# eSIM for London

A trip to London needs a United Kingdom eSIM, which covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Most visits last about five days, so pick a plan valid for at least a week. Install it at home before you fly, then switch it on after landing at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or London City.

Plans for United Kingdom cover the whole country, including London.

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## For a 5-day visit
- 1 GB, 7 days, 1.12 USD
- 3 GB, 15 days, 2.95 USD (Suggested for 5 days)

## For a longer stay
- 5 GB, 30 days, 4.68 USD
- 10 GB, 30 days, 8.42 USD
- 20 GB, 30 days, 15.63 USD
- 50 GB, 30 days, 29.85 USD

## How much data for 5 days in London
- Light (maps and messages): about 1.5 GB
- Normal (plus social media and browsing): about 3 GB
- Heavy (video and video calls): about 7.5 GB

An estimate from typical use, not a measurement.

## Arriving in London
London has five main airports. Heathrow connects to central London by the Elizabeth line, the Heathrow Express to Paddington and the Piccadilly line. Gatwick has trains to Victoria and London Bridge. Stansted has the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street, Luton is linked to Luton Airport Parkway station by the DART shuttle train, and London City is on the Docklands Light Railway. International trains from Paris and Brussels arrive at St Pancras International.

Data on arrival helps with the platform changes: the live train times, the route to your hotel, and a ride app if you would rather take a car. Installing the eSIM needs Wi-Fi and a QR code, so do it at home the day before. When you land, switch the eSIM line on, turn on data roaming for it, and leave your home line's data off.

## Getting around
Transport for London runs the Underground, the Overground, the Elizabeth line, the DLR, trams and the red buses. You pay by tapping a contactless bank card or a phone wallet on the yellow reader at the gate or on the bus; there is no need to buy an Oyster card. The official TfL Go app shows live status and routes, and Citymapper is a popular alternative.

Black cabs can be booked through apps such as Freenow, and Uber and Bolt both operate in London. National Rail trains to towns outside the city run from the main terminals, and tickets are sold in the National Rail and train operator apps. Many Underground stations have Wi-Fi, but download an offline map of the city for the stretches in between.

## Where you'll use data
Visitors usually spend their days around Westminster (Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace), the South Bank and the Tate Modern, the British Museum in Bloomsbury, the Tower of London, Covent Garden and Soho, and the markets at Borough and Camden. Greenwich and Kew Gardens are easy rides out. Theatre, museum and attraction tickets are mostly sold online, so keep your confirmations on your phone.

Day trips from London stay in the United Kingdom, so the same plan keeps working: Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Canterbury, or Bath. The Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris or Brussels crosses into another country, and the United Kingdom plan does not cover it there. A Europe plan can cover several countries, but its country list should be checked on our Europe page, since regional plans can leave countries out.

## Common questions

### Will the eSIM work as soon as I land at Heathrow?
Yes, if you installed it before the flight. Switch the eSIM line on, turn on data roaming for it, and it connects once you leave airplane mode. If it does not, turn airplane mode on and off once.

### How much data do I need for five days in London?
About 3 GB for normal use: maps, the TfL Go app, ride apps, messages and some social media. Heavy use, such as video calls or a lot of streaming, comes to roughly 7.5 GB.

### Can I pay for the Tube with my phone?
Yes. Tap your phone wallet or a contactless bank card on the yellow reader at the gate. You do not need an Oyster card. Use the same card or phone for the whole journey, so the fares are added up correctly.

### Does the plan give me a UK phone number?
No. These plans are data only. Calls and messages work through apps such as WhatsApp or FaceTime. If your bank sends codes by SMS, keep your home line on for texts with its data switched off.

### Does the plan work on the Eurostar to Paris?
Not in France. The United Kingdom plan covers the UK only. For a trip that crosses into other countries, look at a Europe plan, and check its country list on our Europe page first.

- [All United Kingdom eSIM plans](https://simorago.com/en/esim/united-kingdom.md)
- [Full United Kingdom guide](https://simorago.com/en/esim/united-kingdom/details.md)
- [eSIM for Edinburgh](https://simorago.com/en/esim/united-kingdom/edinburgh.md)

Source: https://simorago.com/en/esim/united-kingdom/london