Hungary for Digital Nomads
When I got to Budapest, it didn’t take long until I realized what a gem this city is. After staying there for a month, I understood that this is my favorite city in Europe: Great Wi-Fi, low costs of living, a perfect location to travel surrounding countries, and an amazing community with many events and coworking spaces. What can a nomad desire more?
Facts About the Hungary
Hungary is a country of unique beauty in the heart of Europe. With its size of 93 thousand square kilometres and its location at the border of Eastern and Western Europe, the country is an optimal choice for doing business by small and multinational companies.
While the Hungarian language may not be similar to any other European language, the country has extensive and historically established relations with all three main European ethnic and linguistic families: the Indo-European, the Slavic, and the Neo-Latin languages. For this reason, Hungary is especially capable of acting as a bridge between various cultures.
Located at the juncture of the 4 main European transport corridors, Hungary offers around 1,300 km motorway, an extensive railway network, and five airports.
Information About Entry and Departure
Traveling to the EU has never been more organized and stress-free. Due to the Schengen Agreement, citizens of certain countries are allowed to travel visa free among other Schengen states, meanwhile, citizens of non Schengen countries can travel throughout the Schengen states with the so-called Schengen Visa.
A Schengen visa will allow you to stay within the Schengen zone for a maximum of 90 days.
Safety
Take sensible precautions against petty crime. Bag snatching and pickpocketing are common, especially in Budapest. Be particularly careful on busy public transport, in train stations, at markets and at other places frequented by tourists. Theft of and from vehicles is common. Don’t carry large amounts of cash.
Money
Hungary’s official currency is the Hungarian Forint. It is possible to pay using Euro in Hungary, but the conversion rates are often not very favourable. Some larger hotels and tourist shops will even quote prices in both Euro and HUF, and the Euro price quoted might well be more expensive. If you don’t want to get HUF, you may try using your card. Small shops, restaurants, and cafes will only accept HUF. Other currencies won’t likely be accepted.
In Hungary, it’s possible to exchange money at a hotel, airport, bank, or exchange bureau. The good news is that Hungary is a bit different than in other countries – exchange bureaus often charge fair prices. Bureaus charge a mandatory 0.3% commission, but largely won’t charge additional fees.
ATMs are easy to find in Hungary, especially in larger cities; they will dispense forints at the mid-market exchange rate, but you may also be charged a foreign transaction fee. Currency exchange is available at banks for a surcharge. Hotels and airports will often charge a 10-15% commission on what you withdraw, so avoid them.
WI-FI
Wi-Fi in Budapest is pretty fast. I had stable and fast Wi-Fi in all the coworking spaces, cafés, and Airbnbs that I tested.
Mobile Internet
At the moment, Budapest has three mobile carriers:
- (Magyar) Telekom
- Telenor
- Vodafone
All providers have opened 4G/LTE to their prepaid users.
You can buy a SIM card at any provider shop, just don’t forget your ID for registering. Also, give yourself some time to complete the process—the signatures and paperwork for prepaid cards can take a while.
When you want to top up your Hungarian SIM card, simply bring your phone number to one of the shops. Remember to have it on hand for that.
Hungary is part of the European Union, and if you have another EU carrier, you should be able to roam internationally at domestic rates. The motto is ‘roam like at home’.
MiFi
Another possibility for mobile internet access is a MiFi device, which creates a WiFi network for you. I have tested the GlocalMe device and think it’s a really useful addition of my travel equipment. You can either use it as an ordinary wireless router with up to two SIM cards (very useful if you work with mobile TANs, you want to be available on your local number or if you want to use the social networks with a 2-factor authentication) but you can also use it without a physical SIM card but with the built in cloudSIM technology (which is of course more expensive) in over 100 countries worldwide. Apart from that it’s also a 6000 mAh powerbank, which is never bad to have with you.
Living in Hungary as a Digital Nomad
As one of the most affordable European countries to live in, Hungary has a low cost of living which makes it appealing to many.
When it comes to tourist attractions Hungary is not at all shy, showcasing an abundance of places to see and things to do. There are plenty of opportunities for enriching cultural experiences, from viewing historical monuments dating back to Roman Empires to visiting renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Hungary’s location in the center of Europe makes it easy to travel to other European countries, especially neighboring countries like Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, and Croatia.
Budapest showcases some excellent nightlife and entertainment like a “night party on the Danube”, fantastic festivals, the State Opera House, spa parties in the Széchenyi during summer and rejuvenating thermal baths to soothe your mind and body, to name a few. There is a wide selection of local eateries as well as regular to high-end restaurants.
Coworking Spaces
Káptar– A coworking space that’s constantly developing over time, KAPTÁR believes that an active working space leads to producing great results. There’s a possibility for you here to create a unique way of working in comparison to the usual day in an everyday office.
Impact Hub Budapest– Located in a beautiful turn-of-the-century building at the very heart of the city, we are so much more than just a co-working space. We are the new home for valuable connections, meaningful collaboration, business innovation, and an inspiring environment.
Blog Posts About Hungary
I spent three weeks in Dubai doing house sitting, a day in Abu Dhabi visiting the Grand Mosque and three days in the northernmost Emirate RAK.
Earning Money as a Digital Nomad – How do I Make a Living on the Road?
People still ask me how I can pay for all my travels and how I actually earn money. Somehow many still seem to think that I’m on vacation and that Barbaralicious is my hobby. So here is how I make a living with and while traveling: #1 Freelancing Already during...
