Excited for your trip to Venice but wondering how to stay connected and what is the best tourist sim card? Don't get stuck with high roaming charges or slow overseas data roaming plans.
This is a complete guide with everything you need to know before buying a sim card at Venice Airport in 2025
Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per January 2025, my recommendations and experiences, info about eSIMs for Italy and more.
In the past I always used to buy a local prepaid sim card in every country, nowadays I mostly use eSIMs to stay connected.
Traveltomtom also wrote sim card guides for Rome and Milan and a complete guide for buying a tourist sim card in Italy in 2025 as well as a comparison of the best eSIMs for Italy in 2025.
Table of Contents
- My recommendation
- Why buying a sim card for Italy
- Venice Airport Marco Polo - VCE
- Where to buy an Italy sim card at Venice Airport
- Prices prepaid sim cards at Venice Airport
- Best Italy sim card at Venice Airport
- So where to buy a sim card in Venice?
- Best eSIMs for Italy
- Order a prepaid sim card for Italy online
- How to get from Venice Airport to Venice
My recommendation
Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a sim card at Venice Airport. The tourist sim cards are a tourist trap. There is a sim card plan with 15 GB data for €159 EUR, that is $164 USD.
The best prepaid sim card at Venice Airport is a Vodafone sim card for around $47 USD with 18 GB data.
Traveltomtom definintely recommends eSIMs for traveling to Italy. Forget about the hassle buying a sim card at Venice Airport if your phone is eSIM compatible order an eSIM online.
A Jetpac eSIM for Italy with 20 GB data is only $17 USD and there are many more amazing eSIM plans available.
Here is my complete guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Italy in 2025.
If you want the cheapest prepaid sim card in Venice then head into town and hop into a TIM, Iliad, Wind Tre or Vodafone store. For more info check out my guide for buying a prepaid sim card in Italy in 2025.
Another great alternative to stay connected is a travel sim card with global coverage. These international sim cards are valid in up to 141 countries around the world and have a lot more advantages over local prepaid sim cards. Check out Traveltomtom's comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling in 2025.
Why buying a sim card for Italy
Yes, your hotel in Venice has free WiFi and so do the restaurants and bars in Venice, but do you want to rely on that? Also keep in mind that public WiFi is an UNSECURED connection. The use of a VPN is recommended to protect your data.
Disconnecting is the new luxury and I totally agree however, not in a city! Ordering an Uber on the streets to get back to your hotel, getting directions from Google Maps following a walking tour, finding tourist attractions in Venice, searching for a nearby restaurant with good views and so on. I can come up with a dozen reasons why being connected to the internet makes traveling in Venice much more convenient.
Sim cards at Venice Airport are expensive. Another great alternative these days is an eSIM. Meaning you order an eSIM for Italy online and you will receive a code on your mobile which you enter and it gives you access to a 4G/5G mobile network in Italy. New technology that does not involve swapping physical sim cards.
More about buying eSIMs for Italy in the link where you will find my complete guide with everything you need to know about using eSIMs for traveling.
Searching for the best way to stay connected became a part of life as in the last 2 years I visited more than 100 different countries and everywhere I needed a tourist sim card or an eSIM.
Document all my travel tips and writing sim card guides for tourists became a passion and since Traveltomtom is also on a journey to travel to every country in the world I already wrote more than 200 sim card guides from all over the world: Europe, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Ireland, Milan, Rome, London Heathrow, Paris, Barcelona, etc.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and eSIM advice for your destination. Bookmark this me and let me help you save money.
But also from outside of Europe: New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, USA, New York, Colombia, Panama and many more.
Venice Airport Marco Polo - VCE
Marco Polo Airport is a relatively small airport and there is only one Arrival Hall. When walking through baggage check you can either go left around or right around but you will end up in the same Arrival Hall. The small airport made it easy for me to find out everything about buying a sim card at Venice Airport.
Where to buy an Italy sim card at Venice Airport
I did my best for you to find all the shops where they sold Italy sim cards for tourists, but there literally is only ONE place where they sell them! When you walk out into the arrival hall and you choose to take the left exit you literally walk straight into the shop. See the photo above!
You can't miss it either as there are huge Italy sim cards signs and the red Vodafone logo. It is also right next to where they sell public transportation tickets to go from Marco Polo Airport to Venice. More tips about that later.
Prices prepaid sim cards at Venice Airport
All information and prices are updated in January 2025. Prices are in Euros: $1 USD = €0.97 EUR and €1 EUR = $1.03 USD.
As of January 2025 it is still not possible to buy an eSIM for Italy at Venice Airport. They only have physical prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Vodafone Italy prepaid sim cards
Price: €45 EUR - $47 USD
- Free Chat Apps (Whatsapp, Messenger, Viber)
- Free Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Facetime.
- 500 minutes local calls
- 300 minutes international calls
- 18 GB data
- 3.6 GB data in EU
- Valid for 30 days
Price: €50 EUR - $52 USD
- 500 minutes local calls
- 300 minutes international calls
- 28 GB data
- 3.7 GB data in EU
- Valid for 30 days
Both Vodafone Italy sim cards are kind of similar. Which one is better depends on how much you use the apps that are free. YouTube is NOT one of the free apps for the record.
The Vodafone shop at Venice Airport charges a €20 EUR service fee for activating the sim card. I call that: A TOURIST TRAP. Don't get ripped off, this is ridiculous!
