Planning your trip to Europe and wondering what is the best way to stay connected? Don't get stuck with high roaming costs or slow overseas data roaming packages! Get yourself a sim card for traveling in Europe. This is a guide for finding the best European sim card for your trip.
Whether you need a physical prepaid sim card or an eSIM cards for Europe in this guide you will find them both. Find out where to order one, up to date prices as per August 2024 and everything else you need to know before ordering a sim card for traveling to Europe in 2024
Buying a sim card on the internet is easy and convenient, but you can also buy a prepaid sim card for tourists on arrival in Europe.
On Traveltomtom you can find specific guides for buying a local prepaid sim cards in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Poland, France, Sweden, UK, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and every other European country.
Traveltomtom also wrote a specific guide for the best Europe eSIMs in 2024.
Traveltomtom's favorite sim card providers are Airalo and SimOptions. Why? Traveltomtom has personally used Airalo and SimOptions sim cards for more than 5 years and never faced an issue. But are they still the best and cheapest?
There is nowadays also Nomad, Sim Local, Holafly, Jetpac and even Amazon sells sim cards for Europe.
All the sim cards listed in this article are European sim cards with data that you can order online before your trip. The international physical prepaid sim cards will be delivered to your home address before your trip and are activated automatically from its first use. eSIM cards for Europe obviously are delivered via email.
Some links in this article about the best travel sim cards for Europe are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate links I earn a small commission. Don't worry this is at absolutely no extra cost to you!
My recommendation
Buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival is in general the cheapest way to stay connected when traveling to Europe in 2024. But wouldn't it be easy to be online and have data on your phone as soon as the plane lands?
Don't waste your precious holiday time on arrival in Europe standing in line at a sim card shop on the airport or in a local phone store. No more language barriers. Order a sim card for Europe online before your trip!
Here are Traveltomtom's top picks for 2024.
Best eSIM cards for Europe
1. Holiday Europe eSIM with 100 GB data
The Holiday Europe eSIM is available via SimOptions for $59 USD.
Sim Local sells the Holiday Europe eSIM for $59 USD. Plus Traveltomtom readers get an extra 15% discount.
When ordering an eSIM via Sim Local then apply the coupon code: TRAVELTOMTOM at check out to get 15% off all eSIMs.
2. Bouygues Telecom Travel Basic+ with 20 GB data
This Bouygues Telecom eSIM is available via SimOptions for $23.90 USD
In my comparison below you will find physical prepaid sim cards and eSIMs from SimOptions, Jetpac, Holafly, Airalo, Nomad, Sim Local, etc.
Click here for a complete guide focussed only on the best eSIMs for Europe in 2024, including all detailed eSIM specifications.
Best physical prepaid sim card for Europe
- Bouygues Telecom My European SIM with 30 GB data - $44.90 USD
If your phone is not eSIM compatible then Traveltomtom recommends a Bouygues Telecom physical prepaid sim card. This is the best physical prepaid sim card for visiting Europe in 2024, also available via SimOptions.
In fact SimOptions is the only website that sells physical prepaid sim cards. Airalo, Jetpac, Holafly, Sim Local as well as Nomad only offer eSIM cards.
Traveltomtom also recommends world sim cards with global coverage. Check out my article with a comparison of the best international sim cards for travelling in 2024 if you for example continue your trip to Europe to Turkey, Asia or the Middle East.
Comparison of the best Europe sim cards
The best ones are ranked first...
The best sim card deals for Europe are only available as eSIMs and unfortunately not anymore as physical prepaid sim cards.
1. Orange Holiday Europe eSIM with 100 GB
UPDATED for Summer 2024. The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM now give you DOUBLE DATA. So not 50 GB but a whooping 100 GB!
This is the latest addition to the family of the Orange sim cards for traveling in Europe. It is the bigger brother of the Orange Holiday Europe sim card. At the moment this sim card is only available as an eSIM card and not as physical prepaid sim card.
This Orange Holiday Europe 100 GB eSIM is the only proper 5G ready sim card for Europe. The rate of only $0.6 USD per Gigabyte makes this the best-buy eSIM card for Europe in 2024.
