How to get data in Europe — without the hidden costs
Roaming, public WiFi, local SIMs, eSIMs — what actually works, what's risky, and what's cheapest in 2026.
Your four options for staying connected
Travelling to Europe means deciding how to handle mobile data before you land. The good news: you have four real options — international roaming, public WiFi, a local SIM card, and a travel eSIM. Each has different trade-offs on price, convenience, and risk.
Roaming from your home carrier is the default but rarely the best choice. Most US, Canadian, and Australian carriers charge $10–$15 per day for international data, which adds up fast on a two-week trip. Some EU carriers include intra-EU roaming for free, but that stops at the EU border — Switzerland, Norway, the UK, and Turkey are not covered.
Local SIM cards offer great value on long stays but require you to find a store after landing, swap your primary SIM, and lose your home number while abroad. For a short trip through three or four countries, it's rarely worth the hassle.
A travel eSIM lets you install data before you leave home, keep your main number active, and start using it the moment you land. Multi-country Europe plans cover 30–50 countries on a single plan, so one purchase handles France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and beyond.
Carrier roaming: expensive by design
International roaming from US and non-EU carriers typically costs $10–$15/day. A 10-day trip to Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin can cost $100–$150 in data charges alone. Even carriers that advertise "free" international data often throttle speeds to 256 kbps — which barely loads maps.
Public WiFi is not safe
Airport, hotel, and café WiFi networks are unencrypted. Anyone on the same network can intercept your traffic. Logging into banking apps, email, or anything with a password over public WiFi is a real risk — even in Western Europe. A cellular data plan eliminates this exposure entirely.
Avoid street-vendor and airport-kiosk eSIMs
Counterfeit or grey-market eSIM QR codes sold at airport kiosks, tourist shops, and online marketplaces can fail to activate, cut out mid-trip, or come with zero customer support. Always buy from a verified provider with a transparent refund policy and a support channel you can reach.
Europe eSIM providers compared (August 2026)
What a multi-country Europe trip actually costs across the providers travelers shortlist most. Orbitelo is our product — where a competitor wins a category, we say so.
| Provider | Coverage | 10 GB / 30 days | Unlimited | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbitelo | 44+ countries (Europe+) | $20.40 | from $20.07 / 7 days ($77.99 / 30 days) | Fixed plans from $3.75 (1 GB) up to $148.40 (100 GB); unlimited plans reset daily high-speed data every 24h, then continue at reduced speed |
| Airalo (Eurolink) | 42 countries | $21.00 | $71.00 / 30 days (≈3 GB/day cap, then throttled) | Data-only, no phone number; long-validity fixed options up to 100 GB / 180 days |
| Saily | 35 countries | $35.99 | $71.99 / 30 days (5 GB/day cap, then 1024 kbps) | Narrower coverage than Airalo or Orbitelo — check your specific countries are included |
| Holafly | 40+ countries | Unlimited only | $74.90 / 30 days | No stated daily GB cap (only a short-duration fair-use policy) — closest to true unlimited of the group; also sold as 5/10/21-day tiers |
Prices in USD from each provider's public store, checked August 2026; coverage lists and taxes vary — confirm your specific countries before buying.
