Vienna, Prague and Budapest eSIM for Indians (2026): one plan or five

The simplest Vienna, Prague and Budapest SIM card for Indians is not a SIM card at all, but one Europe eSIM installed at home that works in all five countries on the route. The other options are a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, or a local SIM bought at your first stop. Here is how they compare for a tour that changes country every two days.

Which plan covers which country

On 21 October 2026 the Europe 5 GB plan listed 35 countries, the 10 GB plan 31 and Unlimited 37, and all three included these five. If your tour adds other countries, read the list on the plan card before you buy, and check it again on the day, because lists can change.

Prices side by side: one Europe plan or country plans

At 10 GB the Europe plan costs ₹749, the same as a 10 GB plan for one country, so on this route there is little reason to buy country plans. Country plans start at 1 GB for 7 days for ₹99, and Unlimited for 7 days is ₹599 in Austria, Czechia and Hungary, ₹649 in Poland and ₹699 in Slovakia (1 GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps, or 1 Mbps in Slovakia). Short plans cost more: 5 GB for 7 days is ₹649, against ₹399 for 30 days. Every plan and its country list is on the Europe eSIM page.

Country by country

Austria

Our Austria plan connects to 3 and A1, and Ookla puts the median mobile download at 116.03 Mbps (43rd in the world, September 2026). A1 sells a Travel eSIM for visitors by email: EUR 12.90 for 2 weeks or EUR 17.90 for 4 weeks, each with 50 GB of 5G data (20 GB or 28 GB usable elsewhere in the EU) and 2,000 minutes and texts. All Austrian prepaid SIMs and eSIMs must be registered before use, with a passport, ID card or driving licence, online or in A1 shops. One thing only Austria has: the strongest preference for cash in the euro area, with 38% preferring to pay cash in shops (ECB, 2024), so carry some euros.

Czechia

Our Czechia plan connects to O2 and Vodafone; the median download is 95.02 Mbps (Ookla, 49th). O2's prepaid GO SIM costs CZK 99 with CZK 100 credit: 'GO na den' gives unlimited calls in Czechia and 1 GB a day for CZK 29, charged only on days you use it, and GO 10 GB is CZK 299 for 30 days, with EU roaming included. Czechia is not in the euro area, so prices are in Czech koruna. Bolt covers Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Karlovy Vary, Kutná Hora and about 45 other towns.

Hungary

Our Hungary plan lists Telenor Hungary and Vodafone. Vodafone and DIGI merged in January 2025 as One Hungary, alongside Magyar Telekom and Yettel; Yettel won Ookla's mobile speed award for the first half of 2025 with an average download of 228.5 Mbps, and the national median is 96.66 Mbps (48th). Yettel sells data-only tourist eSIMs online: HUF 3,000 for 3 days or HUF 7,000 for 7 days of unlimited data in Hungary, or HUF 9,000 for 30 GB over 30 days. They work only on 5G phones, cannot be topped up and expire 60 days after purchase. Prices are in forint. Freedom House rates Hungary 'Partly Free', but over media influence, not blocked apps.

Poland

Our Poland plan connects to Orange, Play and Plus. T-Mobile, the fourth network, won Ookla's Best Mobile Network award for the second half of 2025, and the national median download is 113.22 Mbps (44th). T-Mobile's prepaid starter costs PLN 5, and a 30 GB bundle is PLN 35 for 30 days, free for the first 30 days for new customers who top up PLN 10. Polish prepaid SIMs must be registered with an identity document before use: by video in the T-Mobile app, or at T-Mobile shops, post offices, kiosks, fuel stations and Żabka shops. Prices are in złoty. Bolt runs in Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań, Zakopane and about 90 other towns.

Slovakia

Our Slovakia plan connects to O2 and Orange. Slovak Telekom won Ookla's Best Mobile Network, speed and 5G awards for the second half of 2025, and the national median download, 124.45 Mbps (37th), is the highest of the five countries. Slovakia uses the euro, but cash is still common between people: 42% of person-to-person payments were in cash in 2024 (ECB). Slovakia's Unlimited country plans slow to 1 Mbps after the daily 1 GB. Bolt runs in Bratislava, Košice, Poprad and about 20 other towns.

Border crossings by coach and train: do you need a new SIM?

No. All three Europe plans priced here cover Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, so the eSIM moves to a partner network in each country as you cross; keep data roaming switched on for the eSIM line. A local SIM from any of the five also works in the others at home prices under the EU's Roam like at home rules, but only within its operator's EU allowance: A1's Travel eSIM, for example, allows 20 GB of its 50 GB elsewhere in the EU, and Yettel's unlimited passes are unlimited only in Hungary.

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

A travel eSIM is data only. Your Indian SIM stays in the phone as the second line, so your number, WhatsApp account and bank SMS stay with it. More in keeping WhatsApp and bank OTPs working abroad.

• Jio: all five countries are on all of Jio's pack lists, and the ₹951 pack includes 25 SMS. If you skip a pack, check in the MyJio app what receiving SMS costs before you fly.
• Airtel prepaid: all five are on Airtel's covered-countries list. The IR activation pack costs ₹118 for 28 days at standard charges; check in the Airtel Thanks app whether you need it to receive SMS abroad.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month (since 8 October 2026) include one free 5-day roaming trip a year, with 5 GB, 60 minutes and free incoming SMS. Airtel has not listed the countries.
• Vi: check the roaming and SMS rules for your plan in the Vi app before you fly.
• WhatsApp: all five follow the EU open-internet rules, which stop operators from blocking or slowing apps such as WhatsApp and FaceTime. No country-specific block was found in Austria, and in Hungary Freedom House's concerns are about media, not apps.
• UPI and cash: UPI merchant payments were not live in any of the five on 31 August 2026, so carry a card or forex card, plus a little cash: euros for Austria and Slovakia, koruna for Czechia, forint for Hungary and złoty for Poland.

Set it up at home

1. Check your phone takes an eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models. Dial *#06#: if an EID shows, it does.
2. Buy the Europe plan and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India. It takes about two minutes.
3. On most plans the validity starts when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy or install it.
4. After landing, turn the eSIM line on, switch on data roaming for it, and set it as the line for mobile data.

Step-by-step pictures for iPhone and Android are in how to install a travel eSIM.

When a local SIM or roaming is the better choice

Choose a Jio or Airtel pack if you will make many normal calls on your Indian number: Jio's ₹951 pack has 100 outgoing and 100 incoming minutes over 10 days, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack has 200 minutes. If you mostly call India over Wi-Fi, Jio's Wi-Fi calling packs cost ₹121 for 100 minutes over 2 days or ₹521 for 500 minutes over 10 days, if your phone supports Wi-Fi calling.

A local SIM suits a longer stay in one country. A1's Travel eSIM gives 50 GB for EUR 12.90 over 2 weeks in Austria, O2's day pass in Czechia charges CZK 29 only on days you use it, and Yettel's tourist eSIM is unlimited in Hungary. But Austrian and Polish prepaid SIMs must be registered with ID before use, and Yettel's eSIM works only on 5G phones. A travel eSIM installed at home is ready when you land, with no shop visit.

Questions

More guides

• Europe eSIM for Indians
• Germany eSIM for Indians
• Balkans eSIM for Indians
• How much data you need
• Jio, Airtel and Vi packs compared

Get your Austria eSIMQR code on screen and by emailQR code by email after a document check · 4G/5G · from $1.49

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Written by the eSIMKite team and checked by Vicky Pathak. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. We sell travel eSIMs, so every outside figure links to where we found it.