eSIM for Greece — Athens, Santorini and the Greek Islands

Greece is one of those destinations we all have on our bucket list: ancient ruins under the Mediterranean sun, white houses with blue domes in Santorini, epic sunsets in Oia, and crystal-clear beaches in Mykonos. But amidst all that beauty, there's something super practical you need to sort out before boarding the plane: how you're going to stay connected.

If you're someone who needs to share every sunset on Instagram, search for the best restaurant on Google Maps, or simply stay in touch with your family, connectivity in Greece is essential. And this is where an eSIM becomes your best ally. No need to look for SIM card stores upon arrival, no dealing with language barriers, or wasting valuable vacation time.

In this guide, I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about using an eSIM in Greece: from how much data you actually need, to how coverage works when you hop from island to island. Because yes, those ferries between Santorini and Mykonos have their signal quirks, and it's best to know that beforehand.

Why use an eSIM in Greece

Let's get straight to the point: using an eSIM in Greece is the smartest way to stay connected during your trip. Forget the days when you had to land in Athens, look for a Vodafone or Cosmote store at the airport, queue up, try to explain yourself in English, and wait for a physical card to be activated. With an eSIM, you arrive at Eleftherios Venizelos airport and your phone already has internet.

The biggest advantage is convenience. You buy your eSIM online before traveling, install it on your phone while you're at home having coffee, and when you land in Greece, you simply activate the profile. In less than two minutes, you're sharing your first photo of the Parthenon. There are no physical cards to lose, no need to carry a clip to open the SIM tray, and best of all: your WhatsApp number continues to work normally.

Another important point is the cost. International roaming from Latin American and Spanish operators in Greece can be very expensive. We're talking about 10-15 euros per day in many cases, which for a 10-day trip translates to 100-150 euros just for connectivity. A 10 GB eSIM for 15 days costs around 25-35 euros. Do the math: it's literally a fraction of the price.

Furthermore, with an eSIM, you have total control of your data. You know exactly how many GB you have, how much you've consumed, and there are no surprises on your phone bill when you return home. Many travelers have had the unpleasant experience of returning from vacation and finding roaming charges of several hundred euros. With a prepaid eSIM, that simply cannot happen.

And if you travel to several islands, as most do in Greece, the eSIM gives you flexibility. You can be in Athens on Monday, Santorini on Wednesday, and Mykonos on Friday, and your connection works the same everywhere without you having to do anything. The network automatically connects to the best available operator, and you only worry about deciding whether you prefer gyros or souvlaki for lunch.

Coverage and operators in Greece

Greece has a fairly solid telecommunications infrastructure, especially in the tourist areas you'll likely visit. The three main operators are Cosmote (the largest in the country), Vodafone, and Wind. When you buy an eSIM for Greece, your device will automatically connect to the network of one of these operators, generally the one with the best signal in your location.

In Athens, coverage is excellent virtually throughout the city. From the Parthenon to Plaka, from Monastiraki to Piraeus port, you'll have constant 4G/LTE signal. The same applies to the main tourist islands: Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes, and Corfu have excellent coverage in all populated and tourist areas. You can be in Oia watching the sunset or on a beach in Mykonos, and your Instagram will upload stories without a problem.

Now, there are some specifics you should be aware of. Mountainous or very remote areas of some islands may have limited coverage. If you plan to hike inland in Crete or visit very remote villages on less touristy islands, the signal may be intermittent. But honestly, 95% of travelers stay in tourist areas where coverage is perfect.

The topic of ferries deserves a separate paragraph because it's super important. When traveling between islands by ferry, mobile coverage is irregular and generally weak. During the first and last minutes of the journey, when you are close to the coast, you will have a signal. But in the middle of the Aegean Sea, between Santorini and Mykonos for example, the connection will be practically non-existent. That's why it's essential to download offline maps of each island before boarding.

My practical recommendation: before getting on the ferry, download the offline map of your next destination on Google Maps, save your hotel's directions to favorites, and if you have restaurant or tour reservations, take screenshots of the details. Ferry journeys can last between 2 and 5 hours depending on the islands, and it's better to be prepared than to spend that time unable to consult anything.

In terms of speeds, Greece has good 4G/LTE infrastructure in tourist areas, with average download speeds of 20-40 Mbps, more than enough for any normal use: social media, video calls, music streaming, and web browsing. Some areas of Athens and the main islands already have 5G coverage, although it's not something you specifically need for a tourist trip.

How many GB do you need for your trip

This is probably the question I get asked the most: how many GB do I actually need for my trip to Greece? The answer depends on your travel style, but I'm going to give you concrete references based on real usage patterns so you can make an informed decision.

For a typical 10-day trip to Greece visiting Athens and a couple of islands, the standard recommendation is 8-10 GB. This covers you if you're a moderate user: you use Google Maps to get around, upload photos and stories to Instagram, check emails, look for restaurants on TripAdvisor, and make an occasional video call with your family. With 10 GB and conscious use, you'll perfectly reach the end of your trip.

Let's break down average consumption to give you an idea: Google Maps consumes approximately 5-10 MB per hour of active navigation (if you don't have offline maps). Instagram can consume between 50-100 MB per hour depending on how much you scroll and how many videos you watch. Uploading photos to social media consumes relatively little, about 3-5 MB per high-quality photo. A 30-minute WhatsApp video call consumes around 200-300 MB.

