SIM card for cell phone in Europe.

Yes you can buy a SIM card to use in the countries you listed. We bought ours in Germany at a market. However, it took hours for us to register it. Thank goodness my husband speaks German. Next time, we will make sure that wherever we purchase the card, they can register it for us. We not only used the card to make phone calls to check on accommodations, we also used it at McDonald's so that we could use our laptop to send/receive e-mails and IM our kids back home. However, in Italy we could not use the SIM card for text messaging (SMS) or at McD's. They require an Italian SIM card. By the way, we went to McD's for internet connection because the B&B's we stayed at did not have internet, or at least didn't allow us to use it. Have fun on your trip!

Darlene, To begin with, could you confirm that your phone is a quad band GSM model? You can purchase a PAYG SIM in Paris but I've heard a few stories that people were required to present their Passport and "register". The phone will work in the other countries you'll be visiting, but the rates will be higher outside of the country of purchase as you'll then be "roaming". Another option to consider would be buying a SIM from one of the travel phone firms such as Call In Europe, Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal (there are others but I can't remember them all). Their plans provide the same rates for use in most countries in western Europe, so no "roaming" rates. Many of these operate on a "post paid" basis with calls charged to a credit card, so no worries about "running out of minutes" in the middle of a call or having to "top up". One other question to ask - is your phone a "Smart Phone" such as an iPhone or Blackberry? If so, you'll need to address the issue of data roaming charges. Be sure to check the Phone Charger, to ensure that's it's designed for "world operation" from 100-240 VAC. A Plug Adapter will be required of course. Happy travels!