Best eSIM For France | A Complete Guide To Buying eSIM Data Plans in France

Buying an eSIM data plan for France can be confusing so I wanted to write an in-depth guide to the best eSIM plans for France to help you get cheap and reliable international mobile data while traveling. I’ve also tried to point out any activation and troubleshooting issues you might encounter when setting up your plan.

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How To Buy An eSIM Data Plan For France

There are three main options for getting eSIM data while traveling in France. Each option has its pros and cons—which I’ve detailed below:

• Buy A Third-Party “Tourist” eSIM Data Plan: These mobile plans “rent” bandwidth from France’s large mobile carriers and they’re designed for short-term visitors (I recommend SimOptions and Holafly).
  • Pros: They’re designed to be tourist-friendly, the speeds are good, and the prices are very reasonable. They’re easy to buy before your trip and activation is generally simple.
  • Cons: There is little/no customer support and some carriers might throttle your download speeds if there is heavy network congestion.
• Buy An eSIM Data Plan in France From A French Mobile Carrier: Some of France’s big-name mobile carriers are starting to let short-term visitors buy eSIM plans.
  • Pros: Buying directly from a major French mobile carrier will give you the best eSIM prices, the most data allowance, and the fastest data speeds.
  • Cons: Not every major French mobile carrier offers plans for short-term visitors and you generally have to go to a physical location in France to get set up.
• Use Your Current Mobile Plan’s International Data Plan: Every major mobile carrier (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.) has an international option that connects directly to a local carrier in France.
  • Pros: This is the most seamless option since your phone will automatically connect to a local data network the moment you arrive in France. This is usually the easiest option if you need to make calls.
  • Cons: Your mobile carrier will charge you a premium (usually $10+/day) and the speeds are the same as the third-party “tourist” plans since your home carrier will also be renting bandwidth from a major local carrier.

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The Best Prepaid eSIM Data Plans for France

There are a handful of different eSIM mobile providers that specialize in data plans for visitors to France.

Each plan will vary slightly so it’s important to pay attention to the specific details of each plan. But here are the main things to consider:

• Data Allowance: Most plans give you a set amount of mobile data (i.e. 5GB, 10GB, 30GB, etc) but others give you unlimited data over a set amount of time (5 days, 15 days, 30 days, etc).
• Plan Length: eSIM data plans can be valid anywhere from about 5 days to 90 days. It depends on your plan so it’s something you’ll want to consider when picking a plan.
• Mobile Hot Spot Tethering: Most eSIM plans don’t allow you to use your phone as a mobile hot spot.
• Voice Calls and SMS Texting: Most eSIM plans are data only—which means the plan doesn’t include voice calls or SMS texting. This isn’t much of an issue since you’re probably not going to be calling people anyway but a few plans do come with some voice minutes.
  • NOTE: You can still use iMessage to “text” between iPhones but you can’t send messages between iPhones and Android phones. Or you can download WhatsApp to send messages over data (which is what most Europeans do).

Orange Holiday Europe eSIM (50GB)

• Price: $59.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
• Data: 50GB
• Service Speed: 4G/LTE
• Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 min outside of Europe.
• Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside of Europe.
• Credit validity: 28 day
• Data Tethering: Allowed
• Usable on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
• This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can still be used anywhere in Europe
• Service works everywhere in the EU

If you need a ton of mobile data, consider the newly released Orange Holiday Europe 50GB eSIM data plan. It has 50GB of data and it’s valid for 28 days (compared to 14 days with the Orange Holiday Europe plan).

This eSIM also comes with many features you don’t find with other plans—including international voice calling and texts (it gives you an actual French phone number that works anywhere in Europe). The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also allows you to use your phone as a mobile hotspot so you can put that extra data allowance to good use. Orange is also one of the largest mobile companies in Europe so you’ll always get great coverage and high data speeds.

I’ve personally used the Orange Holiday Europe plan on a trip to France and it worked super well. Read my Orange Holiday Europe review to hear more.

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HOLAFLY FRANCE UNLIMITED DATA ESIM

Holafly is a new data-only eSIM provider that I’ve previously used on a trip to Europe—the service was great and I got fast data speeds (read my Holafly eSIM Review to get a more in-depth look). Holafly sells both country-specific French plans and Europe-wide data plans. Holafly isn’t an actual mobile carrier but they rent bandwidth from a local French provider (SFR) so you’re more likely to get less priority on the SFR network during peak usage times.

I appreciate that Holafly’s plans come in durations from 5 to 90 days—so you don’t have to over/underbuy for your particular trip. Holafly doesn’t allow data tethering so you can’t use your phone as a mobile hotspot.

