cell phone service in Europe

Verizon has a program where they will let you "borrow" a phone to use in Europe that's carries your cellphone number. The only caveat is that you have to be gone less than three weeks.

Here's Rick's Europe Mobile Phone 101: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/mobilephones.htm

I have bought a European Motorola Razr phone here in the US and then bought a SIM card through Ranger Roamer. I have also bought a cell phone in France at The Phone House. Am just adding minutes to the Range Roamer card this year and buying a new SIM card for the other phone because it was just good for France. The one I bought in France was inexpensive -- they were having a "special" that week. Anyway, both ways have worked well for us.

BE VERY CAREFUL if you decide to buy a phone here to take to Europe.
I called ATT and asked for the very cheapest phone and service...which was GoPhone.
The sales person knew I only wanted it for my trip.
She more than once assured me that the phone would work in Europe, even went so far as to tell me that my pay-as-you-go Virgin Mobile phone WOULDN'T.
I called a day later to ask about roaming and found out the phone would be worthless in Europe since there are no "ATT towers" in Europe for GoPhone.
She never should have sold it to me!!!!
Had I not called to check roaming charges, I would have arrived in Venice and had no way to let my friends know I was there, or get directions to the house, which are a little complicated, should I get lost on the way.
I will buy a phone in Europe thanks to Rick's Europe Cell Phone 101.
Hope this helps some of you who, like me, don't use cell phones a lot.
Mary

Verizon actually has 2 plans. Both cost you nothing as a Verizon user. I used one of their rental phones for a month this summer (31 days) all through Europe. They waive the $4/day fee, and only charge you for the air time (reasonable, too). It was added onto my regular Verizon phone. Couldn't have been easier! They mailed the phone to me before I left, and I just plopped it in the box and UPS pickedit up (no postage fees) when I returned.

We have cell phone service thru AT&T, but I'm pretty dumb about it. We have used it in France, Britain & South Africa.

We had amazing reception on our T-Mobile phone in London. Calls to the USA were not cheap at 99 cents a minute, but the connection quality was the same as a local call here in Seattle. I used my laptop and Skype for most all my calls to the states.

I got an int'l cell phone from mobal.com - it works all over Europe and very easy to use. Some places it is pricey but not anymore then US phones. Mostly $1.99/minute but in other places it's $2.99/minute

You buy the phone and then only pay when you use it. The phone was only $49

If you're only going to be in one country, Vodafone offers some great deals on phones for calls within country. Do a search, which may refer you to another website - e.g. VIP for Croatia. The plan I chose ran about 20 cents a minute for calls within Croatia. Total cost of phone and minutes was under $40. You can keep the number active by adding minutes at least once a year.

You may want to phone Verizon. I have AT&T and just used my personal cell phone - it was so easy and conveinient to confirm reservations and meet up with family and friends. The extra cost on my bill was almost non-existent except for all the texting my teenage daughter did with her friends.