Practical Information for visiting Europe

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent across most of the continent, with 5G widespread in cities and reliable 4G along the main routes; the gaps are in mountain valleys, the Nordic far north and parts of the rural Balkans.

EU roaming rules are the practical point: a SIM from any European Union country can be used across the rest of the union at domestic rates, with no roaming surcharge, subject to fair-use limits. That makes buying one local SIM or eSIM at the start of a multi-country trip the obvious approach. Non-EU countries including the United Kingdom and Switzerland are outside the arrangement, and charges there can be steep.

Wi-Fi is free and near-universal in cafes, hotels and stations, and many cities run public networks.

Payment is overwhelmingly contactless, and in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands cash is close to obsolete. Germany, Austria and parts of southern and eastern Europe remain noticeably more cash-based than the rest.

Power is 230 volts. Most of the continent uses two round pins; Britain and Ireland use three flat ones, and Switzerland and Italy have their own variants.