TravelDatakit

Best eSIM for Greece

Greece sits inside the EU Roam Like at Home zone, so whether a travel eSIM is worth buying depends on where your plan is from. Provider choice matters significantly for smaller Aegean and Ionian islands.

Calculate cost for my trip Compare providers
Inside the EU Roam Like at Home zone 5 providers compared Cosmote has the widest island coverage

Last checked: October 2026. Plans and prices change — verify before purchase.

Affiliate disclosure. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

How much will it cost for your trip?

Compare providers based on real prices for Greece.
days
Field tip — Cosmote leads on smaller islands and rural mainland

Greece has three operators: Cosmote (Deutsche Telekom group, widest geographical coverage including small islands and mountainous mainland), Vodafone Greece (strong urban and popular tourist islands), and Nova/WIND (weakest on islands). Major islands — Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu — have strong 4G/5G on Cosmote and Vodafone in tourist areas. Smaller Cycladic and Dodecanese islands (Folegandros, Amorgos, Sifnos, Kastellorizo, Tilos, Astypalaia) often have Cosmote signal only, and even then limited to main settlements. If your itinerary leans toward small-island hopping or remote Crete (Samaria Gorge has no signal across the full 16 km hike), prefer an eSIM routing via Cosmote — Yesim and Roamless are the options here. Download offline maps before leaving the mainland or major island hubs.

Field tip — Border islands: lock network manually to avoid accidental non-EU roaming

Some Greek islands are very close to non-EU countries: Corfu (near Albania), Kos / Lesvos / Samos / Chios (near Turkey). On these islands your phone may automatically connect to a stronger Albanian or Turkish signal — neither covered by EU "Roam Like At Home", with surcharges that can run into hundreds of euros. Set network selection to manual and lock onto Cosmote or Vodafone Greece in your phone's mobile network settings before arrival on border islands. Also: overnight ferries between major islands (Athens–Santorini is roughly 8 hours) lose signal mid-sea. Save your ferry ticket QR code, offline maps and accommodation address before boarding.

Coverage notes cross-referenced from multiple independent sources.

eSIM — Greece

Our selection of providers for Greece — data-only plans, install before arrival. Use the calculator above to compare more options for your specific trip.
Yesim
SwitchLess multi-network Cosmote 5G + Vodafone LTE + Wind 5G, prepaid tiers (1–30 GB) and a day-by-day unlimited ladder (1–30 days) — all three operators including Cosmote.
From $3.00 Check plans on Yesim
aloSIM
Vodafone Greece + Wind (LTE/5G), prepaid tiers and Unlimited tiers (3–30 days). Cosmote absent — relevant for remote island coverage across the Aegean archipelago.
$0.50 per GB Check plans on aloSIM
Airalo
WIND HELLAS (Nova) 4G only, 15 Standard tiers (1–50 GB) and Unlimited tiers (3–30 days). Cosmote and Vodafone absent — limited to WIND 4G with no island coverage advantage.
Unlimited from $11.50
Unlimited up to 3 GB/day at full speed, then throttled to 1 Mbps.
Check plans on Airalo
More options — aggregators
MobiMatter Not reviewed
Marketplace aggregating plans from 30+ eSIM providers.
30+ providers
Browse plans on MobiMatter
SimOptions Not reviewed
Multi-provider aggregator with coverage across 200+ destinations.
200+ destinations
Browse plans on SimOptions

Network coverage in Greece

Greece has three mobile operators: Cosmote (widest national coverage, dominant on smaller islands and mountainous mainland, strongest Aegean and Ionian archipelago footprint), Vodafone Greece (strong in Athens, Thessaloniki and major tourist islands: Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Mykonos, Santorini), and Nova / WIND HELLAS (solid in urban areas, limited island reach). In Athens, Thessaloniki and popular island resorts, all three perform well on 4G/5G. Differences become significant on smaller or less-visited islands.

Among the five providers on this page: Roamless and Yesim route via Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova — the only two with confirmed Cosmote routing. Airalo routes via Nova (the rebranded Wind Hellas) only — the weakest Greek network, no Cosmote or Vodafone, a poor choice for island-hopping. aloSIM routes via Vodafone and Nova. Saily does not disclose its Greek carrier. For specific coverage on smaller Cycladic or Dodecanese islands, see the field tip above.

Where are you travelling from? Does your plan cover this destination?

