Mobile internet in Lisbon: a visitor’s guide
In Lisbon the phone does everything: the map on every hill, the ticket for the tram, the camera at every miradouro. That is a lot of data for one day, and there are corners of the city where neither the signal nor the GPS helps you.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Portugal?
- Yes. It connects to Vodafone, NOS (5G).
- Price
- From 4,29 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,29 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Portugal 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 Portugal. 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 Portugal.
eSIM for Portugal
Data on your phone the moment you land in Portugal. 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 the airport to the centre
Lisbon airport sits inside the city, and both the metro and the bus reach the centre. Either way you want data the moment you land: to buy or load the ticket on your phone, to check which line and which stop you need, to call a taxi, and to show the address of your flat to whoever opens the door. Airport Wi-Fi usually asks for a registration form or gives you a short free slot, and it stops at the door.
An eSIM avoids all that: you install it at home over Wi-Fi and it connects by itself when the plane lands. If nothing appears after landing, our eSIM says no service guide has the four things to check: data roaming, choosing the eSIM as the data line, a restart and manual network selection.
Where the signal drops and the GPS wanders
Alfama, the Mouraria and Graça are narrow lanes, tall buildings and steep ground. The blue dot on the map drifts there, sends you up the wrong staircase or jumps to the street next door. That is the GPS signal bouncing off walls, not your data plan, and changing operator does not fix it.
In metro tunnels coverage depends on the line and the station, so a message can sit waiting until you are back at street level. Inside museums, basements and thick stone walls the signal drops too. Download the offline map of the city before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi: you keep the streets and the search when the dot goes quiet.
What eats your data here
- The map, open all day, in a city of small streets where you check the direction every two minutes.
- Transport apps and tickets: trams and funiculars are part of everyone’s route, and you check times and stops while you queue.
- Day trips by train to Sintra or Cascais: timetables, platform and the last train back, all looked up on the phone.
- Photos and video: the miradouros fill a gallery, and every cloud backup runs over your data unless you pause it.
- Timed entries and queues: the QR code that gets you in has to load at the door.
Screenshot a ticket or a booking as soon as you buy it. An image in the gallery opens with no signal; a web page does not.
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
Data eSIMs for Portugal: 3 GB for 4,29 €, 5 GB for 6,29 €, 10 GB for 11,29 € and 20 GB for 16,99 €. It is data only, so your own line keeps your number and WhatsApp. Installing it does not start the plan: it starts when your phone connects in Portugal, so you can buy it weeks before the flight. Hotspot is allowed and we do not cap the speed.
Travelling later?
Going to Portugal 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
Will I have signal on the Lisbon metro?
In the tunnels it depends on the line and the station, so expect gaps between stops. At street level coverage is good across the city.
Why does my map get lost in Alfama?
Narrow streets and tall buildings bounce the GPS signal around, so your position drifts. It is not your data plan. An offline map downloaded before the trip helps, because the streets and the search keep working.
Does the eSIM work on the train to Sintra or Cascais?
Yes, it works anywhere in Portugal on local networks. Along the line the signal can dip in cuttings and tunnels, as it does for any phone on any operator.
Does a Portugal eSIM give me a Portuguese number?
No, it is data only. Your usual line keeps your number, your SMS and WhatsApp.
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 Portugal