Check your passport expiry date! You cannot travel with a passport that expires within 6 months of travel (February 2025).

No visa required for those with USA, Canada, Australia, or U.K. passports entering the EU for less than 90 days. (The new European ETIAS 7€ fee on the news last year begins in 2025).

We were using TransferWise back before it evolved to Wise, and still swear by it. It allows you to carry different currencies, not pay foreign transaction fees on card purchases, and withdraw cash of the local currency for local ATM fees at any ATM. By minimizing these fees, you can withdraw less cash at a time, minimizing risk while travelling.

Another advantage of it is that is gives you an address for each country you have an account in. When booking train tickets in Europe online, we found this helpful as it provided us access to the local ticket-purchasing website.

—https://wise.com/ca/card/

Long gone are the days when you need to physically swap out your SIM card for a local one. For those who may not know, eSIMs are the newest and easiest way to get yourself local data and/or a phone number. AND, you can activate it hassle-free when you land. (Double check to see if your phone is compatible with e-sim cards. You'll need an iPhone XS/XR or newer, Samsung S20 or newer, Google Pixel 4 or newer, etc.)

TIP: The easiest way to activate it is by scanning the QR code emailed to you. Therefore, either email it to the person you are flying with or print out the email to bring with you.

—www.airalo.com/europe-esim

—https://travel.orange.com/en/buy-a-sim/offers/europe

You will most likely arrive in one of two places in Budapest: the Budapest Airport, or the Keleti Train Station (if arriving by train from Vienna or another neighbouring country). See various transportation options below.

No need to pre-purchase tickets, as they can be purchased at the Budapest Airport past baggage claim when you arrive.

This is quite the operation, and they have 8-10 minibusses leaving every 20 or so minutes. It is essentially a carpool Uber, and they group you with others who need to get to the same area of the city as you are, and then drop you off directly at your hotel.

—https://www.minibud.hu/

This is the equivalent of Uber in Hungary. We prefer using it to call or hail a taxi as we can see our trip's cost upfront. However, if you find yourself ever in a situation where there is not enough supply and you must call or hail a taxi, use this app to enter the address of your destination so you have an idea of what the trip should cost.

—https://bolt.eu

This is Budapest's main taxi company's app which allows you to order a taxi exactly like a Bolt. You can also use this to determine expected cost of the trip. Having both Bolt and City Taxi downloaded gives you access to compare prices and time until pick-up.

—https://citytaxi.hu/en/

Bolts and taxis are relatively inexpensive around Budapest (think $10-20 to get anywhere within Budapest). However, the city's public transit is EXCELLENT. Use Google Maps to route yourself to your destination in live time.

This is the pubic transit app. You can buy your tickets (singles, multiples, and passes) directly through this app!

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: YOU MUST VALIDATE YOUR SUBWAY TICKET FOR IT TO BE ACTIVE. There are ticket validators dressed in plain clothes who do frequent ticket checks, and tend to target groups of tourist as they assume they do not know this rule about the Budapest transit system.

If you purchase on the app, you must electronically validate it on the app when you start your journey.

If you purchase from the ticket machine in the subways, YOU STILL MUST VALIDATE THE PAPER TICKET at the ticket validator machine in the underground station, or inside the streetcar/tram/bus, as it punches a date and time onto your ticket.

—https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/budapestgo/

Download the apps ahead of time if you want to be extra prepared. :)

Lime

—https://www.li.me/en-ca/

TIER

—https://www.tier.app/en/