Mobile internet in Budapest: a visitor’s guide
Budapest is two cities either side of a river, and the phone is what keeps them joined up: the route in from the airport, the map on the Buda slopes, the ticket for the next thing. Two questions decide how that goes — whether your own plan charges roaming, and where the signal or the position gives out.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Hungary?
- Yes. It connects to Telenor Hungary, Vodafone (5G).
- Price
- From 4,49 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,79 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Hungary is in EU roaming, so a plan from an EU country usually works at no extra cost, within your operator's fair-use limit. If your plan is from outside the EU, it charges international roaming.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Hungary. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Roaming here, in three lines
- EU and EEA plans: roam like at home applies, within the fair-use limit.
- UK plans: it depends on your operator since Brexit.
- Plans from outside Europe: usually roaming charges or a daily pass.
The rules in full, country by country, are in our guide to Internet in Hungary.
eSIM for Hungary
Data on your phone the moment you land in Hungary. No account, no app, no shop.
Choose your data
For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Nothing is charged now · When we are done improving, we will email you 30% off
Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
From the airport into the city
The airport sits east of the city and there is no metro line to the door: you get in by bus to a metro terminus, or by a booked transfer or taxi. That is a decision made on the phone while you walk through arrivals — which bus, which metro line after it, how long the whole thing takes, and whether it is worth the transfer instead. The message to your accommodation about your arrival time goes the same way.
Airport Wi-Fi usually wants a registration or gives you a short free slot, so landing with data already on is worth more than it sounds. An eSIM is installed at home over Wi-Fi and only starts counting when the phone first connects in Hungary.
Underground, and on the two sides of the river
In the metro tunnels coverage depends on the line and on the station: some stretches and platforms have it and others do not, and the deep line is a long way down, so plan for a live route to stall between stops and catch up at the surface. Anything you truly need down there — the ticket, the address, the next connection — is better loaded before you go down the stairs.
Above ground the trouble is the position rather than the signal. On the Buda side the streets climb, turn and narrow between high walls, and the courtyards on the Pest side do the same on the flat: GPS bounces off the buildings and the dot on the map drifts a street or two before it settles. Walking a few metres into the open fixes it faster than reopening the app, and an offline map of the city downloaded beforehand keeps the streets and the search working either way.
Forints, tickets and the rest of the phone
- The money: Hungary uses the forint, not the euro. Buying the eSIM online before you travel, at the price you see on the site, means it is not one more thing to sort out at a counter in a currency you do not use day to day.
- Timed tickets: baths, museums and viewpoints put you in a slot and the ticket is shown from the phone at the door. Save it offline too, in case the queue has a bad signal.
- Maps and public transport: constant, and the reason to download the offline map before the trip.
- The usual background: messages, photos going up and the odd video call home.
How much data
It depends on the days, on whether you watch video and on whether you share with a laptop. How much data do I need turns that into a number from what you actually do.
Prices for Hungary
Hungary data eSIMs: 3 GB for 4,49 €, 5 GB for 6,79 €, 10 GB for 11,29 € and 20 GB for 16,99 €. Local networks (Telenor Hungary (5G), Vodafone (5G)), hotspot allowed, no speed cap from us, and topping up does not mean reinstalling. It is data only, so your own line keeps your number.
Travelling later?
Going to Hungary later? We remind you before you fly
Tell us the day you leave. We email you a week before and the day before with the steps to install the eSIM on Wi-Fi at home. Nothing else.
We only write about this trip, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Privacy policy
Is there mobile signal on the Budapest metro?
It depends on the line and the station. Some tunnel sections and platforms have coverage and others do not, so expect gaps between stops, especially on the deep line.
Do I need forints to buy the eSIM?
No. You buy it online before you travel, at the price shown on the site, so it does not depend on changing money once you land. You will want forints for everything else.
Does my Hungary eSIM work on a day trip to Vienna?
No. A one-country pack stops giving data as soon as you leave Hungary, even though EU roaming rules cover Austria and Slovakia too. For a trip like that, take a Europe plan.
Does the eSIM give me a Hungarian number?
No, it is data only: no number and no SMS. Your usual line keeps your number and WhatsApp works as always.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Hungary