Traveling to Hungary and flying to Budapest and wondering if you can buy a prepaid sim card at Budapest Airport on arrival? Don't let high roaming charges or slow overseas data plans ruin your trip to Hungary. This is a complete guide for buying a sim card at Budapest Airport.
Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per April 2024, the best e-sim cards for Hungary, my recommendation, info about EU data roaming, international sim cards and more.
Depending on the length of your trip to Hungary a prepaid sim card or an e-sim card is the best way to stay connected and save money on high roaming charges. One of the first things I do when planning my next trip abroad is figuring out what is the best way to stay connected and whether to order an e-sim card on the internet or buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival.
Throughout my journey to visit every country in the world I found out that prepaid sim card deals at airports are in general more expensive. You pay extra for the convenience of getting connected straight on arrival. But now with the rise of e-sim cards there is an alternative.
As a full time travel blogger and nomad I constantly get to new countries and airports and everywhere I go I look for the best ways to get connected. Since I like to document all my travel tips you can already find more than 200 sim card guides on Traveltomtom from all over the world: USA, Istanbul, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Europe, Geneva, Zurich, Zagreb, Vienna, Venice, Brussels, Copenhagen, Asia, Singapore, Bali, Abu Dhabi, Ivory Coast and many more.
Of course Traveltomtom also wrote a complete guide for the best prepaid sim card for Hungary in 2024.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me and let me help you save money!
RELATED: 15 Best Places to Visit in Hungary in 2024.
Rent a car and get to see some amazing places around the country!
My recommendation
There is no choice! You can only buy a ridiculously overpriced Yettel prepaid sim card at Budapest Airport, starting price €50 EUR ($55 USD). No EU data roaming included, no e-sims available.
Traveltomtom obviously does NOT recommend buying a prepaid sim card at Budapest Airport.
When we compare the tourist sim cards from Budapest Airport with e-sim cards it is a simple conclusion that e-sim cards are much cheaper. Check out my guide for buying a prepaid sim card for Hungary in 2024.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Hungary from either Airalo or SimOptions. There are already e-sim cards from just $4.5 USD.
There are also so-called worldwide travel sim cards that keeps you connected globally, a great alternative to stay connected when traveling abroad. Check out Traveltomtom's comparison of the best travel sim cards with data and global coverage in 2024 and find the one that suits your trip to Budapest. You can find prepaid as well as e-sim cards in this list.
Or specially designed sim cards for traveling in Europe, which are particularly great for those visiting multiple countries in Europe.
Best e-sim cards for Hungary
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Budapest in 2024 is an e-sim card. You arrange everything online in just a couple clicks. No more visiting a phone store and swapping physical prepaid sim cards.
You order an e-sim card for Hungary on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Hungary e-sim card installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Budapest it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Hungary.
Airalo
Airalo is a reliable e-sim provider that sells e-sim cards from pretty much every country in the world. Traveltomtom has been using Airalo e-sim cards for almost 4 years now without a problem. Here are the Airalo e-sim card plans for Hungary in 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $7.5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $9.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $13.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $22 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $36 USD
Click here for more info or to order an e-sim card for Hungary via Airalo.
The above e-sim cards for Hungary from Szia! are data-only and only valid in Hungary. Szia! e-sim cards operate on the Yettel (former Telenor) 4G/LTE network in Hungary.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another reliable e-sim provider and Traveltomtom has used SimOptions in more than 50 countries around the world and never faced an issue.
SimOptions is specialized in international e-sim cards. These international e-sim cards also support calling and texting. They come with a phone number and are valid in all of Europe.
- 1 GB data-only (5G ready) for 7 days = $4.50 USD
- 3 GB data-only (5G ready) for 15 days = $9.90 USD
- 5 GB data-only for 30 days = $17.90 USD
- 10 GB data-only (5G ready) for 30 days = $22.90 USD
- 15 GB data + unlimited calls for 15 days = $23.90 USD
- 12 GB data + 30 minutes international + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $29.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $44.90 USD
- 30 GB data + 30 minutes international + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $49.90 USD
- 50 GB data (5G ready) + unlimited calls/text for 28 days = $59.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international e-sim card for traveling in Hungary via SimOptions.
Please make sure that your phone is unlocked and e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Hungary.
There is another e-sim provider tested and reviewed by Traveltomtom and although they sometimes have great e-sim card deals it is not Traveltomtom's first recommendation. Personally I have faced some issues with Nomad e-sim cards and unless they are not improving on reliability and performance Traveltomtom is not recommending Nomad e-sim cards over Airalo and SimOptions.
If your phone is not e-sim compatible then there still is the option to order a physical prepaid sim card for Hungary on the internet. This prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address before your trip to Hungary.
For $24.90 USD you get an international sim card with 10 GB + unlimited calls valid in all of Europe. Click here to order a physical sim card for Hungary via SimOptions or get more info and see all other offers.
Why buying a sim card for Hungary?
A local prepaid sim card or an e-sim card will keep you connected during your trip to Budapest without losing money on high roaming charges. It simply makes your life easier. Think about getting directions from Google Maps, ordering an Uber or searching for a nearby restaurant or finding friends.
Don't depend on free public WiFi. Keep in mind that public WiFi is through an UNSECURED connection, it is recommend to use a VPN when surfing the web on an unsecured network to protect your data.
Buying a local prepaid sim card for Hungary at Budapest Airport is the fastest way to get connected when buying a sim card in Hungary. But much easier is ordering an e-sim card if your phone is e-sim compatible. You can even use the free WiFi at Budapest Airport to arrange everything in just 2 minutes.
