Has anyone had a recent experience with purchasing a SIM card in the Palermo airport? I would be grateful for any advice on this matter. We are going to be in Sicily on a Rick Steves tour March 12 through 22 and would like to be able to call home and use data even when wifi is not available and doing "roam like home" with our phone company is prohibitively expensive.
Thanks,
Chris from Waterloo Ontario
I checked TIM, VODAFONE, and WINDTRE, the largest mobile phone providers in Italy and they don't seem to have a store at the PMO airport.
However there are plenty once you get into the city.
You can check yourself below and find the closest to your hotel.
https://www.tim.it/trova-negozio
https://negozi.vodafone.it/
https://windtre.it/trova-negozio
Just recalling the Palermo airport, it is really small, do not recall much for retail spots being there, a few convenience store type places and a half dozen restaurant/coffee shops.
Probably best to wait until you get to your first stop.
We were in Sicily in April.
Palermo airport is small, and I’m sure there are no phone shops.
I bought a simcard for my phone in a shop on Via Maqueda, about two or so blocks along on the left hand side if the main train station is behind you.
I don’t know the shop’s name, but it sold different brands of cards.
At first I bought a TIM simcard, which never worked properly.
I had always bought them on mainland Italy on other trips, so that’s what I wanted.
After two days I went back to the store and they changed it for a Vodafone one which then worked perfectly all over Sicily.
The same young man in the shop said “I told you to get Vodafone in the first place” !
I didn’t see other phone shops, but I’m sure they are there.
Ask at your hotel, perhaps.
Thanks very much for these responses. I'm grateful for the comment about Vodafone as opposed to TIM, because I realized I should have asked for recommendations about products, too.
Chris
