I've read other posts and searched the internet for information only to become more confused. We'll be in Italy for two weeks in July. We'll be starting in Venice, down to Orvieto and finishing in Rome. We'll be renting a car to go from Venice to Orvieto and a train from there to Rome. While traveling in a car we'd like to have a cell phone in case one is needed. Rental seems too steep for what's offered. I've looked at ones that can be bought in the US with a sim card, buying only the phone in the US and getting a sim card in Italy or just getting whatever is needed once we get to Italy. Needless to say there are lots of choices in phone purchase and then the cost per minute or required amount per year, etc. I'd just like to have a phone to use whenever in Europe and keep the phone for future trips. Would getting a phone here and just buying the necessary sim card for each country be the best way to go? For me its all theory. Anyone's advice based on practical experience would be welcome and appreciated.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA, USA
125 posts
Don't rent a phone. My recomendation is to buy a used unlocked GSM Quad band phone on Ebay ( ie..Samsung A437 works well for worldwide travel, it's inexpensive & easy to replace in case you lose it ) That phone can be used almost anywhere in the world, by purchasing a prepaid sim card for the country you are visiting. In Italy one of the companies to use is TIM. I used my A437 in Europe, China, Honk Kong, without problems.
Then when I return, I just insert my original sim card and I'm back with my normal monthly or prepaid plan.
Posted by
Sacramento, CA, USA
33 posts
You can probably save a bundle if you get a GSM compatible phone through e-bay or craigslist, just make sure that it is "unlocked". You can get a cheap SIM card from most stores that sell mobile phones. (This past April, I bought a SIM card in Siena for .01 penny (euro), a special promo by Vodaphone.) Although I only used it in Italy, it should work as well in all of Europe. (I have bought a sim card in Spain and it worked in Portugal as well.) You can buy mobile phone cards to load minutes into your phone. I also purchased a calling card to US which I used when calling back home. As far as using it for future trips, you may want to check other sources of info. Maybe Vodaphone, Orange, or other European mobile company website may have this info. (Mobile phone companies can deactivate a SIM card, maybe for lack of call activity.)
Posted by
Mpls, MN
1005 posts
If you go to www.telestial.com there is a sim tutorial and lots of info. re. cell phones in Europe. They also sell phones and sim cards on this site. We purchased a phone at a Vodaphone store on our last trip to Italy in the summer of 2007 and it was nice to have. Our son took it to Vienna, Austria, for a semester study abroad that fall. He purchased an Austrian SIM card when he arrived and would just swap it out with sim cards for other countries he was visiting. This spring we also purchased another unlocked cell phone(Samsung t-219) from a store in Minneapolis called Micro Center for $60 so we would have 2 phones for a trip to Italy this summer. Micro Center has other locations, check their website www.microcenter.com Have not purchased any Italian sim cards as am planning on just buying them over there. They are quite expensive if purchased in the U.S.