Price: $59.90 USD
- 100 GB data in all of the EU including Switzerland, UK, Iceland and Norway
- 5G ready
- Unlimited calling & texting in Europe
- 120 minutes to anywhere in the world
- 1000 sms to anywhere in the world
- Valid 28 days
- Automatically activated from the first time it connects to a supported network in Europe
- Top up available
- ID verification/registration is NOT required
- Sim card comes with a phone number from France starting with +33
Click here to order the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM card via SimOptions.
Traveltomtom rates the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM as the best Europe sim card in 2024. For $59.90 USD you get 100 GB data which is just $0.6 USD per Gigabyte. This is basically an eSIM with unlimited data and best thing is that this eSIM card is 5G ready, where most of the physical prepaid and eSIM cards for Europe only support 4G/LTE.
On top of that you get unlimited calls and text within Europe and 120 international minutes to any phone number in the world. It leaves no doubt why the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM is ranked as the best eSIM for traveling to Europe in 2024.
2. Bouygues Telecom Travel Basic+ with 20 GB (eSIM)
Bouygues Telecom has several eSIM card plans for Europe travel. This European sim card is for those travelers who don't need so much data and stay for 2 weeks, because this eSIM is only valid for 15 days.
Price: $23.90 USD
- 20 GB data in all of the EU countries including UK, Norway, Iceland
- Switzerland is NOT included
- Unlimited calling & texting in Europe
- Valid for 15 days
- Top up is possible
- eSIM card comes with a phone number from France starting with +33
- Can receive sms and calls
- You have to activate the eSIM card within 1 year after purchase
- Automatically activates from the first time it connects to a supported network in Europe
Click here for more info or to order this Bouygues Telecom eSIM card for Europe via SimOptions.
This Bouygues Telecom eSIM card for Europe is perfect for those travelers that don't need so much data. It is much cheaper than the Orange eSIM above, but you also get much less. However, with a rate of $1.2 USD per Gigabyte you still get a very good rate.
The Bouygues Telecom eSIM is also available via SimOptions, but only as eSIM not as physical sim card.
3. Jetpac (eSIM)
Jetpac is a fairly new eSIM provider and is trying to conquer the market with some incredible eSIM card plans for traveling to Europe.
The Jetpac eSIMs work in 28 countries in Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
Pretty much in all popular tourist destinations in Europe, however not in: Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, Albania, Cyprus, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
If you are visiting the Balkan on your trip to Europe then Jetpac is not the perfect eSIM for your trip.
Prices and rates Jetpac Europe
Jetpac Global is at the moment the cheapest eSIM card for Europe as they have an offer for just $1 USD. Here are all the eSIM card plans from Jetpac for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 30 days = $1 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $8.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $14 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $18 USD
- 15 GB data for 30 days = $28 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $34 USD
- 25 GB data for 30 days = $38 USD
- 30 GB data for 30 days = $40 USD
- 40 GB data for 30 days = $60 USD
Click here to order a Jetpac eSIM card for Europe.
The rate of the best Jetpac eSIM is 40 GB data for $60 USD which comes down to $1.25 USD per Gigabyte. That makes the Jetpac Europe eSIM cards more expensive than the SimOptions eSIMs above.
The Jetpac Global eSIM card plans are valid for 30 days and the validity starts automatically when it connects for the first time to a network in a country where you can use Jetpac and the data pack is valid 1 year from date of purchase.
Jetpac Global is only available as an eSIM card and not as a physical prepaid sim card. The Jetpac Global eSIM cards are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls are not supported.
The reason Jetpac is ranked as one of the best eSIMs for Europe is that it comes with a couple extra advantages. Jetpac Europe eSIMs provide free lounge access if your flight is delayed. However, you will have to register your flight before you travel and in case of a delayed or canceled flight a LoungeKey voucher will automatically be provided. This is a complimentary service that no other eSIM cards offer. Also they now offer a free VPN service included with their sim card.
For more info check out the Jetpack website.
4. Bouygues Telecom My Europe eSIM with 30 GB data (physical and eSIM)
The Bouygues Telecom prepaid sim card for tourists was always rated as one the best sim card for traveling to Europe in 2024 but since Orange came with this crazy offer of 100 GB data the Bouygues Telecom tourist sim card went down in ranking.
Price: $44.90 USD
- 30 GB data in all of the EU countries including UK, Norway, Iceland
- Switzerland is NOT included
- Unlimited calling & texting in Europe
- Valid for 30 days
- Top up is possible
- eSIM card comes with a phone number from France starting with +33
- Can receive sms and calls
- You have to activate the eSIM card within 1 year after purchase
- Automatically activates from the first time it connects to a supported network in Europe
- ID verification/registration is NOT required
Click here to directly order a Bouygues Telecom eSIM card for Europe via SimOptions.
