The best way to explore a city like Budapest avoiding roaming costs is to buy the best eSIM for Budapest. Orange eSIM Holidays is the best eSIM. With 30GB for €25, you’ll get 15 days of data plus a Spanish phone number with 100 minutes of voice calls to use not only in Hungary, but in any of the countries of the EU.
Budapest, also known as “the city of Spas”, is the capital of Hungary. In a privileged location on the banks of the Danube River, Budapest has a pre-eminent place as a witness to not only European history, but world history. A hidden gem of culture, nature and architectural wonders, this fascinating capital offers a plethora of activities for travellers from all over the globe.
With architectural wonders like Buda Castle or the parliament building, every history buff will surely find something to enjoy in Budapest.
Visiting any (if not all) of Budapest’s world renown thermal baths like Széchenyi or Gellért is a mandatory activity if you travel to Budapest.
With a very characteristic gastronomy, dishes like Goulash or Chimney Cakes have become a symbol of Hungarian culture.
And of course, the best way to explore Budapest is to take a stroll alongside the Danube River, with its iconic promenade filled with landmarks like the Chain Bridge or the Shoes on the Danube.
Budapest is a great travel destination all year long, but there are some special events that attract visitors from all over the world.
Contents / Contenidos
- 1 Special dates to visit Budapest
- 2 Advantages of travel eSIMs
- 3 Best eSIM plans for Budapest
- 4 Orange eSIM Holidays: The best eSIM plan to visit Budapest
- 5 Nomad
- 6 MEO Enjoy Europe
- 7 Airalo Szia!
- 8 Holafly
- 9 How to get a travel eSIM for Budapest
- 10 Checking your device’s eSIM compatibility
- 11 Get the best eSIM for Budapest
- 12 FAQs about Budapest eSIM
Special dates to visit Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix
20 km north of Budapest, Hungaroring hosts each year one of the biggest racing events in the world. The Formula 1 tour Prix visits one of the oldest circuits in the competition. Formula 1 fans from all over the world come to Budapest to experience another chapter in the history of car racing.
Sziget Festival
One of the largest musical festivals in Europe takes place every summer for a week on an island on the Danube. It has become one of the main Rock festivals in the world with visitors from hundreds of nationalities enjoying 7 days of music.
Danube Carnival
Around the 15th of June, Budapest hosts the Danube carnival, a festival where traditional folk culture fills the city with a festive spirit. Travellers are welcome to admire folk dances and music in several venues around Budapest.
Budapest Christmas Market
Every year, the Christmas Spirit fills Budapest with aromas, lights and music thanks to the Christmas Markets. From November 20 to December 24, the city hosts multiple Christmas markets. Enjoy the magic of Budapest at Christmas through its traditional delicacies and music events.
Advantages of travel eSIMs
Convenience is a standout feature of eSIMs. Downloading an eSIM profile for quick use makes it ideal for traveling abroad. You don’t need to swap the SIM card of your device to have an eSIM profile for your data needs while travelling, which eliminates the danger of misplacing your home carrier’s plastic SIM card.
In fact, you can switch the profile on-the-go depending on your needs, so you can switch to the eSIM best suited for you while travelling to other countries.
Best eSIM plans for Budapest
| Carrier | Data | Price | Price/GB | Days | Features |
| 🏆Orange eSIM Holidays | 30GB | €25 | 0.83€/GB | 15 days | Spanish number, 100 minutes, tethering allowed, Europe |
| Nomad | 20GB | €31 | 1.55€/GB | 30 days | Data only, Tethering allowed, Hungary |
| MEO Enjoy Europe | 15GB | €25 | 1.66 €/GB | 15 days | Data only, tethering allowed, Europe |
| Airalo Szia! | 2GB 20GB | €7(7.50$) €35(36$) | 3.5€/GB 1.75€/GB | 15 days 30 days | Data only, Tethering allowed, Hungary |
| Holafly | Unlimited | €47 €69 | N/A | 15 days 30 days | Austrian number, 60 minutes calls, No tethering, Hungary |
*Data collected in 2024
Orange eSIM Holidays: The best eSIM plan to visit Budapest
Unparalleled price per GB and features
Orange eSIM Holidays has the best eSIM for Budapest. Enjoy 30GB, a Spanish phone number, and 100 minutes of voice calls throughout Europe for just €25. No other offer provides such a low price per GB (€0.83) with the features of this eSIM plan.
ID verification
Because Orange eSIM Holidays comes with a Spanish phone number, Spanish law requires you to provide an ID verification to be able use it in any of the EU countries. You can upload your ID when you’re going through the purchase process as one of the steps before checkout, so it won’t be a hassle.
Nomad
Expensive 20GB card
Nomad’s travel eSIM plan offers 20GB of data for a high price of €31. For 30 days, you’ll be able to use its data allowance only in Hungary. You’ll pay more for less data than the data offered by Orange eSIM Holidays. Even the fact that it is a 30 days’ data package isn’t an advantage, since this means that you’ll need to control your usage for a longer period. If you’re staying in Budapest or in Hungary for more than a couple of weeks, you’ll be better off buying two Orange eSIM Holidays cards.
