In short: for a trip to Florence, the most practical solution is to activate an eSIM for Florence through an Italy or Europe plan before flying: it covers the historic center, Peretola, and Pisa, and works just as well for excursions to Siena, San Gimignano, or Chianti. 2-3 GB is more than enough for a weekend; with 5 GB, you have plenty of leeway for an entire Tuscan week.
Getting off the plane in Peretola or Pisa without data and with your Uffizi ticket only in your email is the worst possible start to a trip to Florence. Between the narrow streets of the historic center, where Google Maps is almost mandatory to avoid going in circles around the Duomo, and the excursions to Tuscany that almost everyone adds to their trip, having internet resolved from minute one changes the entire journey. Here we look at how much data you need, what the real coverage is like by neighborhood, and what mistakes people make when planning it.
Do I need an eSIM just for Florence, or will a broader one work?
There isn't an "exclusive" eSIM for Florence, and it's better that there isn't: since the city is in Italy, any data plan covering the entire country will work just as well in the historic center as it would in Pisa, Siena, or Rome if you extend your route. The real question you need to ask yourself isn't "which eSIM should I buy for Florence?" but "am I only going to travel through Tuscany, or will I cross into other countries?".
If your trip is just Florence and a little more—perhaps a quick trip to Pisa for a photo of the tower, or a few days in Rome at the end—a plan covering Italy will be more than enough. But if your itinerary includes France, Switzerland, or any other European country, or if you simply prefer not to have to think about borders, the most convenient option at PuraSIM is to get a Europe eSIM directly: it covers all of Italy, including Tuscany, and you won't have to do anything different if you end up crossing into Nice or Geneva on a whim. To understand the real difference between these types of plans and your Spanish operator's roaming, take a look at our guide on eSIM vs. roaming before deciding.
Actual coverage in the historic center
Florence has very solid mobile coverage. The historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage site and quite compact compared to other European capitals, is well-served with 4G, and 5G is growing on the strong Italian operators. From the Duomo to Ponte Vecchio, and from the Accademia to the Uffizi, the signal usually doesn't fail.
Where you do notice a slight drop in speed is inside buildings with thick walls—the Palazzo Vecchio or some rooms in the Uffizi, for example—and in the middle of August, when Piazza della Signoria fills with cell phones competing for the same antenna. It's not that you lose coverage, it's just that uploading a photo takes a little longer than usual. A trick that isn't often told: download the Uffizi ticket QR as an image to your phone's gallery, don't just leave it open in your email. If the museum's Wi-Fi is slow in the access queue and the email is slow to load, having the image already saved will save you a headache with the line pushing behind you.
If you are installing the eSIM for the first time, do it calmly from your home Wi-Fi before leaving: in our guide on how to install an eSIM you have the complete step-by-step, so you arrive in Italy with the profile already loaded, just waiting to activate the data.
Airports: Peretola and Pisa
Most getaways come through two different gates, and it's good to know the difference. Florence-Peretola Airport (Amerigo Vespucci) is just 15-20 minutes from the center on the T2 tram, which leaves practically at the arrivals gate and drops you near Santa Maria Novella. It's the most convenient option if your flight lands there directly.
Pisa (Galileo Galilei) has more low-cost routes, but the journey to Florence is different: the PisaMover takes you to Pisa Centrale train station in a few minutes, and from there the regional train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella takes just over an hour. With the eSIM already activated from the moment you land, you instantly have the train schedule, your digital ticket, and, if necessary, a backup Bolt or taxi. No need to search for airport Wi-Fi or queue at a physical SIM counter with your luggage in tow.