Sunrise Over the Dead Sea – One of my Most Beautiful Sunsets
The sunrise over the Dead Sea from the fortress of Masada was just incredible! Normally, I’m crazy in love with sunsets! I can’t get enough of seeing sunsets and watching photos of them! And probably one of the reasons to become a digital nomad was to be able to see...
Sunrise over Angkor Wat – One of my Most Beautiful Sunrises
The sunrise over Angkor Wat is a real happening! People come from all over the city to watch the sunrise over the impressive temple of Angkor Wat. Normally, I’m crazy in love with sunsets! I can’t get enough of seeing sunsets and watching photos of them! And probably...
Autumn in the Rhine Main Area – Four Short Trips For The Colorful Season
Frankfurt is the heart of the region - that's true! But there are so many more places around the Rhine Main Area that are worth putting on your bucket list. I checked out a few places during my last stay at home that I had hardly or never visited before. #1...
Six Tips For Adjusting To New Sleeping Environments as a Nomad
ABOUT ADAPTING TO NEW SLEEPING ENVIRONMENTS AS A NOMAD BY SARAH CUMMINGSYour friends at home may think you’re just snoozing on a beach pretending to ‘work’... but we all know that being a working nomad isn’t all fun and games. Constantly on the move, contending with...
What’s in the Bag of Every Digital Nomad?
ABOUT WHAT'S IN THE BAG OF EVERY DIGITAL NOMADThe digital age has brought the air of unpredictability to the modern world. The socio-economic landscape can change in the blink of an eye, and the phenomenon of “digital nomads” is the irrefutable example of how easily...
Sunrise in Budapest in Hungary
The sunrise in Budapest was so beautiful that I went to see it twice. Normally, I'm crazy in love with sunsets! I can’t get enough of seeing sunsets and watching photos of them! And probably one of the reasons to become a digital nomad was to be able to see more...
How to Make Money on the Road as a Musician
Here’s a guest post from my friends over at ZingInstruments.com who are almost as obsessed with traveling as I am!Ever wanted to just grab your instrument, pack your bags and head out onto the open road? Yeah, me too, and millions of others in the world too. The brave...
Travel Hack House Sitting – Save Money on Accommodation!
During my first Nomad Cruise, I went to a workshop with the title "Travel the world by house and pet sitting". It turned out that the speaker was a mother of a 10 year old girl and they are traveling with house sitting only. I was excited to learn about this new...
City Cruising on the Danube – 7 Days on a River Cruise With A-ROSA
Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest... What sounds like a cool city trip to some amazing capitals in Europe, is part of the A-ROSA Danube Classics Tour. I'm completely hooked for cruises since I went on the Nomad Cruise, so at some point, I had the idea of doing a river...
20 important words/sentences in Hungarian:
| Hello | Helló |
| Yes | Igen |
| No | Nem |
| Thank you! | Kösz! |
| Please | Kérem |
| Excuse me… |
elnézést... |
| Where is …? | Hol van….? |
| My name is …? | A nevem ….? |
| I don’t speak Hungarian | Nem magyarul beszélek. |
| Do you speak English? | Beszélsz jobbat? |
| I’m German. | Németországból vagyok. |
| Could you help me? | Tudna nekem segíteni? |
| I need … | Szükségem van …. |
| Hungry | Éhes |
| Thirsty | Szomjas |
| Water | Víz |
| How much is this? | Mennyibe kerül ez? |
| Beach | Strand |
| Mall | Bevásárló központ |
| Hospital | Kórház |
The Numbers in Hungarian
| 1 | egy |
| 2 | kettő |
| 3 | három |
| 4 | négy |
| 5 | öt |
| 6 | hat |
| 7 | hét |
| 8 | nyolc |
| 9 | kilenc |
| 10 | tíz |
| 11 | tizenegy |
| 12 | tizenkettő |
| 13 | tizenhárom |
| 14 | tizennégy |
| 15 | tizenöt |
| 16 | tizenhat |
| 17 | tizenhét |
| 18 | tizennyolc |
| 19 | tizenkilenc |
| 20 | húsz |
| 30 | harminc |
| 40 | negyven |
| 50 | ötven |
| 60 | hatvan |
| 70 | hetven |
| 80 | nyolcvan |
| 90 | kilencven |
| 100 | száz |
| 1.000 | ezer |
| 1.000.000 | millió |
The Budapest Guide for Digital Nomads
Live Like a Local
Are you searching for a cool spot for digital nomads in Eurpe? You should check out Budapest in Hungary!
Subscribe to my newsletter so I can keep you posted about my life of travels and as a digital nomad! You will never miss a new blog post, a new ebook or where my next adventure is going to bring us. Because it’s never going to be boring!
DESTINATIONS FOR DIGITAL NOMADS
DESTINATIONS FOR DIGITAL NOMADS
Herrliche Bilder! Vielen Dank für den Tipp 🙂
Danke! Sehr gerne, Ursula 🙂
Having in control of your own time is what I find best about being a digital nomad. Making your hobby as your source of income is the best fulfillment in working life. Making yourself as a boss is really a good feeling. But the trade-off with this is that you have a firm self-discipline of yourself or else you will not succeed as a digital nomad. This is also the envy of the people from cubicle nation where they have to spend eight or more hours day juggling their best to finish their assigned tasks. A digital nomad is not like this, they were the ones to set the deadline of their tasks, so it is less stress.
Yes, you’re right! Not everything is perfect as a digital nomad. But being your own boss makes up for the downsides, in my opinion 🙂