France is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe. Travel has changed, and we use our smartphones. We use them to navigate, Google information, manage our reservations and much much more. That means you will want to stay connected. ESIMs are one of the easiest ways to use our phones while we travel without paying the high costs of "Roam Like Home" plans. By the end of this post, you'll find the perfect eSIM for France that matches what you need and be able to have it set up in minutes.
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The Quick Picks - Best eSIM for France
I get it, you don't have time to read this whole post. So here is the quick answer.
Click on the links below to see the quick picks.
Benefits of an eSIM
Main Benefits:
If you aren't completely familiar with eSIMs or what you should be looking for before you buy one, read this section first.
Quick Comparison of eSIMs for France
Here is a quick look at the eSIM plans for France & Europe. For more details, read the sections below this chart.
ESIM Plans / Brand | Data / Validity | Calls & Text | Countries Covered | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bouygues Telecom - My European eSIM | 30GB / 30 days | Yes | Europe* | |
Orange Holiday Europe | 20GB / 14 days | Yes | Europe | |
Orange Zen Holiday | 8GB / 14 days | Yes | Europe | |
Airalo Eurolink | 1 - 100GB / 7 - 180 days | No | Europe | |
Bonbon Mobile | 1 - 20GB / 7, 15, & 30 days | No | France Only | |
Bouygues Telecom - Travel Basic | 15GB / 15 days | No | Europe* |
* Bouygues Telecom must be activated in France. (also doesn't include Switzerland)
Other posts that may interest you:
Best eSIM for France (and Europe) with Data, Calling & Text
Here are two eSIMs that are the best prepaid eSIMs for France and include the rest of Europe. Both allow calling and texting within Europe.
Which you choose depends on how long you travel, how much data you think you will need, and where you start your trip.
Activation
If you are starting your trip in France then either eSIM works for you. They activate when you connect with a European provider.
If you are starting your trip outside of France, get the Orange eSIM.
Calling
Both eSIMs support unlimited Calls within Europe. They come with a French number.
Orange offers a bonus of a limited amount of calls (30 or 120 mins) to any country outside of Europe. This means you can still stay in touch with friends and family back home easily.
Texting/SMS
Both eSIMs support Unlimited texting within Europe, but eSIM Orange also offers a limited amount of texts to any country outside of Europe (200 or 1000 texts).
Tethering
You can tether another device to your phone and share the data.
Orange | Bouygues Telecom |
|---|---|
Orange eSIM for France (and Europe)
Bouygues Telecom eSIM for France (and Europe)
Once activated in France, it can be used throughout Europe: Azores, Germany, Andorra, England, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, Croatia, Cyclades, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Gibraltar , Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hungary, Balearic Islands, Aland Islands, Rhodes Island, Canary Islands, Faroe Islands, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Man (Island of), Norway, Netherlands, Wales, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Vatican, Wight (Island of).
Prices are shown in USD
Orange Holiday Zen
eSIM
$
29
90
*Includes 30 mins call and 200 texts outside of Europe
Bouygues Telecom
My European eSIM
$
39
99
*Must be activated in France. Excludes Switzerland.
Most Popular!
Orange Holiday Europe
eSIM
$
49
90
*Includes 120 mins call and 1000 texts outside of Europe
Best eSIM for France with Data Only
Bonbon Mobile - eSIM for France by Airalo
My favourite prepaid eSIM for France with data only is the one from Airalo. It is a local SIM covering France only with the data plan.
I have recommended Airalo eSIMs to many personal friends and they have worked out great for everyone.
They are easy to set up, even at the last minute. I've had two friends set them up the day before they left and hit the ground running. They aren't techie people either.
No Calling or Texting
Trust me this is not a big deal. I've travelled Europe a lot on just an esim data plan. I used apps like Skype and WhatsApp to call back home. I've utilized Skype credit on the rare occasion I needed to make any local calls.
The advantage of an eSIM card with just data is that they are really cheap. A lot of bang for your buck here.
Tethering Allowed
You can use your Airalo eSIM for tethering or as a personal hotspot.
The Airalo eSIM for France comes in 6 options.
Prices shown in USD
Bonbon Mobile France eSIM 1 GB
$
4
50
Bonbon Mobile France eSIM 2 GB
$
7
50
Bonbon Mobile France eSIM 3 GB
$
10
Bonbon Mobile France eSIM 5 GB
$
14
Most Popular!
Bonbon Mobile France eSIM 10 GB
$
23
Bonbon Mobile France eSIM 20 GB
$
36
Best eSIM for France (and rest of Europe) with Data Only
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Once activated in France, it can be used throughout Europe: Azores, Germany, Andorra, England, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, Croatia, Cyclades, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Gibraltar , Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hungary, Balearic Islands, Aland Islands, Rhodes Island, Canary Islands, Faroe Islands, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Man (Island of), Norway, Netherlands, Wales, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Vatican, Wight (Island of).
Most Popular!
Airalo Eurolink Travel eSIM
Starting at
$
5
Bouygues Telecom Travel Basic eSIM
$
16
90
*Must be activated in France
Getting Started with an eSIM is easy!
Not tech savvy? Not a problem. ESIMs are so easy to set up and get activated. Gone are the days of swapping out SIM cards, and going through a series of voice prompts to activate them. Just make sure your phone is compatible (more on that coming up, so keep reading).
Pick your destination & package
Buy your eSIM
Scan the QR and install
Activate your eSIM
Before You Buy Your eSIM for France
Before you buy your France eSIM, you need to consider a few things.
- Is your phone eSIM compatible and unlocked?
- Are you only travelling to France or are you visiting other countries in Europe?
- Do you need call and texting?
- How long are you travelling for?
- How much data do you need?
Do You Need Calling & Text or Data Only?
Data Only
If you are like me then you are more comfortable travelling with just data for your smartphone. I don't have the need to call anyone when I travel. I use apps like Whatsapp to stay connected with friends and family.
Some eSIM data plans claim to have unlimited data. You often get x amount of "high-speed mobile data" and then it slows down to 2G levels. So technically yes, it's unlimited.
If I needed to make calls, for example to my vacation home host, I used Skype credit as it only costs pennies a minute.
Pick a plan that covers the amount of data you will need. Keep in mind that back home you use less data because you use Wifi often. So you may want to consider twice as much data as back home to be safe. The other option is to find a plan that allows topping up.
Calling & Texting eSIM
One thing to keep in mind is that when you are using an eSIM, you can still run your physical SIM card*. If you want to have your phone available for emergency phone calls, you can still do that with your home number (long-distance and international texting applies).
If you plan on making calls around Europe and back home, then you may want to opt for an eSIM for France or European Union eSIM that has calling and texting.
*The new iPhone14s only have eSIMs in the US. That being said, they should have dual eSIM capability.
ESIM Credit Validity
Pick the French eSIM that will cover you for the time you travel. Some plans allow you to top-up after the credit validity expires.
If you have 10GB of data and your credit validity is 30 days, you have to top-up your eSIM (if it allows) or get a new eSIM when the 30 days are up or if you used the 10GB.
Is My Phone eSIM Compatible?
Before buying your Ireland eSIM, you have to make sure your phone is eSIM compatible.
Most newer phones (within the last 3 years) are able to run an eSIM. New phones, like the iPhone 14 (in the US) don't have a physical SIM card anymore. They operate with a dual SIM. This will be the trend moving forward for many new phones hitting the market.
Here is a quick list of the current eSIM-compatible phones and devices as of the date of this blog post. See the list.
Before you buy any eSIM, check with your provider that your phone is unlocked and that your phone is eSIM compatible.