CarrierGreeceVerdict
AT&T
All AT&T plansPlan data / 1 day: US$12; plan data / 30 days: US$120.Get an eSIM.
Verizon
Unlimited UltimateIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Verizon
Unlimited Plus, Unlimited Welcome5 GB / 1 day: US$12; 20 GB / 30 days: US$100.Get an eSIM.
T-Mobile
Experience Beyond (Go5G Next) · Experience More (Go5G Plus, Magenta MAX)Included in the plan.Keep your plan.
T-Mobile
Essentials2 GB / 1 day: US$10; 15 GB / 10 days: US$50; 30 GB / 30 days: US$75.Get an eSIM.
Carrier rates checked on 2026-10-21
CarrierGreeceVerdict
EE
Full Works (2024+)Included in the plan.Keep your plan.
EE
Other EE plansPlan data / 1 day: £2.72; plan data / 7 days: £16.50; plan data / 12 days: £27.50.Compare: the pass may be enough.
O2
All O2 plansIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Vodafone
Global Roam (Xtra) · Euro RoamIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Vodafone
Other Vodafone plansPlan data / 1 day: £2.75; plan data / 8 days: £16; plan data / 15 days: £21.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Three
EssentialIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Three
AdvancedPlan data / 1 day: £2.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Carrier rates checked on 2026-10-21
CarrierGreeceVerdict
TELUS
5G+ Complete ExploreIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
TELUS
Other TELUS plansPlan data / 1 day: CA$18; plan data / 14 days: CA$50; plan data / 30 days: CA$60.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Bell
All Bell plans5 GB / 1 day: CA$16; plan data / 7 days: CA$70; plan data / 14 days: CA$75; plan data / 30 days: CA$90; +1 more.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Rogers
All Rogers plansPlan data / 1 day: CA$18; plan data / 3 days: CA$45; plan data / 7 days: CA$75; plan data / 14 days: CA$100; +1 more.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Vidéotron
Forfait Canada et InternationalIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Vidéotron
Forfait Canada, États-Unis et Mexique · Forfaits Canada et États-Unis · Forfaits Canada et France · Other Vidéotron plansNo pass: pay as you go. (figure not confirmed by an official source)Get an eSIM.
Prices exclude tax.
Carrier rates checked on 2026-10-21
CarrierGreeceVerdict
Telstra
All Telstra plans2 GB / 1 day: A$10.Get an eSIM.
Optus
Choice Plus, Plus Family, Plus Promo5 GB / 1 day: A$5.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Optus
Other Optus plans1 GB / 1 day: A$10.Get an eSIM.
Vodafone (TPG)
All Vodafone (TPG) plansPlan data / 1 day: A$5.Compare: the pass may be enough.
Carrier rates checked on 2026-10-21
CarrierGreeceVerdict
Vodafone Ireland
All Vodafone Ireland plansIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Three Ireland
All Three Ireland plansIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
eir
All eir plansIncluded in the plan.Keep your plan.
Carrier rates checked on 2026-10-21
Check whether this destination is in your plan's included zone.If not, an eSIM is almost always cheaper than pay-per-MB roaming.

Roaming or eSIM — should you buy?

YOUR SITUATION → USE THIS
Your carrier includes Greece at a clear, affordable rate→Use roaming — no action needed
EU SIM — Greece is almost certainly covered by RLAH→Check your fair-use cap, likely no eSIM needed
UK SIM — post-Brexit, some carriers charge for EU roaming in Greece→Check your specific carrier's Greece terms
Coming from US / Canada / Australia / NZ — carrier roaming is expensive→eSIM is almost always the better option
Coming from Asia — carrier rates vary→Check your carrier rates first
Coming from another region→Check your carrier rates first — eSIM is usually cheaper than per-MB roaming

Arrival protocol in Greece

Before departure from home
Check your phone supports eSIM — dial *#06#, look for an EID number.
Install the eSIM before your flight.
Download offline maps for every island on your itinerary — including ferry routes.
Save ferry ticket QR codes, accommodation addresses and booking confirmations offline.
Keep home SIM active for calls and SMS.
After landing in Greece
Go to Settings → Mobile data → select the eSIM as your data line.
Turn off data roaming on your home SIM.
Test with a page load. If nothing loads, toggle airplane mode for 30 seconds.
On border islands (Corfu, Kos, Lesvos, Samos, Chios): set mobile network to manual and select a Greek operator.

VPN, passwords and documents

Greece has no internet restrictions. A VPN can be useful on public Wi-Fi (cafés, hotels, airports) to keep your browsing private from the network operator. A password manager can also be useful. A secure cloud backup of your passport, insurance certificate and hotel bookings is also useful — keep an offline copy too. None of these are mandatory.

Mistakes to avoid in Greece

Buying an eSIM your carrier plan already makes unnecessary. Many plans include Greece at no extra cost — one minute in your carrier app settles it.
Choosing an eSIM for small-island hopping without checking its network. A provider routed on a single urban-focused carrier can mean no signal at all on smaller Cycladic and Dodecanese islands — Cosmote is the network that matters there; see the network coverage block.
Not locking network manually on border islands. Near Corfu, Kos, Lesvos, Samos and Chios, phones can auto-connect to Albanian or Turkish networks — not covered by EU roaming, with high surcharges.
Not saving ferry tickets and maps offline. Overnight ferries lose signal mid-sea, and a failed connection at the boarding gate is a real risk on smaller island ports.
Complete your travel kit
eSIM for mobile data
VPN for public Wi-Fi
Password manager
Cloud + offline docs
See the full checklist →

Common questions about eSIM in Greece

Can I buy a SIM card in Greece?
Yes, prepaid SIM cards are sold in Greece, but Greek law bars operators from activating a line until the holder's identity details are supplied. The details include a photocopy of an identity card or passport, and foreigners may use an equivalent document. Anonymous activation is therefore not possible, so identity papers are needed at the point of purchase.

Continuing your trip in Europe?

Many travellers combine Greece with neighbouring countries. See our guides for eSIM in Italy, eSIM in Turkey and eSIM in Albania. For multi-country trips combining Greece with neighbouring Europe destinations, our Europe regional plan comparison may be useful.