Excited for your trip to Venice but wondering how to stay connected and not get stuck with high roaming charges? This is a complete guide for finding the best way to stay connected in Italy and buying a sim card at Venice Airport. Find out where to buy a sim card at Venice Airport, up to date prices as per October 2023, my recommendations and experiences, the best e-sim cards for Italy and more info about international and sim cards.
Buying a sim card for Italy is the best way to avoid high roaming charges. Local prepaid sim cards for Italy are great value for money, but finding a sim card store can take time. Therefore e-sim cards are very popular these days!
The first thing I do when arriving to a new country is searching for the best way to stay connected. Through the years I learned that sim cards at airports are sold at tourists prices, especially in Italy. But there are great alternatives.
Traveltomtom is on a journey to travel to every country in the world and that is why you can already find more than 200 sim card guides on Traveltomtom from all over the world: Europe, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Ireland, Milan, Rome, London Heathrow, Paris, Barcelona. But also from outside of Europe: Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Cameroon, USA, New York, Colombia, Panama and many more.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid sim card and e-sim card advice for your destination. Bookmark this me!
There is of course also a complete guide for buying a sim card for Italy in 2023 on Traveltomtom.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a sim card at Venice Airport. The sim card plans for tourists are some of the most ridiculous sim card offers I have ever seen, basically a tourist trap. There is a sim card plan with 15 GB data for €159 EUR!
The best sim card at Venice Airport is a Vodafone sim card for €45 EUR with 18 GB data.
Traveltomtom advices to wait until you get to Venice city center and pop into a TIM store. They have the great Italy sim card deals for tourists: €20 EUR can get you 40 GB data. For more info check out my guide for buying a sim card for Italy in 2023.
But the easiest way and cheapest way to stay connected when traveling in 2023 is an e-sim card for Italy. No need to swap physical sim cards anymore. Scroll down for more info and I show you the best e-sim cards for traveling to Italy.
Another way of not swapping physical sim cards is a so called portable WiFi device, but I am personally not much of a fan! Too old school.
Another great alternative though is a travel sim card with global coverage. Although slightly more expensive they have a lot of advantages. Check out my comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling in 2023.
Best e-sim cards for Italy
Trust me an e-sim card for Italy is much cheaper than buying a prepaid sim card at Venice Airport. It also is much easier and you are connected as soon as you land. An e-sim card is the cheapest way to stay connected when traveling to Venice in 2023.
In short: you order an e-sim card online, receive a QR code, scan the code with your mobile, follow the steps and you connected in just a few steps. No more swapping physically sim cards and visiting a store.
Much more detailed info can be found in my complete guide with everything you need to know before buying an e-sim card for Italy.
Airalo
Have a look at the following Italy e-sim card plans from Airalo.
- 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
Order an e-sim card for Italy directly via Airalo.
The above data-only Italy e-sim cards from Mamma Mia are only valid in Italy and do NOT support calling and texting. They operate on the 4G/LTE networks of TIM, Vodafone and WindTre.
SimOptions
SimOptions sells international e-sim cards that are valid in all of Europe and beyond plus these international e-sim cards also support calls all over Europe. In fact these are the best e-sim card deal for Italy in 2023.
- 15 GB data + unlimited calls in Europe for 15 days = $21.90 USD
- 10 GB data (5G ready) + $2 calling credit for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 12 GB data + 30 minutes international calls + unlimited calls in Europe for 14 days = $29.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls in Europe for 30 days = $44.90 USD
- 30 GB data + 120 minutes international calls + unlimited calls in Europe for 14 days = $49.90 USD
- 50 GB data (5G ready) + 120 minutes international calls + unlimited calls in Europe for 28 days = $59.90 USD
Click here to order an international e-sim card for Italy via SimOptions
In my opinion this is the best tourist sim card for traveling to Italy in 2023.
With an e-sim card you keep your own phone number from home, but be aware that not every smartphone is e-sim compatible. Before ordering an e-sim card for Italy make sure your phone is unlocked and e-sim compatible.
Find out more about Italy e-sim cards in my recently updated article about the best e-sim cards for traveling to Italy in 2023.
If your phone is not e-sim compatible then you can order a physical sim card for Italy and get it delivered to your home address before your trip. There are several international prepaid sim cards available. For example an Orange sim card with 20GB data and 200 international minutes. Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Italy directly on the internet.
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
For my research finding the best Italy sim card at Venice Airport I did not really need to search long. I asked the lady which prepaid sim cards for Italy she was selling and she showed me the following.
