Please sign in to post.

Questions re Best SIM Cards in Italy and France

Hi, I am going to Italy and France in a week. I have several questions re using cell phones there. Supposedly there are no roaming charges in the EU, a point made in all RS’s travel books. However, while there may not be roaming charges per se, is it the case that a SIM card bought in Italy will go less far in France. At a website rec. by RS in his book on Provence & the French Riviera, the website states as follows: “You can buy a complete cell phone package from one of the providers below that will include the mobile phone, SIM card, phone number etc. Prices start at about €25 and include about €5 of call time. These packages are only available in France and you will pay a roaming charge if you decide to visit Italy.”

Whatever the answer, what is the best SIM card to get for Italy and France for limited data use for three weeks? Thus far it seems that TIM is one of the best in Italy and Orange one of the best in France.

Finally, it was stated in one RS Forum by one person that many restaurants and museums have WhatsApp installed on their phones so one can make a call that way in these two countries. Is this true in your experience? Thanks for your time.

Posted by
3275 posts

If your first stop is Italy, get the TIM Tourist card. Comes with 200 minutes and 50 gigs data. Works great in France as well. I spent 2 weeks in Italy and 1 week in France late last year and it worked perfectly. I don’t understand your comment “… that a SIM card bought in Italy will go less far in France.” Of course if France is your first stop, buy Orange.

I’ve bought about 8 TIM cards over the years. I suggest prepaying by purchasing their voucher on line. That way the store clerks know exactly what you want.

Posted by
15 posts

Thanks for the good information! Re the SIM card: it was a question based on what was said at the NIce website which said "These packages are only available in France and you will pay a roaming charge if you decide to visit Italy.”