If you're an intensive social media user, upload many videos to TikTok or Instagram Reels, make frequent video calls, or like to watch series on Netflix during ferry journeys, consider upgrading to 15-20 GB. Yes, it's more expensive, but the peace of mind of not constantly checking how much data you have left is worth it. Nothing ruins a vacation more than running out of data halfway through the trip.

A tip to optimize your consumption: take advantage of your hotel's WiFi, as well as restaurant and cafe WiFi. Greece has plenty of free WiFi in tourist areas. Use those moments to update apps, upload heavy photos to the cloud, or make long video calls. Reserve your mobile data for when you really need it: when you're walking around the city, exploring islands, or in situations where WiFi isn't available.

Another smart strategy is to download content before leaving the hotel. If you're going on a long ferry journey, download a few episodes of your favorite series or music on Spotify to listen offline. If you plan to use Google Maps a lot, download the maps of the cities and islands you're going to visit. This can easily save you 1-2 GB during your trip.

For shorter trips, say 5-7 days, 5-7 GB should be fine. And if your trip is longer, 15 days or more visiting several islands, consider a 15-20 GB plan or one that allows you to top up data if you run out. Flexibility is key, especially on long trips where plans can change.

Activating and configuring your eSIM

Activating your eSIM for Greece is a super simple process, but there are some specific steps you need to follow to ensure everything works perfectly from the moment you land. I'm going to explain the full process so you have no doubts.

First, and most importantly: install your eSIM before traveling, while you're still at home with stable WiFi. After purchasing your plan on PuraSim, you'll receive an email with a QR code and installation instructions. Go to Settings > Mobile Data > Add Data Plan on your iPhone, or Settings > Connections > SIM Card Manager > Add Mobile Plan on Android. Scan the QR code and follow the on-screen steps.

Once installed, you'll see your eSIM appear in your phone's settings, but it's not yet active. This is normal and correct. The eSIM will activate automatically when you arrive in Greece and your phone connects to the local network. In the meantime, you can continue to use your normal SIM during the flight and until you land.

When you arrive at Athens airport (or the island where you land), turn on your phone and activate data roaming on your eSIM. This is crucial: many people forget to activate data roaming and then wonder why they don't have internet. Go to your eSIM settings specifically and make sure "Data Roaming" is activated. In a few seconds, you'll see the Cosmote, Vodafone, or Wind signal appear at the top of your screen.

An important detail about dual SIM configuration: if you want to keep your main number active to receive calls or WhatsApp messages, configure your phone to use your original SIM for calls and messages, but the eSIM for data. This is done in Settings > Mobile Data > select your eSIM as the preferred line for mobile data. This way, you continue to receive everything on your usual number, but internet consumption goes through the eSIM.

If for some reason your eSIM doesn't connect automatically, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try: restart your phone, disable and re-enable airplane mode, or go to Settings > Mobile Data and manually select the network operator. In 99% of cases, the connection is automatic, but it's good to know what to do if something doesn't work as expected.

Regarding the APN (Access Point Name), modern eSIMs generally configure themselves automatically, but if you need to configure it manually, the details will be in your confirmation email. It's rare that you'll need to do this, but if you work in IT or like to have everything under control, it's good to know.

Comparison: Roaming vs. eSIM

Let's talk about concrete numbers because this is where it becomes clear why an eSIM is the smartest option for your trip to Greece. I'm going to compare the real costs of roaming from Latin American and Spanish operators versus using an eSIM, and you'll see the abysmal difference.

If you're from Spain and have an operator like Movistar, Orange, or Vodafone, you technically have free roaming in Greece because it's within the European Union. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this "free" roaming comes with limits. Depending on your plan, you may have a GB limit you can use while roaming (for example, only 10 GB of your total 50 GB), and if you exceed it, you're charged approximately 0.20-0.30 euros per additional MB. This can get very expensive if you're not careful.

For Latin American travelers, the situation is clearer: roaming in Greece is simply expensive. Mexican operators like Telcel or AT&T Mexico charge around 10-12 dollars per day for their roaming service. Argentine operators like Personal or Claro charge between 8-15 dollars daily. Chilean, Colombian, and Peruvian operators have similar rates. For a 10-day trip, you're looking at between 80-150 dollars just for roaming.

Now let's compare with an eSIM: a 10 GB plan valid for 15 days for Greece costs approximately 25-35 euros on PuraSim. Let's do the math: if you're Latin American and would pay 100 dollars for roaming, with an eSIM you pay 30 euros (about 33 dollars). You're literally saving 70 dollars. If you're Spanish and exceed your roaming limit, you also end up saving because you have dedicated data without worrying about hidden limits.

But beyond the money, there are other important advantages. With roaming, your speed can be limited or prioritized below local users, especially in areas with a lot of network congestion. With an eSIM, you connect like a local user, with the same priority and speeds as anyone with a Greek plan. This means better performance, especially in crowded tourist places.

There's also the issue of expense control. With roaming, it's easy to lose track of how much you've consumed, especially if your operator doesn't have an app that shows real-time consumption. With a prepaid eSIM, you know exactly how many GB you have, how much you've used, and there's no way you'll get surprise charges when you return home. For many travelers, this peace of mind is invaluable.

Frequently asked questions

Escrito por Marc González Sáez Fundador de PuraSim y especialista en eSIM y conectividad para viajeros. Lleva años ayudando a viajar conectado por todo el mundo sin pagar de más por el roaming, y prueba personalmente las eSIM en cada destino antes de recomendarlas.