RELATED: 15 Best Places To Visit in Hungary.
Hungary sim cards and EU data roaming
Good news is that most of the Hungary prepaid sim cards include free EU data roaming. That means you can use the data, voice and text allowance on your Hungary sim card also in London, Paris, Rome and all other countries in Europe at no extra costs.
However, the sim cards you can buy at Budapest Airport do NOT include EU data roaming!
But if you are traveling onwards to Europe after visiting Budapest then I highly recommend you to check out my guide for buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival in Europe with all my tips and tricks I learned along the way or order a sim card for traveling in Europe online.
Budapest Airport - BUD
Budapest Airport is officially called Ferenc Liszt International Airport and is fairly easy to navigate. There are two Arrival Halls 2A and 2B. Most flights arrive at 2B. The two arrival halls are very near to each other and you can walk from one to the other. Arrival Hall 2A is pretty small and only few flights arrive here.
There is free WiFi at Budapest Airport and it works good, but it is only valid for 2 hours.
Where to buy a sim card at Budapest Airport
There is only one place at Budapest Airport that sells prepaid sim cards for tourists. The shop is called Universal Airport Hub.
The Universal Airport Hub is located in Arrival Hall 2B and it is on your right side when you come through the sliding doors from the luggage claim area.
In Arrival Hall 2B there is a Money Exchange, car rental companies, tourist information, a cafeteria as well as a Spar Supermarket. Next to the Spar Supermarket there is the Universal Airport Hub.
Check out my YouTube video below what it looks like arriving at Budapest Airport. Including my complete vlog about buying a sim card at Budapest Airport.
The Universal Airport Hub is not just a phone store, they also double as drugs store. There is a sign outside saying that they have sim cards available.
Prices sim cards at Budapest Airport
As the Airport Hub store is the only place that sells prepaid sim cards at Budapest Airport there is no such thing as a comparison or finding the best Hungary sim card for tourists.
There is only one choice: Yettel prepaid sim cards and they have 2 tourist plans:
- 50 GB data + 25 minutes for 30 days = 15,000 HUF / €50 EUR / $54 USD
- unlimited data + 50 minutes for 30 days = 20,000 HUF / €60 EUR / $65 USD
No need to state that this is very expensive for tourist sim cards and therefore Traveltomtom does not recommend buying a prepaid sim card at Budapest Airport.
Prices for prepaid sim cards are much cheaper once you get to Budapest city center and walk into a phone store from Vodafone, Yettel or Telekom. These are the main mobile internet providers and they all sell prepaid sim cards for tourists.
For more info check out Traveltomtom's guide for finding the best sim card for traveling in Hungary in 2024.
Given the prices for sim cards at Budapest Airport it makes even more sense to order your sim card for Hungary on the internet. In the beginning of this article I showed you the prices for Hungary e-sim cards and they already start from $4.5 USD. For $22 USD you get 10 GB data and you arrange everything online.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Hungary from either Airalo or SimOptions.
There are also international e-sim cards which are perfect for traveling in Europe. For $44.90 USD you get 30 GB data and unlimited calling and texting in all of Europe and 120 international minutes.
On a trip to Europe and visiting more countries after Hungary then check out Traveltomtom's list of the best sim cards for Europe in 2024.
Order a prepaid sim card for Hungary online
If your phone is not e-sim compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Hungary online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Budapest with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Budapest, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards for Hungary:
1. O2 Go Card - $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data
- €2 EUR calling credit
- Valid 30 days
2. Three Data Pack - $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- Valid 30 days
3. Orange Holiday ZEN - $29.90 USD
- 12 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 30 minutes worldwide
- 200 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
4. Bouygues Telecom - $44.90 USD
- 30 GB data
- Unlimited calls in Europe
- Valid 30 days
5. Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 30 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 120 minutes worldwide
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
Click here for more info or to order an international sim card for traveling in Hungary via SimOptions.
Traveltomtom has used the Bouygues, Three as well as the Orange physical prepaid sim cards in the past and I was always satisfied. However, it is no secret that nowadays I rather use e-sim card for traveling to Europe instead of physical prepaid sim cards.
If your phone is e-sim compatible then here is a last reminder that you can arrange everything online in just a couple clicks. Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Hungary via either Airalo or SimOptions.
Order a data-only e-sim card for Hungary via Airalo or an international e-sim card for Hungary including calls/sms and EU data roaming via SimOptions.
How to get from Budapest Airport to Budapest city
There are two options: a direct bus or a bus/metro combinations. In case your hotel is close to one of the metro stations I would go for that option, otherwise a direct bus into the city is pretty convenient.
The direct bus 100E costs 2,200 HUF ($6 USD) for a one way ticket and stops at Deák Ferenc tér, Astoria Metro and Kálvin tér Metro. This express bus takes you from Budapest Airport to the city center in just 25 minutes.
Outside the terminal there is also a taxi stand where you can buy your prepaid taxi ticket so you don't need to fight with the taxi driver about the price.
Of course there are also taxi apps. Unfortunately there is no Uber in Budapest, but there is Bolt. Ordering a Bolt taxi from Budapest Airport to the city is pretty expensive. I paid around $35 USD one-way and it took me about 35 minutes.
I am sure some of the above tips for buying a sim card at Budapest Airport were helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. Please drop me a comment below and I am more than happy to help you out with all your Hungary travel questions.
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of April 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Budapest!