The best eSIM for Italy depends on your trip. If you only visit Italy, an Italy data plan sized to your stay is the simplest choice. If you also travel to France, Switzerland or other countries in Europe, or you need a phone number for calls and texts, pick a Bouygues Telecom Europe plan with a French +33 number. Either way, you install the eSIM at home before you fly and it connects when you land. This guide compares the eSIMs for Italy sold on SimOptions by trip length, data, coverage and phone number, using the current plan details on our Italy eSIM page.
Short on time? Here are three plans for three typical trips: a week in Italy, two weeks in Italy, and two weeks with a phone number.
Italy 10GB (data only, 7 days) · Italy 20GB (data only, 15 days) · Travel Basic+ (French +33 number, 15 days, 46 countries) · See all eSIMs for Italy
Quick comparison: eSIMs for Italy
SimOptions sells two kinds of prepaid eSIMs for Italy. Here is how they compare.
Italy data plans (1 GB to 100 GB)
- Data and days: 1 GB or 3 GB for 3 days, 5 GB or 10 GB for 7 days, 20 GB for 15 days, 50 GB for 30 days, 60 GB for 90 days and 100 GB for 180 days.
- Countries: Italy only.
- Phone number: no. Data only.
- Speed: 4G and 5G.
- Top-ups: available.
Bouygues Telecom Europe plans (15 GB to 120 GB)
- Data and days: Travel Basic 15 GB and Travel Basic+ 20 GB for 15 days, My European eSIM 30 GB, 60 GB or 120 GB for 30 days.
- Countries: 46, including Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Greece, Croatia and Malta.
- Phone number: Travel Basic+ and My European eSIM come with a French +33 number and unlimited calls and SMS within Europe. Travel Basic is data only.
- Speed: 5G where available.
- Top-ups: not available, so pick enough data and days for your trip.
Every plan is prepaid with no contract. You get your eSIM by email as a QR code. Once installed, it activates automatically when you arrive in a covered country. If you don't use it within a year of buying it, it expires.
Which eSIM is best for your Italy trip?
Start with how long you stay, then ask yourself two questions: do you visit other countries, and do you need a phone number?
City break or short trip (up to a week): Italy 3GB, 5GB or 10GB
For a long weekend in Rome or a week between Florence and Venice, a small Italy plan covers maps, messages, train and taxi apps and browsing. The 3 GB plan lasts 3 days, the 5 GB and 10 GB plans last 7 days. If you run low, you can top up.
Two weeks in Italy: Italy 20GB or Travel Basic
For a two-week holiday, from Tuscany to the Amalfi Coast, you have two data-only options with 15 days of validity.
- Italy 20GB gives you 20 GB in Italy, and you can top it up.
- Travel Basic from Bouygues Telecom gives you 15 GB on 5G in 46 countries. It's the better fit if your trip also takes you to France, Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe. It can't be topped up.
A month or a long stay: Italy 50GB, 60GB or 100GB
Staying longer, working remotely or spending a season in Italy? Italy 50GB lasts 30 days. Italy 60GB lasts 90 days and Italy 100GB lasts 180 days, so you don't need a new eSIM every month. All three can be topped up.
Data-only Italy plans · 50 GB for 30 days, 60 GB for 90 days, 100 GB for 180 days · See all eSIMs for Italy
You need a phone number: Travel Basic+ or My European eSIM
The Italy plans are data only. You can still call and text with WhatsApp, FaceTime or iMessage, see how to make calls with a data-only eSIM. If a hotel, a car rental desk or a restaurant in Italy needs to call or text you on a normal number, the Bouygues Telecom plans give you a French +33 number with unlimited calls and SMS within Europe, Italian numbers included:
- Travel Basic+: 20 GB for 15 days.
- My European eSIM 30GB: 30 GB for 30 days.
- My European eSIM 60GB: 60 GB for 30 days.
- My European eSIM 120GB: 120 GB for 30 days.
The plan details list calls and SMS within Europe only, not to the US, Canada or other countries outside Europe. Our guide to Europe eSIMs with a phone number explains when you really need one.
All Bouygues Telecom · French +33 number · calls, SMS and 5G data in Italy and 45 other countries in Europe · See all eSIMs for Italy
Italy plus other countries: a Bouygues Telecom plan
Taking the train to Nice or Zurich, driving on to Slovenia or Croatia, or taking a ferry to Greece or Malta? An Italy plan only works in Italy. The Bouygues Telecom plans cover 46 countries, so one eSIM works for the whole trip. For trips that include Turkey or the Balkans, compare the other plans in our guide to the best eSIM for Europe.
Italy eSIM coverage: where your plan works
Here is what the plan details on our Italy eSIM page say about coverage:
- Italy data plans: the coverage list shows one country, Italy. Sicily and Sardinia are part of Italy, and our Sicily and Sardinia eSIM pages also list the Bouygues Telecom plans.
