Greece SIM Card for Tourists: What to Buy Before the Islands
You land in Athens, and your ferry leaves early the next morning. You need the ticket on your phone, a ride to the port, and a way to reach your hotel on the island. Then you find out that your US iPhone has no slot for a SIM.
A Greece SIM card for tourists is simple to buy if your phone has a tray and is unlocked. Vodafone sells prepaid cards from a kiosk at Athens airport, and you need a passport or ID. If your phone is eSIM only, or you land late, a travel eSIM set up at home is the easier path. If your US plan already includes Greece, you may not need either.
In short:
- Greece has three mobile networks: Cosmote, Vodafone, and Nova. Cosmote's website now sends you to telekom.gr.
- Greek law bars the operator from activating your line until you give your identity details. Vodafone asks for a valid passport or ID.
- Nova prepaid plans run from €10.70 for 3.5 GB to €18.10 for 20 GB, in a notice dated 2026-04-07.
- The Moosetrip Greece eSIM starts at $3.50 for 1 GB over 7 days, and 5 GB for 30 days is $9.50, on 2026-11-01.
Greece eSIM from $3.50Install at home, connect when you land.See plans
Which networks does Greece have?
A December 2025 study for EETT, the Greek telecom regulator, names three operators that run their own networks.
| Network | What to know |
|---|---|
| Cosmote | The cosmote.gr address redirected to telekom.gr on 2026-11-01, so expect to see the Telekom name |
| Vodafone | Says its 5G reaches 94% of the population, as of September 2025 |
| Nova | Sells prepaid under the Q and FREE2GO names, and shares much of its network with Vodafone |
The EETT study says Vodafone and Nova share network equipment, above all in rural areas, and it lists no such deal for Cosmote. So if Vodafone has no signal in a remote village, Nova may have none either. We have no measurements for any one place.
Greece SIM card prices
These are Nova's prepaid packages from its notice of 2026-04-07, effective May 2026. All run 30 days. Check the price at the counter.
| Package | Price | Data | Calls and texts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q Star | €10.70 | 3.5 GB | 500 minutes in Greece |
| Q Star Large | €12.50 | 10 GB | Unlimited minutes, 300 texts |
| Q Star Huge | €16.10 | 20 GB | Unlimited minutes, 500 texts |
| FREE2GO | €13.60 | 6 GB | Unlimited minutes, 500 texts |
| FREE2GO | €18.10 | 20 GB | Unlimited minutes, 1,000 texts |
The notice leaves out three things: the cost of the SIM itself, the data you get in other EU countries, and where a visitor can buy one.
Telekom (Cosmote). Telekom's prepaid pages came back empty when we read them, so we print no prices.
Vodafone. Vodafone's prepaid page promotes a Vodafone Tourist pack with "no roaming charges & unlimited data." The pages we could read show no price, validity, or data limit, so ask for all three at the kiosk.
Is there a Greece SIM card with unlimited data? Vodafone's Tourist pack is the one we found, with the gaps above. The EETT study says data volume mainly sets prices on Greek plans, and the average line used 12.5 GB a month in 2024. Ask if speed drops after a set amount, and how much works outside Greece.
How this compares with us. At the large end, Greek prepaid wins. Nova's 20 GB is €16.10 and our 20 GB is $32, and Nova also gives you calls and a Greek number. Our plan suits lighter use, or skipping the counter.
Passport and registration: what Greek law requires
Article 3 of Law 3783/2009 says the provider must ask for, collect, and store your identity details when you sign up. You also give a sworn statement that the details are correct. The provider may not activate the line until you have done this, and may not record more than the law lists.
Article 3 does not name passports or foreign visitors. The legal database we read shows no change history, so later changes may apply. Vodafone's page is clear for tourists: it asks for a valid passport or ID. Carry the physical passport and expect to fill out a form.
Buying at Athens airport and on the islands
Vodafone lists three places to buy: its kiosk at Athens International Airport, its kiosks at Fraport airports in Greece, and any Vodafone shop. It also lets you order online with a passport or ID.
Vodafone's page does not name those Fraport airports, so check if yours is one before you count on a kiosk there.
We could not confirm the kiosk's opening hours or exact spot at Athens, or any Telekom or Nova counter. Our guide on buying a SIM at the airport shows how night hours leave gaps elsewhere. So plan like this:
- Landing by day. Stop at the kiosk with your passport and ask the staff to test the card before you pay.
- Landing late with an early ferry. Have data working before you board in the US. Do not plan around any counter.
- Going straight to an island. Buy in Athens if you can. A small island may have no shop.
Coverage on Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, and ferries
We looked for island figures from EETT and did not find them, so we will not guess at the best network for Santorini, Mykonos, or Crete.
