Mobile internet in Munich: a visitor’s guide
Munich is easy to be online in above ground and awkward in three places: the tunnels, the weeks when the city fills up, and the day trips that take you into the mountains or over a border. What you sort out before flying is whether your own plan charges roaming and how you get online the minute you land.
See eSIMs for GermanyRoaming in Munich
- Plans from the EU and the EEA: roam like at home applies, up to your operator’s fair use limit.
- UK plans: since Brexit it depends on your operator, and several charge a daily fee for Germany.
- Plans from outside Europe: usually international roaming prices or a daily pass.
The full rules are in the Germany data guide. A Germany data eSIM skips the question: fixed price, local networks (O2 (5G), Vodafone (5G)), data only, so your own number stays on your usual line for calls and bank codes.
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.
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 on the S-Bahn
Munich airport is a long way out of the city and the usual way in is the S-Bahn from the station under the terminal, which takes the better part of an hour. That is the first job for a phone that already has data: check which line and which direction, buy or show the ticket, and tell your accommodation when you will get there. Airport Wi-Fi tends to want a registration form or to hand you a short free window, and standing in arrivals with a suitcase is a poor moment to fill one in.
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 working as you come off flight mode on the taxiway.
Tunnels, and the weeks the city fills up
Munich moves people underground on the U-Bahn and half underground on the S-Bahn. In the tunnels coverage depends on the line and on the station: some platforms and stretches have it and others do not, so a live route can freeze between two stops and catch up when you come back out. Beer hall cellars, museum basements and thick-walled buildings behave the same way, and none of it changes with a different SIM.
Oktoberfest is the other one. When several hundred thousand people stand in the same few blocks, every phone there is competing for the same cells and the network gets congested, so treat a slow phone as likely rather than surprising. The practical answer is old-fashioned: agree a fixed meeting point and a time with the people you are with before you go in, and save the map, the ticket and the address to the phone in advance instead of loading them in the crowd.
Day trips: the castles, the Alps and Salzburg
- Neuschwanstein and the lakes: a day out by train and bus, still inside Germany, so a Germany plan keeps working. The phone matters most for the connections on the way.
- The Alps: in deep valleys and road tunnels the signal drops for everyone, because the mountain is in the way. Download the route and the map before you set off.
- Salzburg: close, but it is Austria, a different country. A Germany pack stops giving data the moment you cross the border, even though the European roaming rule still applies to your own home plan.
For Salzburg the options are an Austria plan, covered in the Austria data guide, or a Europe eSIM that works on both sides of the border without swapping anything.
How much data for a few days in Munich
- 3 GB: a long weekend of maps, tickets and messages.
- 5 GB: a week at the same pace, with photos and social media.
- 10 GB: two weeks, or a work trip with video calls.
- 20 GB: a month, or sharing the connection with a laptop.
Estimates for ordinary use; video moves them fast. How much data do I need goes activity by activity.
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, and it is data only, so your usual line keeps your number.
Is there mobile signal on the Munich U-Bahn?
It depends on the line and the station. Some tunnel sections and platforms have coverage and others do not, so expect the connection to come and go underground and do not count on loading something new while the train is moving.
Will my phone work during Oktoberfest?
It works, but with that many people in a few blocks the networks get congested and things can be slow for everyone. Agree a fixed meeting point beforehand and keep the map and the ticket saved on the phone instead of loading them in the crowd.
Does my Germany eSIM work on a day trip to Salzburg?
No. Salzburg is in Austria, and a one-country pack stops giving data as soon as you leave Germany, even though EU roaming rules cover both countries for your own home plan. Take an Austria plan or a Europe one.
Does the eSIM give me a German phone number?
No, it is data only: no number and no SMS. 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