Guide
Best eSIM for France: networks, data and setup for Paris and beyond
The easiest way to get mobile data in France is a travel eSIM that you install at home. It connects when you land at Charles de Gaulle or step off the train in Lyon, and your own SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts.
If your SIM is from an EU country, your home plan may already cover France. This guide is for everyone else: travellers from Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Turkey, Switzerland, the UK and further away, whose home plans usually charge extra for data in France.
Your options for internet in France
| Option | Works when you land | Keep your number | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming on your home plan | Yes | Yes | None, but often costly outside the EU |
| French SIM card | After you find a shop | No, new number | Passport, a shop visit, and swapping SIMs |
| Free Wi-Fi | Only in cafés, hotels and stations | Yes | Logins and patchy signal |
| Travel eSIM | Yes | Yes, for WhatsApp and iMessage | Two minutes at home |
A French SIM makes sense if you're moving there or need a French number. For a trip, an eSIM saves the shop visit and the SIM swap.
Which network does it use?
Our France plan runs on Orange, the country's biggest network, with 5G where it's available. Orange covers Paris, the big cities, the motorways and the coast very well. In the Alps, the Pyrenees and deep countryside, signal gets weaker on every network, so download offline maps before a mountain day.
How much data do you need?
| Trip | Plan we'd pick |
|---|---|
| A weekend in Paris | 1 GB for 7 days |
| A week of sightseeing | 3 GB for 15 days |
| Two weeks on the Riviera or a road trip | 5 GB for 30 days |
| A month, with video calls home | 10 GB for 30 days |
| Working remotely or sharing with a laptop | 20 GB for 30 days |
Not sure? Our data calculator gives you a number in a minute.
Tips for France
The metro has signal. The Paris metro and RER now have mobile coverage on most lines, so you can check the next connection underground.
Tickets live on your phone. TGV tickets, museum bookings and the Louvre's timed entry are all in an app or your email. With data, you don't print anything or hunt for Wi-Fi at the door.
Share with the car. On a road trip through Provence or the Loire, one phone can share its data with the passengers. Hotspot is allowed on every plan, with no daily cap.
Monaco is separate. Monaco has its own network, which the France plan doesn't include. In Nice and Menton you're on French networks as usual.
Is your phone ready?
You need a phone that supports eSIM and isn't locked to your carrier. Most iPhones from the XS onwards and most recent Samsung and Pixel phones qualify. Our guide shows how to check in two minutes.
How to set it up
- Buy the plan on our website or in the Blue eSIM app.
- Install it at home, on Wi-Fi. On recent iPhones the app installs it with one tap; on any phone you can scan the QR code. Name it "France" so you can tell it apart.
- When you land, turn on the eSIM, choose it for mobile data and switch on data roaming for it. Leave data roaming off on your home SIM.
- If you run low, top up the same eSIM in the app.
The plan only starts when the eSIM first connects in France, so installing it a week early costs you nothing.
What you get with Blue eSIM
- Orange, France's biggest network, named before you buy, with 5G where available
- Hotspot on every plan, with no daily cap
- A plan that starts when you land, not when you install it
- Top-ups on the same eSIM, with nothing new to install
- Plans changed? Cancel any eSIM you haven't installed, for full credit, up to 5 months after buying
- An app and support in eight languages, including Albanian, Macedonian and Turkish
Going on to other countries?
Many trips to France continue to Italy, Spain, Switzerland or Belgium. If you're crossing borders, a Europe plan covers 34 countries with one eSIM, Switzerland and the UK included.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best eSIM for France?
One on a strong network that starts when you land. Our France plan runs on Orange with 5G where available, allows hotspot, and can be topped up in the app.
Does the eSIM work in the Paris metro?
Yes, on most metro and RER lines.
Will I get a French phone number?
No. The eSIM is for data. Your home SIM keeps your number for calls and texts, and WhatsApp keeps working on your usual number.
Does it work in Monaco?
No, Monaco has its own network. Nice, Menton and the rest of the Riviera are covered.