Key facts
- COVERAGE
- Belgium
- NETWORKS
- Fixed data: Base, Orange, Proximus · Unlimited: Orange, Telenet
- PLAN TYPE
- Data only
- IP ADDRESS LOCATION
- Fixed data: United Kingdom · Unlimited: Poland
- DELIVERY
- QR code by email
How it works
- 1Choose a plan and pay.
- 2Scan the QR code we email you. You can install it before you fly.
- 3When you land in Belgium, turn on data roaming for the Spidot line.
Visiting more than one country?
Europe
Belgium and 35 more countries on one eSIM
from$5.90
See the Europe planQuestions about the Belgium eSIM
Which networks does it use?
Do I get a local phone number?
Can I use it outside Belgium?
How do I install it?
Will my phone work with an eSIM?
Can I use the eSIM on Eurostar between London and Brussels?
Is mobile data reliable for day trips from Brussels to Bruges and Ghent?
Will I have signal hiking in the Ardennes?
Can I pay for the Brussels metro with my phone?
Is a Data + calls plan useful in Belgium?
Can I top up if I stay longer than planned?
Mobile data in Belgium: Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and beyond
Belgium packs a lot into a small area. In a single week you can see the Grand-Place in Brussels, the canals of Bruges, the cathedral and diamond district in Antwerp, the medieval centre of Ghent, the university town of Leuven and the wooded hills of the Ardennes. Distances are short and trains are frequent, so many visitors base themselves in one city and take day trips to the others.
That style of travel means your phone is busy: train times, city maps in three languages, restaurant bookings and contactless payments. This guide explains how a Belgium eSIM from Spidot works for a Belgian trip, how it compares with roaming and a local SIM, how much data to plan for and what to expect from coverage in the cities, along the coast and in the Ardennes. Plans for Belgium start from $2.90.
eSIM, roaming or a local SIM in Belgium
There is no single best option. It depends on where your home SIM is from, how long you stay and how much you rely on your phone.
Roaming with your home SIM
Travellers with an EU SIM can usually use their domestic allowance in Belgium under Roam like at Home, sometimes with a fair-use limit. If your allowance is generous, you may not need anything else.
If your SIM is from outside the EU, for example from the United States, Canada, Australia or, with many carriers, the United Kingdom, those rules do not apply automatically. Day passes and roaming add-ons vary by carrier, so check the details before you go. This matters for Eurostar travellers from London, who are in Brussels within a couple of hours and may forget their carrier's roaming terms.
A local Belgian SIM
Belgian prepaid SIMs are sold in phone shops, newsagents and supermarkets. Activation requires identification, so bring your passport and allow time for the process. For a short city break, finding a shop and setting up a local SIM takes time you might prefer to spend sightseeing, and swapping SIMs means your home number is not active for bank texts.
A travel eSIM
A Spidot eSIM is bought online, delivered as a QR code by email right after payment and installed before you travel. Your home SIM stays active for calls and texts while the Spidot line provides data. Plans are data-only unless you choose a Data + calls plan. Your phone must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked, so check your phone first.
How much data a Belgian trip uses
The amounts below are rough estimates. They vary with your phone, your apps and how much you rely on Wi-Fi.
- Maps and walking directions: a day exploring Brussels or Ghent with maps open typically uses well under 100 MB, less with offline maps.
- Train and transport apps: checking departures, buying tickets and following delays uses very little data.
- Messaging and social media: a few hundred MB on a typical day, more with video.
- Video calls: approximately several hundred MB to around 1 GB per hour.
- Streaming: often 1 GB or more per hour, the biggest single cause of running out.
Matching the plan to the trip
A weekend in Brussels or Bruges with maps, messaging and a few photos is well covered by a small fixed data plan. For a week of day trips, or if you share data with a laptop, choose a larger fixed plan. If you want to stop thinking about data altogether, unlimited plans are charged by the day, though speeds may slow after heavy use.
Many people visit Brussels repeatedly for work, as it hosts the main EU institutions and NATO's headquarters. For regular visitors, a no-expiry plan keeps leftover data for the next trip. See the prices page to compare, and add more data if you need it later.
Before you travel: setting up the eSIM
Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi. Adding an eSIM requires internet access, so it is much easier before you leave than on a train platform.
- Confirm your phone shows an EID number when you dial *#06#.
- Follow the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel to scan the QR code.
- Name the new line clearly and set it for mobile data, keeping your home SIM for calls and texts.
- Install the SNCB/NMBS app for trains and the local transport app for the city you are staying in.
- Download offline maps for the cities and any rural areas, such as the Ardennes, that you plan to visit.
Arriving in Belgium
Most flights land at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, just north-east of the city, with a railway station under the terminal and direct trains to central Brussels and other cities. Brussels South Charleroi Airport, about an hour south of the capital, handles many low-cost flights and is linked to Brussels by bus. Antwerp, Liège and Ostend-Bruges also have smaller airports.
