Italy/Slovenia/Hungary itinerary, comments? :)
 

Trieste (3 nights .. cave/castles/fishing villages)
Piran (2 .. beach/beach/beach MMM~~)
Ljubljana (2 .. cafes/relax time)
Bled (3 .. hiking! Julian Alps)
Budapest (7 .. city exploration)
Graz (2 .. see the medieval armory museum)

Any thoughts on these places or places nearby that I could daytrip too? Seems like an interesting trip.. I get some Italy for my pizza and gelato cravings, some beach and hiking in Slovenia, some big city fun in Budapest, and then the world's biggest weapon and armor museum in Graz.

You should be aware that in Piran itself there's no real beach... Just a few meters of rocks to lay your towel on. In general, beaches in Slovenia are not THAT nice (they have a really small, thus crowded) coastline. Some other places nearby might have sandier beaches, though I don't dare to say names (Piran is a lovely town though). I love Ljubljana, you can visit the Postonje caves on the way from Piran to Ljubljana, they are amazing and Unesco world heritage. Lake Bled itself is nice, but I had the impression the average tourist age is 60+ there. Julian alps are fabulous though! Especially the Soca river (NW Slovenia) and its surroundings I loved. Budapest is great too. Places on the way you might consider: Maribor, Veszprem, Balaton lake... of course, this is if you're driving... otherwise it takes up too much time if it's just for a short stop.

Hmm no beach in Piran? I could swear I saw sand when I looked at the pictures. Maybe I'll consider Rovinj instead then. Thanks for the other info too :)

I can only speak for Piran town. It might be that a little further there are sandy beaches.

Piran is the cutesy fishing village and very nice, but the best place to stay is Portorocz only 3 miles away--better hotels. Try not to miss the caves between Piran and Ljubljana.