Europe and Turkey eSIM

Europe and Türkiye on one eSIM: 41 countries, from the Channel Islands and Åland to Serbia, North Macedonia and the Turkish coast, so a Greek island hop that ends in Bodrum or a Balkans road trip into Skopje stays on the same line. Türkiye is the part to plan for: its regulator blocks several foreign eSIM sellers' websites, so you buy and install this at home, before you fly.

What two weeks in Greece and Türkiye costs

Prices for one week in Greece and one week in Türkiye, checked on 2–3 November 2026. Türkiye isn't in the EU, so European "roam like at home" deals stop at the border. Daily passes charge for each day you use the phone abroad, per phone.

For a family of four on Verizon, that's $672 for the fortnight. O2 Ultimate customers may need nothing extra. An EU SIM roams like at home in Greece, but not in Türkiye, and Germany's 2 GB pass goes quickly on maps and photos.

Landing at Istanbul (IST), Athens (ATH) or Heathrow (LHR)

Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate, and turn on Data Roaming for that line only. Then walk through passport control, collect your bags and go through customs. With the eSIM working, you can walk past the SIM counters.

• Istanbul: British citizens can stay visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180. Other nationalities should apply only on evisa.gov.tr. Airport Wi-Fi needs a passport scan at a kiosk or a code by text. The M11 metro runs to Gayrettepe in about 30 minutes.
• Athens: metro line 3 runs into the centre; an airport ticket is €9 one way.
• Heathrow: the Elizabeth line reaches central London in under 40 minutes.

Schengen and Türkiye. Greece is in the Schengen area and Türkiye isn't. Each ferry from Türkiye to a Greek island is a full Schengen entry, where the EU's Entry/Exit System records non-EU visitors' fingerprints and photo. Allow time at small island ports.

Istanbul stopovers. Turkish Airlines runs Touristanbul, a free city tour for international transfer passengers with a layover of roughly 6 to 24 hours. Istanbul is on this plan, so the line works for the tour. It also starts your 30 days there.

Networks and coverage

Each country uses its own local networks, and your phone shows the operator's name, not kimsim. In Türkiye this plan uses Turkcell only; our Turkey-only plan uses Vodafone. In Greece it uses Vodafone and Nova, listed as Wind, Nova's old name.

Serbia appears with old names. VIP is now A1 Srbija, and Telenor Serbia became Yettel in 2022. Serbia, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are on 4G on this plan, apart from Telekom.mk's 5G in North Macedonia.

Coverage thins in mountain valleys, on Cappadocia's valley walks, in Serbia's and North Macedonia's mountains and out at sea. The networks your plan uses are listed above.

What this plan adds, and who it suits

This plan is the 33-country Europe plan plus eight places it leaves out: Türkiye, Serbia, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Åland. It suits:

• Greece and Türkiye together: island hopping in the Dodecanese with a ferry to the Turkish coast.
• Balkans road trips through Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia.
• An Istanbul stopover on the way into or out of Europe.
• The Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Åland, alone or as part of a longer trip.

Two differences from the Europe plan matter. This one is sold as data packs (3 to 20 GB, each lasting 30 days), not an Unlimited plan. And in some countries it uses fewer networks: one in Austria and Norway, for example. If none of the eight extras is on your route, the Europe plan may suit you better.

Region by region

• Greece and the Turkish coast: short ferries link Kos with Bodrum, Rhodes with Marmaris, Samos with Kuşadası, Chios with Çeşme and Lesbos with Ayvalık, and most run less often outside summer. On a Greece-only plan, a Turkish signal off Kos or Rhodes means no data. On a UK SIM it can mean a huge bill: one sailor was charged over £8,000 after 40 minutes on a Turkish network. On this plan, both sides of the water are covered.
• The Balkans: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania are covered. Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo aren't. Lake Ohrid straddles the border with Albania, so phones on the shore can pick up an Albanian network. Choose a covered network by hand there. For the gaps, add a Montenegro eSIM, an Albania eSIM, a Bosnia and Herzegovina eSIM or a Kosovo eSIM.
• The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man: JT runs networks in Jersey and Guernsey, and this plan uses JT on both. Sure, the biggest mobile operator across the islands, isn't on the list.
• Åland: an autonomous, Swedish-speaking region of Finland between Sweden and the Finnish coast. The plan uses Ålcom there.
• Ukraine: the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to most of Ukraine, and Ukraine's airspace is closed. The plan covers lifecell and Kyivstar for anyone who does need to go.
• Northern Cyprus: EE warns that phones there may connect to a Turkish network. The plan lists only the Republic of Cyprus's networks, so don't count on data in the north.

Ferries, roads and flights

At sea, ships switch to their own satellite networks, which a travel eSIM won't use and which EU price caps don't cover. Keep Data Roaming off on your home line from the moment you board. Balkan drives cross several borders a day, with mountain gaps between towns, so download offline maps first. Domestic flights in Türkiye and Greece are quick; keep boarding passes in your phone's wallet.

Apps worth having

• Ride-hailing: Uber books licensed taxis in Istanbul. Bolt runs in cities including Athens, Belgrade and Skopje. Set accounts up at home, because sign-up can send a code by text to your usual number.
• WhatsApp is how hotels, boat crews and transfer drivers message you in both Greece and Türkiye. Keep your WhatsApp number working abroad.
• Ferry tickets: save e-tickets offline before you get to the port.
• Maps: download offline areas for the islands, Cappadocia and any Balkan mountain road.

SIM and phone rules

Türkiye blocks some eSIM sellers' websites, not eSIMs. On 10 July 2025 Türkiye's telecoms regulator, the BTK, ordered access blocks on several foreign eSIM sellers' websites. The UK Foreign Office says "access to some e-sim services is restricted in Turkey". So buy and install before you fly.

The IMEI rule is about Turkish SIMs. A foreign phone used with a Turkish SIM must be registered within 120 days, and the 2026 fee is 54,258 TL. A travel eSIM roams as a visitor, so there's nothing to register on a holiday.

Serbia and North Macedonia are outside EU roaming, so EU SIMs pay to roam there. The European Commission proposed in February 2026 to start talks on bringing the Western Balkans into "roam like at home", but that isn't in force. Ukraine is already in.

Common mistakes

• Buying after you land in Türkiye. Some sellers' sites won't load there, and you need internet to install. Install on Wi-Fi before you fly
• Switching the line on at home. The UK is on this plan, so a UK traveller who turns the kimsim line on before leaving starts the 30 days early. If your plan started early
• Assuming "Balkans" means all of them. Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo aren't covered. How regional plans work
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. Türkiye is outside every UK carrier's Europe zone. Why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only
• No way to call for help. 112 works across the EU, and it's Türkiye's emergency number too, but a data-only eSIM can't dial it. Use your home line or any local phone.

More on Europe and Türkiye

• eSIM for Europe: a guide for US, Canada and Australia
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?
• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?

How we put this page together

We checked carriers' roaming price pages, Turkish regulations, EU and UK government sites, operators' and transport pages and the other sources noted above on 2–3 November 2026, and reused facts from our Türkiye, Greece and Europe pages with the same sources. Turkish Airlines' and Vodafone Greece's pages block automated checks, so we read those from their search listings. We haven't measured speeds or coverage ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.