On an EU plan, you rarely need a local SIM in Italy, roaming is included. Local prepaid plans exist and offer big data bundles (often ~200 GB for 30 days, around 15 to 25 €), but you have to visit a shop, show your passport and swap your card, and every prepaid SIM is registered to your passport by law. For the same data without any of that, the Orange Travel eSIM connects to the local networks through Orange’s roaming agreements: no shop, no card swap, your own number kept, and a price known upfront.
Walk past the airport kiosks in Rome or Milan and you will see a wall of SIM deals shouting big data numbers. Before you queue, it is worth asking whether you need one at all.
Here is the honest rundown: when a local SIM helps, which one to pick, what it really costs, and how it stacks up against an eSIM.
First: do you really need a local SIM?
For many travellers, the answer is no, and that saves you a shop visit on day one.
If you travel on a plan from an EU country, EU roaming is included. Your home data, calls and texts work in Italy at no surcharge, within your allowance, under the “Roam Like At Home” rules guaranteed until 2032. For a normal city break, that is all you need.
The case for buying extra data comes up mainly if you are a non-EU traveller with no EU roaming, on a long stay, or need a big data volume. A local Italian SIM is one way to cover it, but the Orange Travel eSIM covers the same cases without the shop visit, and keeps your own number on a second line.
Local prepaid SIM or eSIM: the comparison
Several local operators offer tourist prepaid plans. Bundles are generous, but watch the share usable for roaming elsewhere in the EU, often far smaller than the Italian total. Here is how a local prepaid SIM stacks up against the Orange Travel eSIM in 2026.
| Criterion | Local prepaid SIM | Orange Travel eSIM |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Big bundles (often ~200 GB for 30 days, 5G), but limited EU roaming share | Travel-dedicated data plans, including an Unlimited option |
| Rough price | Around 15 to 25 €, plus the cost of the SIM | Clear price shown before purchase, 100% refunded if unused |
| Set-up | In a shop on arrival, queue and on-site registration | Installed before departure via QR code, live on landing |
| Paperwork | Passport or ID required for registration | No documents to show on site |
| Your number | You swap cards: home number unreachable during the trip | Home number kept on a dual-SIM second line |
Our take: local prepaid plans exist, but they mean a shop visit, registering your passport, and physically swapping your card. If you do not speak the language, the process gets fiddly fast and you lose time on arrival. One detail that matters if you pair Italy with another EU country: nearly all of that big bundle is usable only in Italy, with a far smaller EU roaming allowance. The Orange Travel eSIM delivers the same travel data without any of that: through the roaming agreements Orange has signed with operators, it connects straight to the local networks, installs before departure via QR code, and shows a price you know upfront.
Where to buy, and at what price
You have a few options, and they are not priced the same.
The airport kiosks are the most convenient, set up on the spot before you leave arrivals, but usually the most expensive, with a tourist markup. A city-centre store of the operator is cheaper, and the staff handle the activation and the registration for you.
Once you have a SIM, top-ups are everywhere: in tabacchi (the tobacconists marked with a white T on blue), in supermarkets, and through the operator apps. You rarely need to go back to a store to add credit.
- Activation in a shop can take 20 to 40 minutes, because staff must register your document on the operator’s system before the SIM goes live. On a short trip, that is time off your first day, which is one reason many travellers now prefer an eSIM set up at home the night before.
The ID rule: registration is mandatory
This surprises a lot of visitors. In Italy, you cannot buy an anonymous prepaid SIM off a shelf.
By law, every prepaid SIM must be registered to a named person. The shop scans your passport or ID card and links the SIM to your name and document number before activating it. This applies to every local operator alike.
In some cases you may also be asked for a codice fiscale, the Italian tax code. Tourists can usually obtain one free if needed, but it adds a step. Bring your passport to the shop, and expect to wait while the paperwork is done. An eSIM bought from your own operator sidesteps this entirely.
Physical SIM or eSIM: how to choose
The choice comes down to your phone and how much fuss you want.
A physical SIM works on any phone, including older ones with no eSIM support. The downsides stack up, though: a shop visit, the ID paperwork, swapping out your home card (and the risk of losing it), and a different number while you travel.
The Orange Travel eSIM is the smoother path if your phone supports it. You install it before departure by scanning a QR code, keep your own number live on a second line via dual SIM, and skip the shop and the registration queue. Thanks to Orange’s roaming agreements it connects straight to the local networks, with a price known upfront. Check compatibility by dialling *#06#: if an EID appears, you are good. We go deeper in our eSIM for Italy.
Our recommendation by profile
Match the option to the trip rather than chasing the biggest data number.
- EU traveller, short city break: use your EU roaming. No SIM, no eSIM, nothing to buy.
- EU traveller, long stay or heavy data: the Orange Travel eSIM tops up your data without losing your number.
- Non-EU traveller: the Orange Travel eSIM, set up before you fly, connects you on landing through Orange’s roaming agreements.
- Heavy data or a road trip into rural areas: the Orange Travel eSIM rides the widest local networks, no operator to pick yourself.
- Older phone with no eSIM support: here a physical local prepaid SIM from a city store is the fallback, passport in hand and home number set aside.
In every other case a local SIM is still technically possible, but it adds the shop, the passport registration and the card swap without giving you anything the Orange Travel eSIM does not.
The simplest route to staying connected
If you want the least hassle, an eSIM from a trusted operator wins for most travellers. No queue, no passport scan, no swapped card, and your own number stays reachable.
The Orange Travel Italy eSIM installs before departure and connects you on landing, on the 4G/5G network. It comes as Data only, Data + SMS or Unlimited, with human support 24/7 and 100% refunded if you do not use it. For the full menu of options, see our internet in Italy guide.
- On an EU plan and a short trip, you do not need a local SIM at all.
- Need more data or a longer stay: the Orange Travel eSIM, connected to the local networks through Orange’s roaming agreements.
- A local SIM still exists, but every prepaid SIM is registered to your passport, so expect a wait in store and a swapped card.
- An eSIM skips the shop and the paperwork and keeps your own number.
- Top up at any tabacchi or in the operator app, no store visit needed.
With Orange, the service of more than 300 million customers, you stay connected with peace of mind: 200+ destinations covered, human support 24/7, and 100% refunded if you do not use your eSIM.
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