Mobile internet in Berlin: a visitor’s guide
Berlin has fast 4G and 5G above ground, and the city is big enough that you will lean on the map and the transport app all day. The two things worth sorting before you fly are whether your own plan charges roaming and how you get online the minute you land.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Germany?
- Yes. It connects to O2, Vodafone (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,99 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Germany is in EU roaming, so a plan from an EU country usually works at no extra cost, within your operator's fair-use limit. If your plan is from outside the EU, it charges international roaming.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Germany. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Roaming here, in three lines
- EU and EEA plans: roam like at home applies, within the fair-use limit.
- UK plans: it depends on your operator since Brexit.
- Plans from outside Europe: usually roaming charges or a daily pass.
The rules in full, country by country, are in our guide to Internet in Germany.
eSIM for Germany
Data on your phone the moment you land in Germany. No account, no app, no shop.
Choose your data
For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Nothing is charged now · When we are done improving, we will email you 30% off
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.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
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 BER to the city centre
Berlin Brandenburg sits well outside the city, and the normal way in is a train from the station under the terminal. That is the first job for a phone that is already online: work out which train, buy or show the ticket, and tell your accommodation when you will get there. Airport Wi-Fi usually wants a registration form or hands you a short free window, which is a bad moment to be typing with a suitcase in one hand.
An eSIM is installed at home over Wi-Fi and does not start counting then: the plan begins when the phone first connects in Germany, so it is ready as you switch off flight mode on the taxiway.
Where the signal actually drops
Berlin runs half its transport underground and half on viaducts. In U-Bahn and S-Bahn tunnels coverage depends on the line and on the station: some platforms and stretches have it, others do not, so a live route can freeze between two stops and catch up when you come back up. Museum basements, thick-walled buildings and deep courtyards behave the same way.
None of that is fixed by changing SIM. It is simply where the network stops, so anything you truly need underground — the ticket, the address, the route — is better downloaded before you go down the stairs.
What you will actually use data for
- Maps, constantly. Berlin is enormous and spread out, and you will be checking distances all day. Download the offline map of the city before the trip.
- Public transport: live departures, connections and a ticket kept on the phone instead of paper.
- Day trips: Potsdam is a regional train ride away and still inside Germany, so the same plan keeps working there.
- Cash: plenty of places in Berlin still prefer it, so carry some. It has nothing to do with your data plan, but it saves an awkward minute at the counter.
How much data
It depends on the days, on whether you watch video and on whether you share with a laptop. How much data do I need turns that into a number from what you actually do.
Prices for Germany
Germany data eSIMs: 3 GB for 4,79 €, 5 GB for 6,99 €, 10 GB for 11,49 € and 20 GB for 17,29 €. Hotspot is allowed and we do not cap the speed, so 5G works where the network has it. Topping up does not mean reinstalling. Step by step: how to install an eSIM.
Travelling later?
Going to Germany later? We remind you before you fly
Tell us the day you leave. We email you a week before and the day before with the steps to install the eSIM on Wi-Fi at home. Nothing else.
We only write about this trip, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Privacy policy
Is there mobile signal on the Berlin U-Bahn?
It depends on the line and the station. Some tunnels and platforms have coverage and others do not, so expect gaps and do not count on loading something new while the train is moving.
Do I need a German eSIM if my plan is from the EU?
Usually not, because roam like at home covers Germany. It is worth one if your fair use limit is small, or if you would rather not touch your own allowance.
Does the Germany eSIM work on a day trip to Potsdam?
Yes. Potsdam is in Germany, so a Germany plan covers it. A single-country plan only stops giving data once you leave the country.
Does the eSIM give me a German phone number?
No, it is data only. There is no number and no SMS on it: your usual line keeps your number and WhatsApp works as always.
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 Germany