times I went it was dead