eSIM for United Kingdom
Covered by our Europe plan, from $10.00.
What the network is actually like
4G reaches anywhere populated, and 5G most cities. The famous weak spots are rural Wales, the Scottish Highlands and long stretches of the West Coast Main Line. Note the UK left the EU roaming arrangement, so a British SIM is no longer automatically usable across the continent, and vice versa.
Networks: EE, O2, Vodafone, Three
How much data you'll need
London for a week is a 5GB trip. Driving in Scotland isn't: get your maps down before you leave, because the gaps up there last long enough to matter.
City guides
Where the signal actually drops, and how to get around.
Where people go
London
Most Tube platforms now have coverage. Tunnels between them largely don't.
Edinburgh
Compact and hilly. Doubles in population every August.
Manchester
Music, football, and better value than the south.
Cardiff
Walkable capital with a castle in the middle of it.
What's on
Timings are month-level, because most of these move year to year.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
August
Edinburgh
The largest arts festival in the world. Book accommodation absurdly early.
Glastonbury
Late June
Somerset
Two hundred thousand people in a field. Networks deploy temporary masts and it still struggles.
Notting Hill Carnival
August bank holiday
London
Europe’s biggest street festival. Signal in the crowd is poor.