All the below information and prices are updated in October 2023. Prices are in Euros: $1 USD = €0.95 EUR and €1 EUR = $1.06 USD.
At the moment it is still not possible to buy an e-sim card for Italy at Venice Airport. They only sell physical prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Vodafone Italy sim cards
Price: €45 EUR - valid 30 days
- Free Chat Apps (Whatsapp, Messenger, Viber)
- Free Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Facetime.
- 500 minutes local calls
- 300 minutes international calls
- 18 GB data
- EU data limited till 3.6GB
Price: €50 - valid 30 days
- 500 minutes local calls
- 300 minutes international calls
- 28 GB data
- EU data limited till 3.7 GB
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.
Sadly enough though they charge a €20 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? At the same shop they sell the above Vodafone Italy sim cards with almost 10 times as much data and those are even cheaper!
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 Venice Airport
Of course the WindTre Italy sim cards from Tutto Communications are a 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.
My conclusion: do NOT buy a sim card at Venice Airport!
Also if you are looking to buy an e-sim card for Italy at Venice Airport then I have to disappoint you. There are no e-sim cards available at Venice Airport, you can only buy physical sim cards.
So where to buy a sim card in Venice?
Wait till you get to Venice city center! All the 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 sim card in 2023 and I tell you exactly which is the best for tourists. What about 50 GB data on a 5G network for just €30 EUR?
Order a prepaid sim card for Italy online
If your phone is not e-sim compatible you can still order an Italy sim card on the internet. You can save all the hassle of buying a sim card at Venice Airport by simply ordering an international prepaid sim card for Italy on the internet. There are many great sim card plans available. Simple, easy and convenient!
Check out the below European sim card deals that of course also work perfectly for Italy:
1. O2 Go Card - $24.90
- 10 GB data
- $2 calling credit (no top-up)
- valid for 30 days
- valid in 34 countries
- 4G/LTE
2. Three Data Pack - $24.90
- 10 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms
- Valid 30 days
- Valid in 56 countries
- 4G/LTE
3. Orange Holiday ZEN - $29.90
- 12 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 30 minutes worldwide
- 200 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
- Valid in 34 countries
- 4G/LTE
4. Bouygues Telecom - $44.90
- 30 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- Valid 30 days
- Valid in 47 countries
- 4G/LTE
5. Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 30 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 120 minutes worldwide
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
- Valid in 34 countries
- 4G/LTE
6. Three PAYG MBB - $59.90
- 12 GB data
- Valid for 1 year
- Valid in 55 countries
- Incoming/outgoing calls not supported
- 4G/LTE
7. Three PAYG MBB - $79.90
- 24 GB data
- Valid for 2 years
- Valid in 55 countries
- Incoming/outgoing calls not supported
- 4G/LTE
Click here to directly order an international prepaid sim card for Italy.
These international sim cards will be delivered to your home address as a physical prepaid sim card and are pre-activated.
Personally I would recommend the Orange sim card with 20 GB data for traveling in Europe. But if your phone e-sim compatible then why not get yourself an e-sim card for traveling in Italy. Here is another reminder that Airalo already has data-only Italy e-sim card deals from $4.5 USD and SimOptions has amazing international e-sim card deals for Italy that are valid in all of Europe and include unlimited calling and texting and there is Nomad who has some of the best value e-sim cards for Italy.
Check out all my tips and tricks for buying an e-sim card for traveling in Italy in 2023 in my latest guide with everything you need to know about using an e-sim card abroad.
Italy sim cards and traveling in Europe
Italy sim cards are actually great deals for traveling in Europe. But you have to be careful, some providers have limited their big data bundles outside of Italy. Always ask your provider if free EU roaming is included before buying a sim card in Italy.
Sim cards in Germany, Netherlands, Spain and France have NO LIMITS on EU data roaming, but are those great sim cards for traveling in Europe? Check out the link for a list of the best Europe prepaid and e-sim cards in 2023.
Click here for a complete guide for buying a local prepaid sim card in Europe with a breakdown of the best tourist sim card per country.
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. A one-way ticket costs €8. You can then walk to your hotel or take a water taxi. Water taxis are €7,50 one-way or you can buy a (multi) day pass.
I hope all the above tips for buying an Italy sim card at Venice Airport were helpful. Let me know if you have any additional questions and I am happy to help wherever I can, please leave me a comment below.
Visiting Venice is amazing and I have been a couple times myself, but the world is so big and so fantastic! As of October 2023 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!