• Prices For Unlimited Data (Check Holafly for details)
  • 10 Days: $34
  • 15 Days: $47
  • 20 Days: $54
  • 30 Days: $64
  • 60 Days: $84
  • 90 Days: $99
• Service Speed: 5G/4G/LTE
• Calls coverage: None
• SMS: None
• Tethering: No
• Data service works everywhere in the EU

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ORANGE HOLIDAY EUROPE 20GB ESIM

• Price: $49.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
• Data: 20GB (they sometimes give you 30GB of data)
• Service Speed: 4G/LTE
• Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 min outside of Europe.
• Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside of Europe.
• Credit validity: 14 day
• Data Tethering: Allowed
• Usable on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
• This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number
• Service works everywhere in the EU

The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM data plan is the “Cadillac” of eSIM plans because it comes with many features you don’t find with other plans—including international voice calling and texts (it gives you an actual French phone number as well). The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also allows you to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.

You’ll get 20GB of data with this plan but they often run specials where they give you an extra 10GB. But even 20GB should be plenty of data for most users. One potential downside to the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan is that it’s only valid for 14 days so it’s not great for longer visits (but you can always buy a second plan).

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Bouygues My European eSIM

Bouygues is another major French telecommunications company and they’ve recently released their own prepaid eSIM data plan to compete with the popular Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan. I used a prepaid Bouygues SIM card on a previous trip to Europe so I’m glad they’re finally offering an eSIM.

There’s a lot to like about the Bouygues My European eSIM plan—especially since it comes standard with 30GB of data and unlimited calls/texts within Europe. I also like how this Bouygues eSIM plan is valid for 30 days so it’s an excellent option for longer trips.

• Price: $44.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
• Data: 30GB
• Data Tethering: Allowed
• Service Speed: 4G/LTE
• Calls: Unlimited within Europe and credit for overseas calls
• Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and credit for overseas SMS
• Credit validity: 30 day
• Phone Number: This eSIM card comes with a French phone number
• Coverage: Anywhere within the European Union (except Switzerland)

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ORANGE HOLIDAY ZEN 8GB ESIM

• Price: $29.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
• Data: 8GB (they sometimes give you 15GB of data)
• Service Speed: 4G/LTE
• Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 30 min outside of Europe.
• Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 200 outside of Europe.
• Credit validity: 14 day
• Data Tethering: Allowed
• Usable on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
• This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number
• Service works everywhere in the EU

The Orange Holiday Zen eSIM is the budget version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan. It comes with 8GB of data and has fewer voice minutes and texts but otherwise, it’s the same as the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan.

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Using Your Mobile Carrier’s International Data Plan in France (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.)

Most major mobile carriers have an international data plan option but the service is often slow, inconsistent, and has limited data allowances—especially for the high price they charge.

But this is the easiest option since your phone will automatically connect to a local French network without you needing to do anything.

For example, many T-Mobile plans come with free unlimited international data plans but you’re knocked down to super slow 2G data speeds after using around 10GB of data… which will struggle to load Google Maps or email. The AT&T International Day Pass costs $12/day. And Verizon has a $10/day pass but they knock you down to 3G speeds after using 2GB per day.

For reference, prepaid eSIM data plans from Orange or Holafly will cost you around $2-$4/day.

For more in-depth information, check out The Savvy Backpacker’s guide on How To Use Smartphones and Data Plans In Europe and The Savvy Backpacker’s Guide To Using eSIM data plans in Europe.

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eSIM Data Plans From French Mobile Companies

Another option is to purchase an eSIM from a French mobile provider, which is often the most affordable way to access mobile data. However, not all French carriers offer prepaid data plans to tourists—many require you to sign up for a monthly plan before installing the eSIM. This makes it less ideal if you’re only visiting France for a week or two.

You can typically only buy these data plans from a physical retail location in France—which means you won’t have data until you find a phone shop. You also might be charged a $5-$10 activation fee.

Here are the largest mobile carriers in France:

• Orange
• SFR
• Bouygues Telecom
• Free Mobile
• Lycamobile

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More France Travel Tips From The Savvy Backpacker

Here are some more of my favorite articles to help you plan your trip to France (and beyond):

• Paris Travel Guide: The Savvy Backpacker’s Complete Guide to Paris.
• The Best Things To Do In Paris: What to do in Paris.
• The Best Budget Restaurants in Paris: Where to eat cheap in Paris.
• Things To Do in Nice, France: The Savvy Backpacker’s Guide to Nice.
• Guide To Train Travel In France
• Backpacking Europe Packing List
• Europe Packing List for Women
• The Best Travel Shoes
• The Best Travel Backpacks and The Best Travel Backpacks for Women