How many GB to get for a trip to Florence
Florence is, above all, a short break destination, and that changes the data calculation significantly compared to a month-long trip. For a long weekend using maps, digital tickets, photos, and some social media, 2-3 GB will be more than enough. If you add a full week exploring Tuscany by car or train, 5 GB offers plenty of leeway without having to monitor your usage.
| Trip Duration | Intended Use | Recommended GB |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend (2-3 days) | Maps, digital tickets, occasional photos | 1-2 GB |
| Long Getaway (4-5 days) | + social media and some short videos | 3 GB |
| Week in Tuscany | Base for several excursions by car or train | 5 GB |
| Florence + rest of Italy | High-speed trains, more cities, more browsing | 8-10 GB |
Hotel Wi-Fi and many cafes in the center take the pressure off, so it's almost never necessary to buy extra "just in case." If you're on a tight budget and want to stretch your data without running out on the last day, in how to save data while traveling you'll find specific tricks that actually work, beyond the typical "disable automatic updates."
Download the offline map of Florence on Google Maps before leaving home: the center is almost entirely walkable, and this way you save data even if you venture into an alley in Oltrarno where the signal isn't perfect.
Florence as a base for Tuscany
Many people use Florence as a base camp to discover Tuscany: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca, or the Chianti vineyards are almost always on the list. This is where having an eSIM that covers the entire country, and not just the city, really makes a difference, because the same plan works for all these excursions without changing anything or paying extra for leaving the city limits.
In medieval towns, coverage is usually good, but on the roads of Chianti among rolling hills of vineyards—especially on the stretch between Radda and Panzano, with winding roads between cypress trees—there are sections where the signal drops or disappears for a couple of minutes. If you're in a rental car, download the route offline before leaving Florence: losing GPS on a single-lane road with a tractor coming at you isn't the best time to rely on mobile data. San Gimignano, with its medieval towers, suffers the same as Florence's center in high season: many people concentrated in a small space saturate the local antenna at midday, so if you're going to upload large photos, it's better to do it first thing in the morning or back at the hotel.
If your Italian itinerary is more ambitious—Florence, Rome, Venice, and some coast—it's still worth getting a single eSIM that covers the entire journey instead of buying separate plans city by city. And if at some point you decide to continue your trip outside of Italy, a European coverage plan saves you from having to install a new profile at each border.
eSIM versus roaming with your Spanish plan
If your Spanish operator offers EU roaming "like at home", in Italy you could use your usual plan without extra cost... up to a certain data limit, specified by your contract, after which surcharges apply or the speed is suddenly capped. And if your plan has only a few GB per month, that limit runs out faster than you think on a trip where you'll use your phone much more than usual: constant maps, live photos, digital tickets, impromptu restaurant reservations.
Here it's worth being honest: for a two-day long weekend in Florence, barely leaving the hotel and the city center, if your Spanish plan has EU roaming with plenty of data, you might not even need to buy anything extra. The eSIM makes sense when your plan is tight, when you want to separate travel expenses from your usual bill, or when you extend your stay and don't want to risk running out of data in the middle of an excursion to Chianti. It's a dedicated data pool, with a fixed price and no surprises on your next bill. If you want to understand exactly what data roaming technically is and why it has these limits, we explain it in what is data roaming.
What almost no one tells you before going to Florence
There are a series of details that are only learned by traveling or asking someone who has already been, and that do not appear in generic guides like "activate your eSIM and you're done."
The most common mistake is not about coverage, it's about reservations. The Uffizi and the Accademia Gallery sell out weeks in advance during high season, and the ticket arrives by email or through an app: if you don't check before leaving home that you have a stable connection to access that document, you could be left at the door. Activate the eSIM and check your tickets the day before, not in line.
Not all of the city center has the same "density" of signal. The Santa Croce and Oltrarno areas, less crowded than the Duomo-Uffizi axis, usually offer a better data experience precisely because there are fewer people competing for the same antenna. If you need to make an important video call, it's better from a quiet café in Oltrarno than from Piazza della Signoria at noon.
Piazzale Michelangelo fills up at sunset, and not just with tourists and cameras. It's the most photographed viewpoint in the city, and during golden hour, the amount of people uploading photos and live videos can affect speed. If you're going to livestream the sunset, try to go up a few minutes before the peak crowd.
The Mercato Centrale isn't just for buying souvenirs. The upstairs floor has good coverage and real free Wi-Fi, making it a convenient place to take a break and catch up without using your eSIM data.