Honest pros and cons for Europe
Orbitelo
- Cheapest fixed-data 10 GB/30-day price of the group ($20.40)
- 44+ countries bundled — among the widest coverage available
- Also sells day-based unlimited plans (from $20.07/7 days, $77.99/30 days) — competitive with Holafly's flat monthly rate
- Plans from 1 GB up to 100 GB; top up the same eSIM from your phone
- Unlimited plans are day-based, not a single flat monthly price like Holafly's
- Data only — no European phone number for calls or SMS
Airalo
- Long-validity high-data options (50 GB/90 days, 100 GB/180 days) suit extended stays
- Established marketplace with broad brand recognition
- 10 GB/30 days is slightly pricier than Orbitelo ($21.00 vs $20.40)
- Eurolink covers 42 countries — 2 fewer than Orbitelo's Europe+
- "Unlimited" caps at ≈3 GB/day before throttling — the tightest cap of the three unlimited-capable providers
Saily
- Simple, polished app from the NordVPN team
- Clear per-GB pricing with no hidden fees
- 5 GB/day unlimited cap is more generous than Airalo's ≈3 GB/day
- Priciest fixed-data 10 GB tier of the three ($35.99 — nearly double Orbitelo's)
- Narrowest coverage list (35 countries) — verify smaller markets are included
Holafly
- No stated daily GB cap — the closest to genuinely unlimited of the group, useful if you don't want to think about a daily allowance at all
- Best value if you consistently use more data per day than Orbitelo, Airalo, or Saily's unlimited tiers allow before throttling
- $74.90 for 30 days is 3-4x the cost of a fixed 10-20 GB plan most travelers actually use
- Orbitelo's 30-day unlimited ($77.99) is priced almost identically — Holafly's edge is the uncapped daily allowance, not the price
How much data do you actually need in Europe?
Weekend city break (1 country)
3–5 GBMaps, social media, messaging apps for 3-4 days
Multi-country trip (2-3 weeks, 3-4 countries)
10–15 GBNavigation between cities, photo uploads, occasional video calls
Long-stay / digital nomad (1+ month)
20–50 GBDaily video calls, streaming, tethering a laptop
Which plan for which trip
Weekend in one city (Paris, Rome, Barcelona)
3 GB fixed data
Orbitelo 3 GB / 30 days is $7.87 — covers maps, social, and messaging with room to spare.
Interrailing across 4+ countries (2-3 weeks)
10–15 GB fixed data
Orbitelo 10 GB is $20.40, Airalo's Eurolink is $21.00 for the same amount — either works well here.
Heavy daily streaming or video calls
Unlimited
Orbitelo's 30-day unlimited is $77.99, Holafly's is $74.90 — nearly identical. The difference is the cap: Holafly states no daily GB limit, while Orbitelo (like Airalo and Saily) gives a daily high-speed allowance that drops to reduced speed after, never a hard cutoff. Worth the premium only if you'll genuinely use more than a fixed 10-20 GB plan every trip.
Long-stay remote work (1-3 months)
50 GB+ fixed or unlimited
Compare Orbitelo's 50 GB / 30 days ($76.25) or its 30-day unlimited ($77.99) against Holafly's 30-day unlimited ($74.90) based on your actual daily usage and whether you want a hard data cap at all.
Single-country plans
Best value when you're spending most of your trip in one country.
Multi-country Europe plans
One plan covering 30+ countries — no swapping, no per-country fees.
Travelling long-term or around the world?
Global eSIMs cover 130+ countries on a single plan — ideal for open-ended trips, digital nomads, and round-the-world routes.
See global plansFrequently asked questions
Which countries does a Europe eSIM actually cover?
It varies by provider — Orbitelo and Holafly bundle 40+ countries, Airalo's Eurolink covers 42, and Saily covers 35. Always check the specific country list before buying, especially for smaller markets or non-EU countries like the UK, Switzerland, or Turkey — coverage isn't universal across every plan.
Is an unlimited plan worth it for a Europe trip?
Only if you'll consistently use more data per day than a fixed 10-20 GB plan comfortably covers — heavy video calls, streaming, or hotspotting a laptop daily. Orbitelo, Airalo, and Saily all sell unlimited plans with a daily high-speed allowance that drops to reduced speed once you exceed it (never a hard cutoff); Holafly is the only one of the four with no stated daily cap. For a typical 2-3 week multi-country trip, a fixed 10-15 GB plan costs a fraction of any unlimited plan and covers most travelers comfortably.
Can I use a single-country eSIM instead of a Europe-wide plan?
Yes — if you're staying in one country for the whole trip, a single-country plan is usually cheaper than a multi-country bundle. Multi-country Europe plans earn their price when you're crossing 2 or more borders.
Do I need a separate plan for the UK after Brexit?
Some "EU-only" bundles exclude the UK since it's no longer in the EU roaming zone — check that your plan's country list explicitly includes the UK if you're visiting London or elsewhere in Britain.
Related reading
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