On EU figures for 2024, rounded, at least one operator covers 100% of Greek households with 5G, and 73% with the faster 3.4 to 3.8 GHz band. Vodafone says its 5G reaches 70 islands but does not name them. Neither figure tells you about a beach, a gorge in Crete, or open water.
Ferries need more care. Your Europe, the EU's citizen site, says a ship in a harbor connected to a land network should cost nothing extra. Once service comes by satellite, it says EU rules stop applying and there is no price cap. Its advice is to turn off roaming or use flight mode on board.
- Save ferry tickets and hotel bookings as files or screenshots before you board.
- If a ship's network shows up on your phone, turn on flight mode.
Will your American phone work?
A tray. iPhone 14 and later models bought in the US are eSIM only, so a plastic SIM will not fit. Our iPhone 17 guide lists the model numbers.
The lock. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > About and look for "No SIM Restrictions" next to Carrier Lock. On Android, ask your carrier. A locked phone can refuse any other carrier's SIM, and our phone guide lists unlock rules by carrier. Or check your phone here.
Going on to Italy, Turkey, or Albania
With a Greek SIM, EU rules let you use your plan in other EU countries at Greek rates. The zone also covers Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova, and Ukraine. Turkey, Albania, and the UK are not on the list, so a day trip from Rhodes or Kos to Turkey falls outside it.
Prepaid has a catch. If your data costs under €1.30 per GB at home, the operator may set a limit abroad. By the EU's formula, it must be at least your remaining credit divided by €1.30, so €10 of credit gives about 7.7 GB. The operator must warn you when you reach it. Extra charges are capped at €1.30 per GB on the EU's 2025 figure, falling to €1 from 2027.
With our eSIM, a Greece plan is for Greece. Add a second plan or use one Europe plan for 35 countries. Prices on 2026-11-01:
| Trip | Two country plans | Europe plan |
|---|---|---|
| Greece + Italy, 5 GB each | $19 | 10 GB for $20 |
| Greece + Turkey, 5 GB each | $19 | Check the country list |
When an eSIM makes more sense
Our Greece plans install at home over Wi-Fi with a QR code, and days count from your first connection in Greece. Prices on 2026-11-01:
| Data | Valid for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $3.50 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $7 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $9.50 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $15.50 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $32 |
Searching for an eSIM on Cosmote or Vodafone? Our catalog lists Wind and Vodafone, not Cosmote. Wind is not among the three operators in the EETT study, and we have not confirmed what name your phone will show for it. We also could not confirm that Telekom or Vodafone sells its own eSIM to visitors, so ask in a store.
An eSIM fits best if your iPhone has no tray, you land late, or your trip is short. It is data only, and your US number stays on as a second line. Our guide on keeping your US number abroad covers bank texts.
Skip it if you will stream every day, if you need a Greek number, or if your US plan already includes Greece with enough high-speed data.
For size, use a cautious rule: 1 GB is about 5 hours of maps and taxi apps, or about 1.5 hours of video calls. Ten days at 2 hours of maps a day is about 4 GB, so 5 GB fits, and our data guide has more. You can add data to the same eSIM.
Verizon TravelPass and AT&T International Day Pass each listed $12 a day for one line, on 2026-10-30. Confirm Greece in your carrier app. That is $84 for 7 days, against $9.50 for our 5 GB plan, though a pass keeps your calls and texts working.
Questions
Can tourists buy a SIM card in Greece?
Yes. Vodafone sells prepaid SIMs online, at Athens airport, and in its shops. Your phone needs a tray and must be unlocked.
Do I need a passport to buy a SIM card in Greece?
Yes, in practice. Greek law requires identity details before activation, and Vodafone asks for a valid passport or ID.
Which Greek network is best on the islands?
We cannot say. We found no EETT measurements by island, so look up your hotel on each network's coverage map.
Sources
- Vodafone Greece, prepaid SIM for tourists, checked 2026-11-01
- Vodafone Greece, prepaid offers, checked 2026-11-01
- Nova, prepaid notice of 2026-04-07, checked 2026-11-01
- Tefficient for EETT, Greece's mobile usage and revenue, 2025-12-16, checked 2026-11-01
- European Commission, Vodafone 5G coverage in Greece, 2025-09-24, checked 2026-11-01
- Your Europe, mobile roaming costs, checked 2026-11-01
- Greek Law 3783/2009, Article 3, on Taxheaven, checked 2026-11-01
- Apple, which type of SIM your iPhone uses, checked 2026-10-30
- Verizon, TravelPass FAQs, checked 2026-10-30
- AT&T, International Day Pass, checked 2026-10-30