This Bouygues Telecom eSIM card package is called My European eSIM and with $1.5 USD per Gigabyte it is still among the best value sim cards for Europe. On top of that this eSIM card is valid for 30 days but unfortunately not 5G ready.
5. Eurolink eSIM from Airalo
Airalo is a trusted eSIM card provider that offers eSIM cards for pretty much every country in the world. Airalo is definitely a favorite of Traveltomtom however, their Europe eSIM card plans are much more expensive than other eSIM cards for Europe.
But Airalo has a solution for slow travelers to Europe as they offer eSIMs for 90 days as well as eSIMs for 180 days.
Big advantage is that the Airalo eSIM cards for Europe are partially 5G ready, meaning in most countries you are able to use 5G and in some countries you will have to it with 4G/LTE. It is a 70/30 I would say.
5G is available in: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK. All other countries there is only 4G/LTE network available.
Eurolink eSIM cards also have plans for 3 months and even for 6 months, which could be a very interesting eSIM for travelers visiting Europe for more than 1 month.
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $13 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $20 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $37 USD
- 50 GB data for 90 days = $100 USD
- 100 GB data for 180 days = $185 USD
Click here for more info or to order a Eurolink eSIM card for Europe via Airalo.
Eurolink eSIM cards are valid in all of Europe including Iceland, Norway, UK, Switzerland, Ukraine and even in Turkey!
Traveltomtom uses Airalo eSIM cards a lot, but their rates per Gigabyte for Europe are more expensive than the other sim cards mentioned above.
Traveltomtom sometimes uses an Airalo eSIM card for Europe when I continue my Europe trip to Istanbul. Airalo is the best eSIM card for traveling to Europe and Turkey on one trip.
Especially for people looking for eSIM cards for Europe that are valid for 3 or 6 months Airalo is one of the best eSIM cards for Europe.
6. Nomad eSIM for Europe
Nomad has some of the cheapest eSIM cards for traveling in Europe with some amazing value plans. They go as low as $1.3 USD per GB data. The Nomad eSIM cards are from eSIM Go and they support 5G in some countries, not yet everywhere.
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $13 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $15 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $22 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $45 USD
Click here to order a Nomad eSIM card for traveling in Europe.
The Nomad eSIM cards are data-only and do not come with a phone number. Incoming and outgoing calls are not supported. The Nomad eSIMs are 5G ready for Europe. But compared to other eSIM providers Nomad Europe eSIMs are more expensive and therefore not rated high in this list of the best eSIMs for Europe.
7. O2 Go Card Prepaid sim card with 10 GB (physical and eSIM)
This O2 sim card plan from Czech Republic is available as a physical prepaid sim card as well as an eSIM card. Big plus about the O2 Go Card is that it is one of the few 5G ready sim cards for Europe.
Price: $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data in all of Europe (Switzerland NOT included)
- 5G ready
- $2 credit for calls in Europe (top up online available only for EU citizens. For non-EU citizens only within Czech Republic)
- $2 credit for sms in Europe
- Receiving unlimited calls in all of the covered countries in Europe
- Valid for 30 days from its installation, even if not in Europe yet
- It comes with a Czech number starting with +420
- ID verification/registration is NOT required
Click here to order an O2 Go Card as a physical prepaid sim card and here as an eSIM card.
8. Holafly
Holafly sells eSIM cards for Europe with unlimited data. Traveltomtom is not a fan of eSIM cards with 'unlimited' data and I explain you below why.
However, if you want a sim card for Europe with unlimited data then Holafly is your best bid. It is pretty expensive and I recommend you to read the fine print and read about how unlimited your eSIM with unlimited data actually is.