A myth worth debunking: "if my plan has EU roaming, an eSIM is an unnecessary expense." Not always. It depends on how many GB you have left that month and how much you're going to demand from your phone on the trip. It's better to calculate beforehand than to find your phone capped in the middle of a Chianti excursion without backup coverage.
How to get your eSIM ready before flying
The order matters more than it seems. Purchase and install the eSIM profile calmly from your home Wi-Fi, a few days before your flight: you need an internet connection to download the profile, so doing it in a rush at the airport or, worse, already in Italy without data, is the most common way to complicate things. Once the profile is installed, you leave the data line deactivated and only activate it upon landing in Peretola or Pisa.
If you've never used an eSIM, don't overcomplicate it: most recent phones are compatible, and the process is as simple as scanning a QR code and activating an additional data line without touching your usual number. If you have questions about what it is exactly compared to a physical card, in what is a virtual eSIM we explain it without technical jargon. And if you're torn between an eSIM and a physical prepaid Italian SIM purchased upon arrival, the comparison of international chip vs. eSIM will help you decide without getting bogged down in operator store queues on your first day of travel.
At PuraSIM, the catalog covers more than 200 destinations, and support is available 24/7 in all languages via email and WhatsApp, so if something doesn't activate properly right after landing, you have someone to write to without relying on an Italian call center.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a specific eSIM for Florence?
It's not necessary, and in fact, it doesn't exist as a standalone product: since Florence is in Italy, you use a plan that covers the country or all of Europe, and that same plan covers the historic center, Pisa, Siena, or Rome if you extend your route. You buy it once, and it's valid for your entire Tuscan getaway.
How many GB do I need for a weekend in Florence?
For 2-3 days with maps, digital tickets, and photos, 1-2 GB is more than enough, especially if you use the hotel Wi-Fi. If you add social media and some short videos, 3 GB offers more peace of mind. Florence is walkable, so actual consumption is usually lower than people estimate before leaving.
Does the eSIM work as soon as I land in Peretola or Pisa?
Yes, as long as you install it beforehand from home and save data activation for when you land. In Florence-Peretola, the T2 tram is 15-20 minutes from the center; in Pisa, the PisaMover plus the train take just over an hour to Florence. With the eSIM active upon landing, you'll have schedules and digital tickets without searching for airport Wi-Fi.
Can I use the same eSIM for excursions in Tuscany?
Yes, as long as it's a plan that covers all of Italy or all of Europe, not an eSIM limited to a single city. It covers Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Pisa, and Chianti without changing anything or paying extra for leaving Florence, although there might be occasional signal cuts on some stretches of road among the hills.
Do I need an eSIM if my Spanish plan includes EU roaming?
It depends on how many GB you have available that month. EU roaming works up to a limit set by your contract; if your plan is small or you'll be using your mobile a lot on your trip, that limit will be reached sooner than expected, leading to surcharges or reduced speed. An eSIM gives you dedicated data at a fixed price and doesn't affect your main plan, which is usually the most predictable option.
Can I use the eSIM and my Spanish calling line simultaneously?
Yes, that's precisely the advantage over changing physical SIMs: the eSIM adds a data line, and your Spanish number remains active for calls and SMS on the other line. You can continue to receive calls from home while using the eSIM data to browse in Florence.
What happens if I run out of GB in the middle of my trip?
You can purchase an additional plan from within the app whenever you need it, without waiting to return to Spain. That's why it's advisable to estimate your GB with a little leeway from the beginning, especially if you add unforeseen excursions to Tuscany upon arrival.
Conclusion
Florence is best enjoyed with your mobile needs sorted: museum tickets readily available, clear maps of the historic center, and Tuscan excursions without connection interruptions. Choose a plan that covers Italy or all of Europe according to your route, adjust the GB to the actual days of your getaway, and activate it as soon as you land in Peretola or Pisa. Prepare your Europe eSIM before you fly and dedicate your trip to what matters: art, food, and sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo.