Many visitors arrive by train instead: Eurostar from London and high-speed trains from Paris, Amsterdam and Germany arrive at Brussels-Midi/Brussel-Zuid. Whichever way you arrive, turn on data roaming for the Spidot line as soon as you are in Belgium. The data roaming guide shows where to find the setting. Give the phone a minute to connect, and toggle airplane mode once if it does not.
If you arrive on Eurostar, your phone will pass through France on the way. With a Belgium-only plan, data starts working once you reach Belgium. If you want data during the whole journey, a Europe plan is the simpler choice.
Coverage in cities, on the coast and in the Ardennes
Belgium is densely populated, and the flat north of the country in particular is generally well covered. In Belgium, the Spidot eSIM connects to Orange. The south is hillier and more wooded, which is where you are most likely to notice variations.
Brussels
Coverage across central Brussels, the European Quarter and the main neighbourhoods is generally good. Signal can weaken in the metro and premetro tunnels, in underground shopping arcades and inside large office buildings. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and the area around the Grand-Place can be crowded, which may slow data during peak times.
Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven
The Flemish cities are compact and generally well connected. In Bruges, thick medieval walls and narrow streets can occasionally weaken signal indoors, but it is rarely a problem outdoors or on canal boats. Antwerp's Central Station is underground on several levels, so expect a brief dip as you go down to the platforms.
The coast
The Belgian coast is a continuous line of resorts from De Panne to Knokke-Heist, linked by the coastal tram (Kusttram). Coverage along the coast is generally good, including on the tram, though busy summer weekends can slow things down in the most popular resorts.
The Ardennes
The Ardennes in Wallonia, around places like Durbuy, Bouillon, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Dinant and Spa, is hillier and heavily forested. Towns and main roads are generally covered, but deep river valleys and forest trails can have weaker signal or short gaps. Download maps and hiking routes before you set off, and do not rely on streaming in remote spots.
Using data on Belgian trains and public transport
Belgium's rail network connects almost every town, and many visitors never need a car. Brussels to Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp or Leuven is a short train ride. Data generally works on trains, with brief drops in tunnels such as the north-south rail link under central Brussels.
The SNCB/NMBS app shows timetables, delays and lets you buy tickets. In Brussels, the STIB-MIVB runs the metro, trams and buses, and you can usually pay with a contactless bank card or phone wallet at the readers. In Flanders, buses and trams are run by De Lijn, and in Wallonia by TEC, each with its own app and ticket options.
- Belgian station names often appear in both Dutch and French, such as Brussel-Zuid and Bruxelles-Midi, or Gent-Sint-Pieters. Search for either version in your apps.
- Download tickets to your phone in advance and keep a screenshot in case of a signal dip at the ticket check.
- For a road trip, keep in mind that the Ardennes motorways and secondary roads pass through valleys where offline maps are useful.
Hotspot and sharing data
If you are working in Brussels or travelling with family, you can usually share your Spidot data with a laptop or tablet using your phone's personal hotspot. This is useful on trains, in meeting rooms with unreliable guest Wi-Fi and in holiday rentals on the coast or in the Ardennes.
A laptop on a hotspot can use much more data than a phone, especially with cloud sync and video calls. Set the connection as metered, pause automatic updates and check how much data is left regularly.
Public Wi-Fi and security
Free Wi-Fi is easy to find in Belgian cafés, hotels, stations and conference centres. It is convenient, but you do not know who manages it.
- Use mobile data for banking, payments and work logins rather than open Wi-Fi.
- Be wary of networks whose names imitate hotels, stations or EU buildings.
- Turn off automatic joining of open networks.
- If your employer provides a VPN, keep it on when using any shared network.
Practical tips for Belgium
Belgium has three official languages: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia and German in a small area in the east, while Brussels is officially bilingual French and Dutch. Signs, menus and street names change language as you travel, and a translation app is handy, particularly outside the main tourist areas. Many people speak English in the cities.
Card and contactless payments, including phone wallets, are widely accepted. A few smaller cafés, market stalls and frietkoten may prefer cash or a local debit card, so carrying a little cash is useful. Booking restaurants in Bruges and Ghent online in advance is common, particularly on weekends.
The emergency number 112 works throughout Belgium.
Belgium as part of a longer trip
Belgium borders the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France, and fast trains connect Brussels with Amsterdam, Paris, Cologne and London. If you are visiting several countries, a Europe plan covering 36 countries is usually simpler than separate plans. You can also compare single-country plans for the Netherlands, France and Germany.
Near the borders, for example in Baarle-Hertog, which is a cluster of Belgian enclaves inside the Netherlands, or near the French border around Lille and Kortrijk, your phone may connect to a neighbouring country's network. With a Belgium-only plan, choose a Belgian network manually if that happens.
