eSIM for Greece
Most trips to Greece combine Athens with one or more islands. Athens, Thessaloniki and the popular islands such as Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini and Mykonos have good 4G and growing 5G coverage in towns and resorts.
The problems travellers actually run into are not about coverage on land. They happen on the ferry between islands and on the islands that sit a few kilometres from Turkey, where a phone can quietly connect to a network that is not in the EU.
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Who needs a travel eSIM for Greece
An EU phone plan already works in Greece at home prices. A UK plan may carry a daily EU roaming fee depending on the network and tariff. US plans range from included data at reduced speed to a daily pass. If your plan charges by the day, a data plan for the whole trip is usually the cheaper way to cover two weeks of island hopping.
Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios and Lesvos
These islands lie close to the Turkish coast. On beaches and headlands facing Turkey, a Turkish network can have the stronger signal, and your phone may join it without asking. Turkey is outside the EU, so data used there is billed at non EU roaming rates, even on an EU plan.
The fix takes a minute: in your phone settings, turn off automatic network selection and choose Cosmote, Vodafone or Nova. If you plan a day trip to Bodrum, Kusadasi or Cesme, use a plan that lists Turkey as well as Greece.
Ferries are not covered by EU roaming
EU roaming rules apply to land networks only. On many ferries and cruise ships, once you are out of range of the coast, your phone can connect to an onboard network routed by satellite, which is billed separately and can be very expensive. Put the phone in flight mode at sea, or turn off data roaming, and use the ship wifi if you need to be online.
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We are testing which destinations people actually need before we connect a supplier. Tell us where you are going and you will be first to know when plans for that destination go live.
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Small islands and the mountains
Smaller islands and the mountain interior of Crete and the Peloponnese have gaps, especially between villages. Download offline maps and ferry tickets before you leave a town.
The networks
Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova run the three Greek networks. Cosmote is the largest. A travel eSIM connects to one or more of them, and on the smaller islands the choice of network can matter more than on the mainland.
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Compare optionsCommon questions
Why did my phone connect to a Turkish network in Greece?
On islands close to Turkey the Turkish signal can be stronger. Select a Greek network manually to stay on EU rates.
Does EU roaming work on Greek ferries?
Not on satellite networks on board. Use flight mode or ship wifi while at sea.
Is one eSIM enough for Athens and the islands?
Yes, a Greece plan covers the whole country. Coverage varies by island, not by plan.