Hi All. I am going to Europe in a couple of weeks with a friend and was wondering what our best option is for internet connectivity - sim card or portable wifi? We will be flying into Paris, visiting Italy and Spain, then flying out of London. Not sure if a portable wifi would be an option considering we'll be flying to/from different countries, but I have also read sim card reviews online where it doesn't work once you fly out of the country you activated the sim in.
Any input will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Celina
Sim cards are everywhere in eu. Even grocery stores have them. I think for the $25 Canadian it's a good peace of mind that you have instant access to 10 or more GB.
Love the reminder to download your Google maps too.

Celina was there a specific sim card brand that worked well for you?

They are different in each place. We went to Tesco and got one in Ireland. I'm going with orange as that is the best reviewed for my trip to Germany, Italy and poland

Just pick up a sim card and pay as you go. Only drawback is that your cell number will be different. As expected canadian mobile suppliers RIP us off as they ste the most expensive in the world. Just got back from spain. I took out a bell travel pass for 100 cadollars but yr limited. Good luck

Ian yes, that's why I'd rather not use my canadian carrier and get charged crazy fees considering I'll be there for 2 weeks. Thanks.

Vodaphone worked well for us in UK, Ireland and Portugal.

Susan thanks! I'm assuming vodafone sims can be picked up from the airport?

SIM has always served us well.
Just pop into vodafone and get a 10$ sim
Will last entire trip
Ensure it’s one that is euro friendly
United Kingdom has sep sim but can use ur sim without issue there aswell

No need to buy plan with just loading a sim and popping into ur own phone

The sim will works in any country in EU. Just make sure to turn on the roaming.

Kristy do you remember which sim card brand/network specifically you used?

We just returned from Europe. There is WiFi many places but not all. Sims are not expensive there. I bought a 3gb and it was more than enough for 3 weeks as I used WiFi when it was available.

Use roam like home service....with your current supplier....and wifi when possible. And I don't use roamed like home everyday....only when absolutely needed and no wifi available.
Download google maps for the areas your visiting.....they work good as well without data or wifi.
Comes in handy.

Marion omg no too expensive

Free wifi is available all over Europe even on the buses and trains. When I would be in London for a month at time I used to get SIM cards but now I don't bother in Ireland and wifi is so abundant.

Some cards are for all of europe, some are not. It’s about 40e for a month of service. You can get these cards everywhere.

We went last year for three weeks and just used wifi wherever we could connect, didn’t bother with anything else. My husband also made sure to download google maps, as they are accessible without a signal

We always use Vodaphone and has worked great for us

I ordered the Holiday orange SIM on amazon before i left for multiple European countries last month. Its about $60 for 20 gigs. I had zero interruptions. You cant plug it in to your /unlocked/ phone here, as it starts your 14 day usage period. Wait until you reach your destination. I activated mine thru the orange top up website while in Europe then topped up the card while there after the 14 days. No problems at all. It was nice to have it with me when i landed. No special trips to the mobile phone store. Instant maps, access to my airbnb info etc.

We have gone to Europe multiple times. We add Europe to our phone plan. Cost about $60 with Bell. But really in Europe they have way more public Wi-Fi. If you don't need contact 24/7 I would just use the Wi-Fi with your what's app and messenger.

Never used SIM card. Free wifi and mobile provider roaming deal worked well.

Unsure about Sim cards and stuff, but fo sho, Barcelona had free Wi-Fi around the city if you happen to be heading there.

there is free wifi everywhere in europe. i don't ever bother with a sim card, just use the wifi in restaurants, shops, attractions, on the public transit. it's really everywhere!

We just got home from Croatia and paid 12.00 a day with Fido. Others I know paid 10.00 for SIM cards. Even if you have but three from three different counties you will be further ahead.

If you stay within EU countries, you can get a sim card and sign up on a plan (but make sure you cancel it) and it should be ok in many countries. I had no problem visiting other eu countries with activated Sim card.

Have never bought a sim in all my trips because there is lots of free wifi and only used Roam 1 day out of 21 on last trip.

I used wifi in most places and you can use Roam like home package from most carriers now.
I use it for most my trips out of country

Get a sim card, they are super cheap. Your number will change, but get whatsapp (and get your friends/family at home to DL it) before you change sim cards and your number in whatsapp won't change to the new one. And then you can call/message back home as long as you have data connection or wifi

Matthew i have whatsapp and fb messenger so having should be okay. As for the sim, do you also suggest vodafone like what others have mentioned?

Was in UK, Germany for 2 weeks this summer. No issues. And they love their whatsapp
https://www.simcorner.com/ca/europe-sim-card.html...
SIMCORNER.COM
Europe & UK Sim Card (12GB)

Katrin Atienza