Key facts
- COVERAGE
- France
- NETWORKS
- Fixed data: Bouygues, Orange, SFR · Unlimited: Bouygues, Orange
- 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 France, turn on data roaming for the Spidot line.
Visiting more than one country?
Europe
France and 35 more countries on one eSIM
from$5.90
See the Europe planQuestions about the France eSIM
Which networks does it use?
Do I get a local phone number?
Can I use it outside France?
How do I install it?
Will my phone work with an eSIM?
Will my eSIM work on the Eurostar between London and Paris?
Can I use my eSIM in Monaco or Andorra?
Do I need data for French train tickets?
Is there enough signal for navigation on rural French roads?
Can I use the eSIM on a ferry to Corsica?
Can I buy a plan after I have arrived in France?
Using an eSIM in France: a practical guide for travellers
France is one of the most visited countries in the world, and most trips there involve more moving around than people expect: a few days in Paris, a TGV down to Lyon or Provence, a hire car through the Dordogne or the Loire, perhaps a ferry to Corsica. Having mobile data the whole way makes each of those steps easier, from checking a platform change at Gare de Lyon to finding a bakery that is open on a Sunday afternoon in a village.
This guide explains how a travel eSIM for France works, how it compares with roaming and with a local French SIM, how much data you are likely to need, and what to expect from coverage in cities, the mountains and the islands. Plans start from $2.90, and you can buy, install and test everything before you leave home.
eSIM, roaming or a French SIM card
There are three realistic ways to get online in France. Each one suits a different kind of traveller, and the honest answer is that none of them is right for everyone.
Roaming with your home SIM
If your SIM was issued in another EU or EEA country, EU "Roam like at Home" rules usually let you use your normal allowance in France, subject to your provider's fair-use policy. For many European visitors that is enough on its own. The rules do not apply to most SIMs from outside the EU, including many from the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, so check with your provider what roaming in France would cost before relying on it.
A local prepaid SIM
French operators sell prepaid SIMs in their own shops, at some tabacs and in supermarkets. A local SIM gives you a French number, which can help if you need to receive calls from French businesses. The trade-offs are time and paperwork: you need to find a shop, registration requires identification, and you will usually only be connected after you have landed and sorted it out.
A travel eSIM
A Spidot eSIM is a data plan you download to your phone before you travel. You keep your own SIM in the phone for calls and texts, and use the eSIM for data. Nothing needs to be collected at the airport and there is no shop queue. The main limitation is that most plans are data-only, so you do not get a French phone number unless you choose a Data + calls plan. Messaging and calling apps work normally over data.
How much data you need for a trip to France
The right plan size depends far more on how you use your phone than on how long you stay. The figures below are rough, and actual usage varies by app, settings and screen quality, but they help with a first estimate.
- Maps and navigation: usually a modest amount per hour of active use. Downloading offline maps of Paris or the region you are driving through on Wi-Fi beforehand cuts this further.
- Messaging, email and browsing: light on its own, but photos and voice notes add up over a week.
- Video calls: much heavier, often hundreds of megabytes per hour depending on quality.
- Streaming video or uploading lots of photos and videos: the heaviest use by far, often more than a gigabyte per hour of HD video.
Typical trip profiles
A long weekend in Paris with maps, the RATP and SNCF apps, restaurant searches and messaging is usually comfortable on a small fixed data plan. A two-week road trip through Provence or Brittany, with daily navigation, hotel bookings and social media, calls for a larger plan. If you work remotely, tether a laptop or stream in the evenings, an unlimited plan charged by the day may suit you better, bearing in mind that speeds can slow after heavy use.
If you travel to France several times a year or are not sure of your dates, a no-expiry plan lets you keep unused data for the next trip. You can compare all current options on the prices page, and if you run low mid-trip you can add more data without changing the eSIM.
Setting up your eSIM before you fly
Installing an eSIM needs an internet connection, so do it at home on Wi-Fi a day or two before you leave. First check your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked; dialling *#06# shows an EID number on phones with eSIM.
After payment you receive a QR code by email. Follow the steps for your phone: the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel. Label the new line something like "France" or "Travel" so it is easy to recognise in settings, keep your own SIM as the default for calls and texts, and choose the Spidot line for mobile data.
- Download offline maps of the cities and regions you plan to visit.
- Install the transport apps you will need, such as SNCF Connect for trains and the RATP app for Paris, while you are still on home Wi-Fi.
- Save your booking confirmations and boarding passes offline in case you land somewhere with weak signal.
- Keep the QR code email; you may be asked for it if you contact support.
Arriving in France: airports and first steps
Most international visitors arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle or Paris Orly. Other busy gateways include Nice Côte d'Azur, Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Marseille Provence, Bordeaux-Mérignac, Toulouse-Blagnac and the EuroAirport serving Basel, Mulhouse and Freiburg. Many travellers also arrive by Eurostar at Paris Gare du Nord or by ferry at Calais, Dunkirk, Caen, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Saint-Malo or Roscoff.
Once you land or roll off the ferry, switch off airplane mode, make sure the Spidot line is selected for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line. The data roaming guide shows where the setting is on each phone. It can take a minute or two for the phone to register on a local network; if it does not, toggle airplane mode on and off once.
