Using an eSIM in Italy: a practical guide

Using an eSIM in Italy is by far the easiest and very often the cheapest way to access your mobile while on holiday in Italy. An eSIM allows you to be in complete control of the mobile data you use while on holiday, without any surprise roaming charges. If you’re traveling to Italy with teens, this peace of mind can be particularly valuable. Follow our advice on using an eSIM in Italy and you will be able to enjoy your holiday without worrying about any potential data dramas! 

How does an eSIM work?

An eSIM is essentially the same as having two sim cards in your phone simultaneously, which you can switch between at the touch of a button. Once you have purchased and registered your eSIM, simply open your phone’s settings, select ’Cellular’ and from there you can switch between your usual physical sim and your new eSIM by simply switching them ‘on’ and ‘off’.

Which eSIM is best to use in Italy?

There are many eSIMs available to buy and in essence they do all offer a similar service. At Bookings for You, we would recommend using Airalo. Having tried and tested their service on a recent trip to Puglia, we had an absolutely seamless experience. We found purchasing and registering the Airalo eSIM to use in Italy easier than some other eSIMs on the market. They also had very clear instructions on what to do at every step of the process. 

Will I have good mobile network while using an eSIM in Italy?

Using an eSIM in Italy simply gives you access to a mobile network within the Italian mobile infrastructure. Italy is a vast country with all kinds of terrain. Inevitably this can result in some rural areas having some weak patches for network coverage. Using  an eSIM in Italy will not make this situation any better or worse. You are using an Italian mobile network, just as you would with your home network provider’s roaming function. Our experience of using an Airalo eSIM in Italy gave us excellent coverage, both in towns and the countryside.

Which package should I choose when using an eSIM in Italy?

Airalo provides a good selection of packages to choose from based on your data usage. It’s a good idea to look at how much data you use while at home and then consider what you will be using mobile data for on your trip. If you plan to use your phone as a GPS while driving, remember to buy a package which has enough data to do this. For a recent trip to Puglia, I opted for the ‘Mama Mia’ 2GB package which served me excellently. I was able to send photos, videos and post Vlogs whilst out and about without any problems. Priced at $8 for 15 days, this was considerably cheaper than using the roaming package provided by my UK mobile company. If you’re traveling from outside of Europe, using an eSIM in Italy could save you even more.

We were pleasantly surprised by how easy this process was and you can consider the Bookings For You team converted to using eSIMs for all our future trips to Italy.