Tutto Communications
When I was doing my research for buying a sim card at Milan Airport I stumbled upon Tutto Communications for the first time. In that article I named everyone who would buy a sim card from them stupid! I don't want to be rude but why the hell in the world would you buy a sim card with only 3 GB data for €69 EUR ($72 USD).
I know the girl working is just a messenger, but when I asked her about it she came up with a lie to make Tutto Communications more attractive to buy! She said that the packages from Tutto Communication, which btw are sim cards from WindTre Italy are activated immediately and that the Vodafone Italy sim cards take 1 hour to be activated!
THAT IS A FREAKING LIE!!!! If you fall for this then you got scammed straight upon arrival into Venice. Please do not believe this! Vodafone sim cards are activated on the spot as well!
The reason why I write these sim card for tourists articles is that I want people to not waste money while traveling the world. This way you are able to travel more.
As a professional travel blogger I aspire to inspire people to travel the world and show them that traveling does NOT have to be expensive! Click on the link to read how I travel the world continuously since 2012.
Best Italy sim card at Venice Airport
Of course the WindTre Italy sim cards from Tutto Communications are a total NO-GO! Please don't even think about it...
The Vodafone Italy sim cards sold at Venice Airport are a very bad deal either, especially if you know what they sell in officials Vodafone stores in Venice and around Italy.
The cheapest sim card at Venice Airport is $47 USD and you get 18 GB data.
But a Jetpac eSIM for Italy with 20 GB data is just $17 USD.
In my comparison of the best eSIMs for Italy in 2025 you will find eSIMs from just $1 USD. eSIMs are much more convenient and also cheaper than buying a tourist sim card at Venice Airport.
Traveltomtom comes to a very simple conclusion: do NOT buy a sim card at Venice Airport!
So where to buy a sim card in Venice?
First off, if your phone is eSIM compatible then make it yourself easy and simply order an eSIM for traveling to Venice on the internet.
If you rather buy a prepaid sim card in Venice then wait till you get to Venice city center. All the Italy mobile internet providers in Italy have phone shops in Venice city center: TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad. Their stores are centrally located close to Grand Canal.
Click here for the up to date prices for Italy prepaid sim cards in 2025 and I tell you exactly which ones are the best for tourists.
Best eSIMs for Italy
If your phone is eSIM compatible you fix yourself an eSIM for Italy within a couple clicks and as soon as the plane lands you are already online. No more visiting a sim card store and swapping physical sim cards.
You order an eSIM for Italy on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Italy eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Rome it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Below you will find a selection of some great eSIMs for Italy but there are many more eSIM providers. Find them all in my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Italy in 2025.
SimOptions
Traveltomtom has used sim cards from SimOptions now for more than 5 years in uncountable countries around the world and is therefore a very recommended eSIM provider. Check out our full review of SimOptions.
SimOptions offers a wide range of eSIM but the most interesting eSIMs for Italy are the international eSIMs.
These eSIMs support incoming and outgoing calls/sms and they come with a phone number.
Bouygues Telecom
- 15 GB data-only for 15 days = $15.90 USD
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls for 15 days = $21.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $32.90 USD
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $39.90 USD
Orange Holiday Europe
- 12 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 30 minutes international for 14 days = $28.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 120 minutes international for 14 days = $49.90 USD
- 70 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 120 minutes international for 28 days = $55.90 USD
Click here to order an international eSIM for Italy via SimOptions.
Airalo
Airalo is a reliable eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used Airalo in more than 50 countries around the world.
Check out the following Italy eSIM deals from Airalo for 2025:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $8 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $10 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $14.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $24 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $33 USD
Click here to order an eSIM for Italy directly online via Airalo.
Definitely check out the Airalo website as they often have ongoing promotion. Just recently they had 50% off on all their Italy eSIM plans.
The above data-only Italy eSIMs from Mamma Mia are only valid in Italy and do not support calling and texting. They operate on the 4G/LTE networks of Vodafone, Iliad and WindTre. That means the Airalo eSIMs for Italy are not 5G ready.
Make sure your phone is eSIM compatible before ordering an eSIM for Italy.
For more eSIM plans and much more detailed information check out Traveltomtom's guide with everything you need to know before you order an eSIM for Italy in 2025.
Order a prepaid sim card for Italy online
If your phone is not eSIM compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Italy online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Italy 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 Venice, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards for Italy:
- 15 GB data-only for 15 days = $15.90 USD
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls for 15 days = $21.90 USD
- 10 GB data + $2 calling credit for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data + unlimited calls/sms for 30 days = $24.90 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 + 120 minutes international + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $49.90 USD
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $51.90 USD
Click here for more info or to directly order an international prepaid sim card for Italy via SimOptions.
How to get from Venice Airport to Venice
There are two ways to get to Venice from Marco Polo Airport. As you might know there are no cars in Venice and the only mode of transport is either a boat or on foot.
From Venice Airport there is a direct boat to the city and vice versa but I would recommend you to take a bus. Busses run much more frequent and take only like 15 minutes or so. In 2025 a one-way ticket is around $14 USD.
You can then walk to your hotel or take a water taxi. Water taxis have gone up in price a little and in 2025 expect to pay around $10 USD one-way or you can buy a (multi) day pass.
I am sure some of the tips for buying a tourist sim card at Venice Airport were helpful. Let me know if you have any questions and I am happy to help wherever I can, please leave me a comment below.
As of January 2025 I have visited more than 155 countries and I keep on going. Check out my Instagram profile @traveltomtom or read my travel stories about visiting every country in the world.
Enjoy your trip to Venice!