- 1 day 'unlimited' data = $6 USD
- 2 days 'unlimited' data = $10 USD
- 3 days 'unlimited' data = $13 USD
- 4 days 'unlimited' data = $16 USD
- 5 days 'unlimited' data = $21 USD
- 6 days 'unlimited' data = $25 USD
- 7 days 'unlimited' data = $29 USD
- 8 days 'unlimited' data = $31 USD
- 9 days 'unlimited' data = $35 USD
- 10 days 'unlimited' data = $37 USD
- 11 days 'unlimited' data = $40 USD
- 14 days 'unlimited' data = $48 USD
- 20 days 'unlimited' data = $64 USD
- 30 days 'unlimited' data = $75 USD
The Holafly eSIM cards for Europe are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls/sms are NOT supported. These eSIMs do also not come with a phone number. The Holafly eSIMs are 5G ready, but not in every country in Europe. The Holafly Europe eSIM has been tested by the Traveltomtom Team with mixed results. Some good, some average reviews.
You can use a hotspot on Holafly Europe eSIM cards of up to 500 MB per day.
The Holafly Europe eSIMs are valid in the following 32 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
Why does Traveltomtom not recommend eSIMs with unlimited data? Because unlimited is only truly unlimited is there is no FUP per day. An FUP means a Fair Use Policy and that means after you used an X amount of data on 1 day they will slow down your data speed. Your eSIM becomes basically useless, only WhatsApp will work until the data speed is restored.
Traveltomtom has had bad experiences with this in the past. Imagine being on a 10 hour bus or train ride and using a lot of data. Then suddenly your data speed is reduced because you used too much data. This can be extremely frustrating on days you need a lot of data, like travel days.
Also the connection and the network strength on Holafly eSIM cards has been pretty disappointing. Inside buildings the Traveltomtom Team has reported that there was often with just 1 bar phone signal as well as slow data speed on peak hours.
If I hate something then it is slow data speed. Therefore Traveltomtom's is not a fan of eSIM cards with 'unlimited' data. Holafly does NOT specify what is the exact data speed, but the Traveltomtom Team found out that this is sometimes at 2 GB data per day and in some countries 3 GB data per day.
For this reason Holafly eSIM cards are not ranked high in this list of the best sim cards for traveling to Europe in 2024. After you reach the FUP per day you will have to deal with data speed as fast as an E signal. Trust me, not fun and therefore not recommended.
9. Amazon
Of course you can also order sim cards for traveling to Europe on Amazon. When searching for 'Sim Card for Europe' on Amazon you will get a long list of available physical prepaid sim cards as well as eSIMs. Good list finding one that will suit your trip to Europe, it is a jungle and personally I would not recommend it.
Here are some examples:
- Orange: 16 GB data (not in UK, Switzerland) + 800 minutes for 28 day = $28 USD + tax
- Three: 10 GB data + unlimited calls/sms for 30 days = $19 USD + tax
- Sim2Roam: 3 GB data for 30 days = $16 USD + tax
- Vodafone: 12 GB data for 14 days = $17 USD + tax
I listed Amazon as a last option because Traveltomtom does not directly recommend it. The offers vary, the availability is not guaranteed and you will have to activate the sim card yourself with a proper guideline once the sim card will be delivered to your home address
On top of that Amazon has delivery fees and taxes which makes buying a sim card from Amazon sometimes really expensive.
EU data roaming on European sim cards
The European Union came in 2017 finally with the genius idea to let go of roaming charges within the EU countries. Therefore in 2017 people can use their sim card from Spain in Italy and their Germany sim card in Sweden without any extra charges. For people looking for a sim card for Europe travel this was the best news ever of course.
Therefore upon arrival in Europe you can potentially buy a local prepaid sim card for tourists and be connected to the internet in all other countries you visit in Europe. However, there are a lot of exceptions, so keep reading…
The biggest exceptions are: UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. As you might know these are countries in Europe, but they are NOT all part of the European Union, which means roaming costs can apply for these countries.
Brexit threw the UK out of the European Union and one of the major problems is the free EU roaming on UK prepaid sim cards. Most of the prepaid and eSIM cards you buy in the UK do not include free EU roaming anymore. For more info see my guide for buying a sim card in the UK in 2024.
Why buying a sim card for Europe
A very simple question... Do you need a prepaid sim card when visiting Europe? First of all you want to avoid high roaming costs. Always turn off data roaming on your sim card from home. Data roaming without a plan can be ridiculously expensive. Charges of up to $3 USD per MEGABYTE are very common. That means opening the Instagram app only will cost you $100 USD.
To avoid roaming costs you can also opt for an international plan from your home provider. These plans are alway more expensive than prepaid sim cards for Europe. Don't pay $5 - $10 USD per day to have internet on your phone in Europe!