With data working you can book a taxi or ride, check the RER B or Orlyval connections into Paris, or look up the next TGV from the airport station at Charles de Gaulle without hunting for airport Wi-Fi.
Coverage in cities, countryside, mountains and islands
Your eSIM connects to local French networks; Bouygues and Orange are the partners currently used for this plan. In practice, coverage in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg and other large cities is what you would expect from any major European country. Along the main motorways and high-speed rail lines you are usually connected most of the time.
Rural France
France is large and much of it is thinly populated. In parts of the Massif Central, the Cévennes, the Morvan, the Lozère, the interior of Brittany and the quieter corners of the Dordogne and Lot, signal can be weaker or drop out between villages. It usually returns as you reach a town. If you are staying in a remote gîte, it is worth asking the host about Wi-Fi.
The Alps and the Pyrenees
Ski resorts such as Chamonix, Val d'Isère, Courchevel and the Pyrenean stations are generally well served in the villages and around the lifts, but steep valleys, high passes and backcountry routes can be patchy. Download offline maps and trail apps before you head out, carry a charged battery pack, and do not rely on mobile data alone for safety on the mountain.
Corsica and the Atlantic islands
Corsica is mountainous, and while Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio are well connected, the interior and stretches of the GR20 and the coastal roads can have gaps. The same applies to smaller islands such as Belle-Île, Île de Ré and Île d'Oléron: coverage in the main villages is usually fine, with quieter spots in between.
Overseas France
Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte and other overseas territories are part of France politically but are far away and served by their own networks. This guide is about mainland France and Corsica. If you are going overseas, check the plan details or contact support before you buy.
Using data on trains, road trips and ferries
France has one of Europe's densest rail networks, and most visitors use it at least once.
TGV, Ouigo and regional trains
High-speed TGV INOUI and Ouigo trains link Paris with Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Strasbourg, Rennes and many other cities, and regional TER trains fill in the rest. Signal on board is generally reasonable, but expect short gaps in tunnels, cuttings and rural stretches. Keep your e-ticket saved offline in the SNCF Connect app or as a screenshot so you can show it to the conductor even without signal.
Driving
If you are hiring a car, phone navigation over mobile data is the easiest option. Motorways (autoroutes) are mostly tolled, with péage booths that accept cards, so it is worth setting your navigation app to show tolls if you want to avoid them. Download offline maps for rural areas, use a phone mount, and remember that French law restricts handling a phone while driving.
Ferries to Corsica and across the Channel
Ferries to Corsica leave from Marseille, Toulon and Nice, and some routes connect with Italy. Once you are well out to sea you will lose land-based mobile signal for a good part of the crossing, and any onboard connection may be a separate paid maritime service rather than your eSIM. If your phone shows an unfamiliar network at sea, it is safer to turn data roaming off until you are back in range of the coast. The same applies on cross-Channel ferries to and from the UK.
Hotspot, tethering and public Wi-Fi
You can usually share your eSIM data with a laptop or a travel companion's phone using your phone's personal hotspot. This is handy on a long train journey or in a rental flat with unreliable Wi-Fi. Hotspot use counts towards your plan, and laptops in particular can use a lot of data in the background with updates and cloud syncing, so pause those first.
Free Wi-Fi is common in French cafés, hotels, stations and museums. It is convenient, but open networks are not always secure. Avoid logging in to banking or sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi, make sure websites use HTTPS, and switch back to mobile data when you need a trustworthy connection. Having your own data plan means you are never forced onto a network you do not trust.
Practical tips for getting around France with your phone
A few local habits are worth knowing before you go.
- Payments: contactless card and phone payments are widely accepted, including in most shops, cafés and on transport. Carry some euros for small bakeries, markets and rural spots that prefer cash.
- Paris transport: the Métro, RER and buses are run by RATP and SNCF. Phone-based tickets and contactless options are available, and the official apps show real-time disruption, which is common during works or strikes.
- Trains: SNCF Connect is the main app for national and regional trains. Book TGV tickets in advance for the best choice of times.
- Taxis and ride-hailing: Uber operates in Paris and many other cities, alongside licensed taxis and other ride apps such as Bolt and G7 in Paris.
- Opening hours: many smaller shops close at lunchtime and on Sundays, especially outside big cities, so checking opening hours online before a long drive saves wasted trips.
- Strikes and works: checking the transport app on the morning of a journey is a good habit in France.
Combining France with neighbouring countries
France borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Andorra and Monaco, and many itineraries cross at least one of those borders: the Eurostar or TGV to Brussels, a day trip from Strasbourg to Germany, Geneva for the Alps, the Riviera into Monaco and Italy, or Biarritz into the Basque Country.
A single-country plan works in France only. If your trip includes other countries, the Europe plan covers 36 countries with one eSIM. You can also look at individual destination pages such as Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.
Near borders, phones sometimes pick up a network from the country next door, for example around Geneva, Basel, Menton or in the Pyrenees near Andorra. Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra are not in the EU, so check which countries your plan includes before crossing, and look at the network name on your phone if you are close to a border.
Keeping an eye on your data during the trip
It is worth checking how much data is left every few days, especially on a longer trip or if you share a hotspot. If you are running low, you can add more data to the same eSIM rather than installing a new one.
When you get home, switch mobile data back to your own SIM. You can leave the eSIM installed until the plan ends, and remove it from your settings later if you no longer need it.