- San Marino and Vatican City: they're separate countries. They aren't on the Italy plans' list, but they are on the Bouygues Telecom plans' list of 46 countries.
- Speed: the Italy plans support 4G and 5G, and the Bouygues Telecom plans support 5G. You get 5G where the local network offers it and your phone supports it, and 4G elsewhere.
How much data do you need in Italy?
It depends on how you use your phone. Wi-Fi at your hotel or rental helps a lot. As a rough guide:
- 3 to 5 days: 1 GB to 5 GB for maps, messages and some browsing.
- 7 to 15 days: 10 GB to 20 GB, enough for social media, photos and some video calls.
- 15 to 30 days: 20 GB to 50 GB, or more if you stream or work online.
Planning to share your connection with a laptop or a friend's phone? Hotspot (tethering) uses data fast, so go a size up. You can track what you use in your phone's settings.
Do you need a travel eSIM for Italy?
Your phone plan is from the EU: check it first
Under the EU's "roam like at home" rules, you can use a plan from an EU country in Italy at domestic prices, within your carrier's fair use limits. The rules also cover Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine (Your Europe: Roaming costs). A travel eSIM still helps if your plan has a small data allowance abroad.
You're coming from the UK, the US, Canada or Australia
Roam like at home doesn't apply to plans from outside the EU and the countries listed above, and that includes UK plans. Your carrier sets its own roaming prices in Italy, so check them before you go. A travel eSIM gives you local data at a fixed prepaid price, while your home SIM stays on your phone for texts and security codes.
What about an eSIM from an Italian carrier?
TIM, Vodafone, WINDTRE and iliad all sell eSIMs, and some have offers for tourists. You have to identify yourself before the line works, and some offers ask for a codice fiscale, the Italian tax code. It makes sense if you stay for months or need an Italian +39 number. Our guide to eSIM providers in Italy covers each carrier's eSIM, and our guide to the best prepaid SIM card for Italy covers the tourist offers and what to bring to the store.
Is your phone compatible?
Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked. Dial *#06#: if you see an EID number, your phone supports eSIM. On iPhone, eSIM works on the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later (Apple: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM). For Android phones, see our guide to checking eSIM compatibility. If you bought your phone from a carrier, ask it to unlock the phone before you travel.
How to set up your eSIM for Italy
- Buy your plan on the Italy eSIM page. Your QR code comes by email.
- Install it at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. Step-by-step help: how to install an eSIM and Apple's guide to setting up eSIM on iPhone.
- Label the line "Italy" or "Travel" so you can tell it apart from your home line.
- When you land, the eSIM connects automatically. Choose it as your line for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Cellular Data and pick the travel eSIM (Apple: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM).
- Turn off data roaming on your home line, so it can't use data abroad.
No signal after you land? Our guide on what to do when your eSIM is not activating walks you through the fixes.
FAQs
What is the best eSIM for Italy?
It depends on your trip. For a week in Italy, Italy 5GB or 10GB. For two weeks, Italy 20GB, or Travel Basic if you also visit other countries. For a long stay, Italy 60GB or 100GB. If you need a phone number, Travel Basic+ or My European eSIM from Bouygues Telecom.
What is the cheapest eSIM for Italy?
The smallest plan, Italy 1GB for 3 days, is the cheapest one on our Italy eSIM page. For a longer trip, pick the plan that matches your days and data, so you don't pay for more than you use. You see every plan's current price on the Italy eSIM page.
Can I get an Italian phone number with a travel eSIM?
Not with the SimOptions plans. The Italy plans are data only. Travel Basic+ and My European eSIM come with a French +33 number that you can use to call and text Italian numbers. For a +39 number, you need a line from an Italian carrier.
Is there a data-only eSIM for Italy?
Yes. All the Italy plans, from 1 GB to 100 GB, are data only, and so is Travel Basic from Bouygues Telecom. You keep your home number on your phone for calls and texts.
Does an Italy eSIM work in Sicily, Sardinia and the Vatican?
Sicily and Sardinia are part of Italy, so they're inside Italy plan coverage. Vatican City and San Marino are separate countries that only the Bouygues Telecom plans list. If you visit them, a Bouygues Telecom plan covers both.
Which eSIM is best for Italy and other countries in Europe?
A Bouygues Telecom plan. Travel Basic, Travel Basic+ and My European eSIM cover Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain and 42 other countries with one eSIM. The Italy plans only work in Italy.
Can I top up my Italy eSIM?
The Italy data plans can be topped up. The Bouygues Telecom plans can't, so choose enough data and days before you go.
When should I install my eSIM for Italy?
Install it at home on Wi-Fi a day or two before you fly. It connects automatically when you arrive in Italy. If you don't use it within a year of buying it, it expires.
Can I keep my own number and WhatsApp?
Yes. On a dual SIM phone, your home line stays on next to the travel eSIM. WhatsApp keeps your usual number and works over the eSIM's data.