Although there is WiFi everywhere in Europe, just don't rely on it. Definitely when traveling on busses, trains and road trips make sure you have internet on your phone.
First of all public WiFi can not be trusted in speed, signal and security. What if the signal in your hotel room is weak and you can't change rooms? Or the WiFi is too slow to upload an Instagram story. Having a working data connection on your phone makes traveling so much easier and also much more fun!
Also another reminder that surfing the internet on public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network. The use of a VPN is recommended in these cases to protect your privacy.
Think about ordering a cab on the streets through a taxi app, or getting directions from Google Maps and finding a nearby restaurants with good reviews or finding out the train schedule to get back to your hotel. So many reasons Traveltomtom recommends getting a sim card for your trip to Europe.
Sim cards for Europe with unlimited data
Traveltomtom does not recommend sim cards for Europe with unlimited data. With most of these sim cards you will end up frustrated! Always double check at what speed you get unlimited data, because in reality 'unlimited' is mostly not really unlimited.
There is pretty much always a FUP (Fair Use Policy) on these Europe sim cards with unlimited data.
For example Holafly sells eSIM cards with unlimited data for Europe, but in the small letters you will find this: the eSIM includes unlimited data for the contracted time. However, please note that the carrier may reserve the right to apply a Fair Usage Policy.
This literally means that if the operator thinks you are using too much data on a day, they reduce your data speed. Holafly does not specify what the FUP is. From my own experience I can tell you that this already applies sometimes after using 2 GB data per day.
When this happens your data speed is reduced to something like 512 Kbps which means you can barely send a photo through WhatsApp and your social media apps won't work for a full 24 hours.
To avoid all this hassle, Traveltomtom does not recommend sim cards for Europe with unlimited data, unless the Fair Use Policy is clearly mentioned and it is per month rather than per day. An FUP per day can be really frustrating!
Local prepaid sim cards vs. European sim cards
All sim cards mentioned in this article are sim cards including FREE EU data roaming intended for those that visit several countries in Europe. However, if you only visit one countries in Europe you might be better off buying a local sim card on arrival.
Local sim cards are mostly valid in 1 country only. Especially for a trip to Eastern Europe I would recommend buying a local sim card, rather than a European sim card if you want to save money.
For a complete overview of all sim card prices per country have a look at my guide for how to buy a local prepaid sim card in Europe in 2024.
I love traveling in Europe off the beaten path, have a look at my 12 secret places to visit. I bet some of them you have never even heard of.
Getting connected is the first thing I do when I get to a new country. Depending on the length of my trip that means either buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival or ordering an eSIM card online. Must say that the last years on all my trips to Europe I bought an eSIM card since it is just much easier and less hassle.
Buying a local sim card on arrival in Europe
Sometimes the best European sim card deals you get on arrival in Europe. In France for example you get 150 GB data for €20 EUR ($22 USD) and data bundles in Italy are also very affordable with lots of data. Most countries in Eastern Europe offer amazing local prepaid sim card deals with sometimes more than 50 GB data for less than $10 USD but these local prepaid sim cards often do NOT offer free EU data roaming or very limited.
Therefore I recommend you to check my complete guide for buying a local sim card in Europe in 2024, with a specific list of every country in Europe and what prices to expect on arrival before buying a sim card for Europe.
Traveltomtom also wrote sim card guides for all major airports in Europe: Zurich, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin, Madrid, Manchester, Lisbon, Rome, Milan, Venice, Vienna, Oslo, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Geneva, Bucharest, Tirana, Budapest, Prague, Brussels and many more.
I hope all the above tips for finding the best sim card for your trip to Europe in 2024 were helpful. If you still have questions please don't hesitate to leave me a comment below.
Looking for off the beaten path destinations in Europe then click on the link and I bet most of those places you have never even heard of. Let me fuel you with some more wanderlust.
Because Traveltomtom would also like to visit every country in the world you can already find more than 200 sim card guides on Traveltomtom from all around the world: USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, Asia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Brazil, Philippines, Egypt, China, Australia, New Zealand and many more!
So next time you plan your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid sim card and eSIM card advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me!
If interested check out my Instagram profile @traveltomtom to see more of my journey to visit every country in the world. As of August 2024 I have traveled to more than 155 countries, but no rush to reach 197.
Enjoy your trip to Europe!