Monaco eSIM

Staying connected in Monaco

Monaco is the world's second-smallest country after Vatican City: 2.08 km² on the Mediterranean, bordered on land only by France. Install a travel eSIM at home and switch it on when you arrive. AirOva sells Monaco plans from $25.49: fixed GB plans and a data + calls option, on Monaco Telecom.

Which Monaco plan to choose

GB plans suit most visits, since maps, messaging and booking apps take little data. Each plan card shows whether it is listed as 4G or 5G; on a 5G plan, expect 4G, with 5G where available. The data + calls option adds call minutes to mobile data. GB plans are data only, and no plan includes a local phone number.

One network: Monaco Telecom

Monaco Telecom is the principality's only mobile network. It was created in 1997, when the government privatised the state telephone office, the Office Monégasque des Téléphones. A plan card that says Monaco Telecom S.A.M means the same company, under its legal form. In July 2019 the operator switched on 5G across the whole territory, and it said Monaco had become the first country fully covered by 5G.

French and other SIMs in Monaco

Monaco uses the euro but is not in the EU, and Roam Like at Home covers only the EU, the EEA, Moldova and Ukraine. Monaco's government says that since March 2024 customers of Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free can use the Monaco Telecom network throughout the principality, but each French operator sets its own rates, so check your tariff. The European Commission warns that roaming outside the EU and EEA can be expensive, particularly for data; see EU roaming rules explained.

Arriving via Nice

Monaco has no airport: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE), about 20 km southwest in France, serves it, and Monaco Heliport in Fontvieille, the principality's only aviation facility, has scheduled helicopter flights to Nice airport only. By rail, Monaco-Monte-Carlo, the country's only station, lies on the line from Marseille to Ventimiglia. On arrival, switch on the eSIM line, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line.

Tip: Monaco's government says a phone set to choose its network automatically connects to Monaco Telecom on arrival; if yours does not, choose Monaco Telecom by hand in your phone's network settings. A Monaco plan works in Monaco only, so for Nice and the rest of the French Riviera, use an EU SIM under Roam Like at Home or add a France plan.