eSIM Greece: Mobile Data from the Acropolis to Crete

The eSIM connects to local networks in Greece. Coverage is available in Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Patra, Irakleio (Heraklion), Larisa, Peristeri, Kallithea, Nikaia and Glyfada, and in other cities.

Several of these places belong to greater Athens: Peristeri, Kallithea, Nikaia and the seaside suburb of Glyfada, plus Piraeus, the port where many island ferries leave. Thessaloniki covers the north, Larisa lies in Thessaly, Patra on the Peloponnese, and Heraklion is the largest city on Crete. You get 3G, 4G/LTE or 5G depending on the operator and your location, and speed can be limited under the operator's fair-use policy.

Greece is part of the EU, so a tariff from another EU country often lets you use data there, within whatever limits your provider sets. Have a look at those conditions first; you may not need anything extra.

An eSIM for Greece is the better route if your home tariff is from outside the EU, if it does not include EU roaming, or if you want the data for your holiday on a line of its own.

Before you pack the sunscreen, tick off these three points:

A phone that takes an eSIM

The device needs eSIM support and must not be locked to a network. Keep in mind that some iPhone models from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau were made without eSIM.

A Greece plan in your account

Choose Greece and a plan on the eSIM page, sign in and pay from your Anosim balance. You load the balance with cryptocurrency or by bank transfer, and buying requires no ID.

The eSIM installed over Wi-Fi

Scan the QR code at home with the phone on Wi-Fi and keep the new line switched off for now. The code is single-use, so never delete the profile or scan it twice. You can see the plan under My eSIM Plans.

Once the plane has landed, go to your phone settings, enable the eSIM, select it for mobile data and switch on data roaming for it. Within a minute or two it typically picks up a Greek network, so you can check the metro into the city or your ferry ticket from Piraeus before you leave the airport.

An eSIM in Athens starts its validity at exactly this point: the first connection to a supported network in Greece, not the day you bought it. Activation is possible for 180 days after purchase, so you can sort out the eSIM long before the season starts.

Most connection problems are solved in the settings:

- Check that the eSIM is switched on and chosen as the line for mobile data.
- Make sure data roaming is enabled for the eSIM itself, not only for your home SIM.
- Restart the phone and switch airplane mode on and off once.
- Set network selection to automatic so the phone can choose a Greek network on its own.

Please do not delete the eSIM profile or scan the QR code again, because the code cannot be reused. If nothing helps, our support is there 24/7 via Telegram, the website chat and email.

Ferries link Patra with Bari in Italy, and many travellers combine Greece with Italy; for that part see eSIM Italy. Turkey is close to the eastern Aegean islands, but it lies outside the EU roaming rules, so look at eSIM Turkey if you cross over.

Planning several European countries in one trip? The eSIM for Europe covers them with one plan, and the order form lists which countries are included.

Your Greece eSIM is a data plan without a phone number, so text messages cannot reach it. If a ferry booking, a car or quad rental or another service in Greece wants an SMS code from you, take an Anosim number: Activation for a one-time code, Rent Service for a service that will ask again, or Rent Number for one number that serves all of them. If a number is virtual, it is labelled as such in the provider selection.

Compared with a Greece SIM card from a kiosk, this setup keeps your own number on your regular SIM. When you weigh up the best eSIM for Greece, look at coverage in your cities, phone compatibility and SMS options as well as price. A prepaid eSIM Greece plan from Anosim needs no contract, and all other destinations are on the eSIM overview.