Budapest side trip (2-3 nights)
 

We'll be arriving in Budapest on Saturday, June 4 late afternoon/evening and will be meeting up with friends on that Tuesday night in Budapest where we'll stay until the following Saturday. So my husband and I have 3 nights to spend elsewhere in Hungary or the surrounding countries. We might have to spend that first night in Budapest since I think we get in around 6:30 though.

We in our late-20s, enjoy doing things outdoors, and are not the museum-sort (and I imagine we'll be doing this with friends in Budapest which they are planning). I'd rather not spend large quantities of that time on a train or in a car either. Lake Balaton, Eger, and Pecs all seem to get good recommendations on this site, but it is still unclear to me what kind of people prefer which location. We also tend to travel budget-moderate and have never been in Eastern Europe before.

Any recommendations would be most appreciated. I've gotten great advice from this board in the past although I seem to have forgotten my earlier login name :(

i have some posts on trip to budapest under my name if you click on it.

we enjoyed szentendre, a gallery filled village, cobblestone streets, 20 min. by train from budapest.

i would NOT go on a weekend there.

we had hoped to have time to go to lake balaton.

i am sure your friends will be able to help you decide between all these destinations.

the countryside must be beautiful. we are totaly hooked on this place.

loved it. and the food was great.

Actually, our friends are also American and just as clueless. I was originally leaning towards Lake Balaton, but that sounds somewhat resort-like, although less so on the north side. I'm thinking Eger right now and perhaps try to take in Tokaj and the caves (Aggtelek) in the same area. We're also big fans of food and I enjoyed your post about meals in the Budapest area.

I feel silly replying to my own post so much, but how about Slovensky Raj in Slovakia? Has anybody been and would we be able to drive or train there without too much trouble?

Eger would be a good destination, the Senator Haus is a great place to stay,and not too expensive. If you want to go south from Budapest,I would recommend seeing the horse show at Tanyascarda (not sure of spelling). I thought that area was very interesting and there are some inexpensive pensions in the area.