Mobile internet in Athens: a visitor’s guide
Athens has solid 4G and 5G above ground, and the sites you came for are open-air. The real questions are whether your plan charges roaming, what happens in the metro tunnels, and what your phone does when you carry on to the islands.
See eSIMs for GreeceRoaming in Athens
- EU and EEA phone plans: Greece is in the EU, so roam like at home applies, within your operator’s fair use limit.
- UK plans: since Brexit it depends on your operator; some include Greece, others charge a daily fee.
- Plans from the US, Canada, Latin America or Asia: usually international roaming or a daily pass.
A Greece data eSIM avoids the question: fixed price and local networks (Wind (5G), Vodafone (5G)). Athens is normally the stopover before the islands, and the same plan keeps working out there. The one catch is the islands facing Turkey, where the phone can attach to a Turkish network that a Greece plan does not cover: turn off automatic network selection and pick a Greek network by hand. Greece and the islands goes through it.
eSIM for Greece
Data on your phone the moment you land in Greece. No account, no app, no shop.
Choose your data
For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
And if it turns out yours cannot use it, write to us and you get every cent back.
Discount code
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
From the airport to the centre
The airport sits well outside Athens, and the ride in, by metro or by airport bus, is the first thing you do with your phone: the ticket, the live times, the address of where you are sleeping, or a ride-hailing app if you land late. All of that needs data before you reach the city.
Airport Wi-Fi usually asks for a registration form or an email and often runs out after a while, which is awkward with luggage in hand. Install the eSIM at home over your own Wi-Fi: it does not start counting until the phone first connects in Greece. If you land and there is no data, check that data roaming is on for the new line, that the eSIM is set as the data line, and restart. The no-service checklist has the rest.
Where the signal drops in Athens
In the metro tunnels, coverage depends on the line and on the station, so expect gaps between stops on any network, your own or a local eSIM. Load your route before you go down, and let the messages send when you surface.
Above ground, the narrow stepped streets of the old quarters and the thick walls of museums and basement rooms can weaken the signal too. The archaeological sites are the opposite: the Acropolis, the Agora and the rest are open-air, so they behave like the street outside.
Tickets, maps and the apps that eat data
- Site and museum tickets are usually bought online and shown from the phone, often with a time slot: download or screenshot yours the night before instead of loading it in the queue.
- Offline maps: download the city before you fly, and keep data for the live transport times.
- Public transport and ride-hailing apps do not work at all without a connection.
- Photos and video from the Acropolis upload fast on 5G, which is exactly how a small plan disappears in two days: leave the uploads for the hotel Wi-Fi.
- Heat and screen time drain the battery, so a power bank matters as much as the data.
How much data for a few days in Athens
- 3 GB: a long weekend of maps, messaging and tickets.
- 5 GB: a week in the city, photos included.
- 10 GB: two weeks, or Athens plus island hopping with video calls.
- 20 GB: a month, or a hotspot for a laptop.
How much data do I need works it out from the way you actually use your phone.
Prices for Greece
Greece data eSIMs: 3 GB for 4,29 €, 5 GB for 6,29 €, 10 GB for 11,79 € and 20 GB for 19,79 €. It is data only, so your number and WhatsApp stay on your usual line, and the plan starts on the first connection in Greece, not when you install it.
Is there mobile signal in the Athens metro?
It depends on the line and the station, so expect gaps in the tunnels on any network. Load your route before you go down.
Does a Greece eSIM work on the islands?
Yes, a Greece plan covers the mainland and the Greek islands. On the islands close to Turkey, choose a Greek network by hand so the phone does not attach to a Turkish one, which the plan does not cover.
Will I have data at the airport when I land?
Yes, if the eSIM is installed and data roaming is on for that line. It activates on the first connection in Greece, so install it at home over Wi-Fi.
Does the eSIM give me a Greek number?
No, it is data only. Your own line keeps your number and WhatsApp keeps working with it.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Greece