No phone number
Another discouraging factor of Nomad’s eSIM is that it is a data only card, so you won’t get a phone number or calls. It is way too expensive for the features it provides.
MEO Enjoy Europe
A great plan for 15 days
MEO Enjoy Europe offers a data plan of 15GB for €25 for 15 days. It is in fact a great alternative to Orange eSIM Holidays if you don’t want to provide an identification. For only a slightly more expensive price per GB than Nomad’s, you’ll have an acceptable amount of data for two weeks in Hungary.
Regional plan
The reason it is a great alternative is that it is, in fact, a regional plan working not only in Hungary, but in several other countries. With coverage in Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Greece, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Croatia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Portugal, you’ll be able to visit Europe without worrying about having coverage in different countries.
Airalo Szia!
Expensive plans
Airalo has for Hungary several “Szia!” plans with different data allowance and validities. For 15 days, it offers a 2GB data plan for the costly price of around €7 (7.50 usd). That allowance will barely cover your basic internet needs and the price per GB is more than three times the cost of Orange eSIM Holidays.
Airalo’s best plan offers 20GB of data for around €35 (36 usd). In this case, this plan has a validity of 30 days. It is still quite an expensive offer, with a price per GB of 1.75 €/GB.
Data only local plan
Being a data only plan makes this eSIM one of the worst ones of our list, since you’ll get coverage only in Hungary and no calls. There’s no reason to choose this eSIM instead of Orange eSIM Holidays card for your trip to Hungary.
Holafly
Costly unlimited plans
The major advantage of Holafly’s travel eSIM plans for Hungary is that they offer unlimited data and 60 minutes phone calls with an Austrian phone number. Holafly’s eSIM for 15 days costs €47, and its 30 days eSIM costs €69. The unlimited data can provide some freedom, but to fully profit from this eSIM, you’d better analyze in detail your standard data usage while travelling to Hungary, so you won’t waste any money.
No tethering
The biggest mistake you can do when purchasing this eSIM is thinking that you’ll be able to work remotely in Hungary with this unlimited data allowance. You can forget about it since Holafly doesn’t allow tethering. You’ll be stuck with your unlimited data only in your mobile phone, and you won’t be able to share your connection with any other device or anyone during your trip.
How to get a travel eSIM for Budapest
If you need to get an eSIM for Budapest or Hungary in general, all you need to do is access the website of the eSIM best suited for your needs and select Hungary as the country of destination. After proceeding with the purchase, you’ll receive an email with a QR code and instructions on how to activate your eSIM.
In a few minutes, you’ll have your eSIM ready for you to avoid roaming fees while abroad. All you’ll need to do afterwards is activate the newly downloaded eSIM profile as soon as you reach the region covered by the plan.
Checking your device’s eSIM compatibility
As an evolving technology, eSIMs aren’t yet fully integrated in the smartphone’s landscape. Only top tier models from a select group of manufacturers used to have eSIM capabilities. However, the trend is slowly changing, with many manufacturers beginning to include eSIMs in their newer models.
The best way to know if your mobile phone supports eSIMs is to check the eSIM compatibility list available on each carrier’s website or in our article: eSIM compatible phones. Check our list. This is especially important since some eSIMs can only be used on certain smartphones.
If, by any chance, you have an eSIM-enabled smartphone, and it doesn’t show up on the list, you can always contact the eSIM carrier to check if you’ll be able to use their eSIM card.
Some of the most popular models for eSIMs are iPhones (iPhone 11 and newer models), Samsung Galaxy phones (since the Galaxy S20) or Google Pixel phones (since the Google Pixel 3XL), but in any case, check with eSIM carrier’s list or contact customer support to make sure you’ll be able to install their eSIM.
Get the best eSIM for Budapest
FAQs about Budapest eSIM
Which eSIM is the best one for Budapest?
Orange eSIM Holidays provides the best plan for Budapest, and therefore Hungary with its unbeatable price per GB of €0.83, its 30GB of data (perfect for a two-week trip) and its 100 minutes of voice calls from/to anywhere in Europe. For €25, you’ll get everything you’ll need for a trip to Budapest avoiding roaming costs.
What’s the best eSIM for Europe?
Orange eSIM Holidays provides its amazing features not only in Hungary, but anywhere in Europe. This makes it not only the best local eSIM but also the best regional eSIM for Europe. Stay connected while visiting any of the 27 countries of the European Union, Norway and Liechtenstein.
What are the problems with eSIMs?
Added to the fact that not all devices support eSIMs, the main disadvantage that eSIMs have is that you can’t manually swap the device on which you’ve installed an eSIM. With physical SIM cards you can open the SIM tray and extract the card and put it in a new device, but with eSIMs, since you have downloaded and activated a profile from the internet, you’ll have to contact the eSIM carrier to use your plan on another smartphone.
How much data do I need for 2 weeks in Hungary?
Depending on how you manage your data usage and how often you connect to Wi-Fi hotspots, the average data consumption while travelling to other countries is around 5GB every 10 days. If, however, you share your connection or avoid public hotspots, the data usage may increase significantly. Orange eSIM Holidays provides you with the freedom of choosing where to connect to while in Hungary, with an excellent data allowance for 15 days. Even if you need more data, you can buy a second eSIM and still save money with its 0.83€/GB.