Best eSIM Barcelona. The best eSIMs for travelling to Spain

Benvingut! Get ready for the Mobile World Congress, and buy the best eSIM for Barcelona. You won’t have to deal with roaming costs and you’ll be able to use your data as soon as you get down from your plane. With our top choice, Orange eSIM Holidays, you’ll get unlimited data for €25. You can even call home to say that your plane was on time with its 100 minutes of international voice calls. Get ready for an incredible experience in this vibrant city.

Barcelona is well known for being a cultural hotspot, not only in Europe, but in the world. Museums, art, concerts, architecture, sports… It’s impossible to get bored in Barcelona.

Visit the Sagrada Familia, the Parc Güell, take a walk in las Ramblas, or enjoy the Barri Gòtic… a city filled with history and beauty awaits.

Whenever you’re visiting, you’ll surely stumble upon an event: music festivals, exhibitions, street art, sport… Barcelona never stops, there’s always something to do.

esim for Mobile World Congress

Every February since 2006, the city hosts the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The biggest event in the world of mobile communication. It gathers phone manufacturers, network equipment providers, representatives of wireless carriers… the who’s who of the world of telecommunications.

It’s a great opportunity to see the upcoming innovations in mobile phones, telecommunications, gadgets… If you’re a fan of mobile phones and new technologies, you shouldn’t miss it. This year it will take place from February 27 until March 2. Don’t forget to check its website, buy your pass and prepare for everything that’s coming in this 2023 edition… You won’t regret it.

So ready up for an incredible experience in this city and forget about excessive roaming costs: Buy an eSIM for Barcelona.

Top 5 prepaid virtual SIMs for Barcelona compared

In the following chart you’ll find our top 5 picks for the best eSIM for a trip to Barcelona.

*Data collected in 2024

Orange eSIM Holidays: The best eSIM for Barcelona

Unlimited data

Orange eSIM Holidays is the best eSIM card you can buy to travel to Barcelona. With unlimited data for €25, it offers 60GB at max speed to enjoy for 15 days in the city (or anywhere in Spain). In addition, it provides a Spanish phone number with 100 minutes of international voice calls and SMS for an additional credit. You can use this data to tether any other device to your phone and share its connection.

Spain and Europe eSIM all in one

If you decide to explore other parts of Europe during your holiday, this eSIM offers 30GB of data anywhere in the European Union, Norway and Liechtenstein, so you won’t have to worry about purchasing another eSIM or about roaming expenses.

ID verification

Spanish law requires that you provide an ID when purchasing this eSIM. Orange eSIM Holidays has integrated this requirement within the purchase process. You won’t even notice you’re doing it.

Airalo Guay Mobile

Limited data

Airalo offers a limited data plan for Spain to use for the same period as our top choice. Airalo’s Guay eSIM card comes with 2GB of data for an expensive price per GB of 3.02 €/GB. It’s too little data for 15 days.

Longer stays

Airalo’s most interesting plan for Spain is the Guay Mobile 20GB. With a price of €24, you’ll be able to use this data for a period of 30 days. Either way, it provides less data than Orange eSIM Holidays for almost the same price, and none of its extra features.

Ubigi Spain

Large data package

Ubigi has a large data plan for Spain of 50GB, with a prohibitive price of €48. With Ubigi’s plan, you won’t get anything else than data. It’s just not worth it.

Too expensive

Ubigi’s price per GB is at 0.96 €/GB. It’s too expensive compared to Orange eSIM Holiday’s plan. For less money, you can get unlimited data and a Spanish phone number.

Ubigi’s card is simply too expensive.

MEO Enjoy Europe

Coverage in 15 countries

MEO offers plans to use not only in Spain but in 15 other countries in Europe. The most attractive regarding its price per GB is its MEO Enjoy Europe eSIM card with 15GB of data. While its price is slightly higher than Orange eSIM Holidays, you can still get coverage in any of the 15 countries of their list for a fraction of the price of other eSIM carriers in Europe.

No ID check and an incredible eSIM for Portugal

If you value your privacy, MEO requires no ID verification, and, if by any chance you plan to visit Spain’s neighbor, Portugal, MEO has a 30GB card for this country. For more information, you can check our post about best eSIM for Portugal.

Holafly

Expensive unlimited plan

Holafly offers a very expensive plan with unlimited data in Spain. With a card for a period similar to Orange’s eSIM Holidays, it is priced at 47 euros for 15 days. With only 3G connectivity, their price is too high for what they offer. Holafly might be more suitable for people who are going to consume a lot of data and plan to stay longer than 1 month, because they have plans for 60 days and 90 days. For 30 days it would not be worth it because you could always buy the Holidays eSIM from Orange for an additional 15 days and it would still be cheaper.

No tethering

Besides its price, Holafly’s major disadvantage is its no tethering policy. With its eSIM cards, you won’t be able to connect any other device to the data on your phone. You can forget about using your phone as a hotspot to connect your tablet or your laptop.

How to buy an eSIM for Barcelona

Buying an eSIM to visit Barcelona is quite a simple process. All you need is an internet connection. Choose the eSIM that best suits your needs, access its website and buy it. You’ll receive an email with a QR code and instructions on how to activate it. That’s it.

You can do it from the comfort of your own home or from anywhere in the world.

eSIM and mobile networks in Spain

Spain has 4 major mobile network providers: Orange, Movistar, Vodafone and Yoigo, but only Orange offers eSIMs as a prepaid card, so it is the best choice for travelers.

Its excellent network will let you visit Spain without service issues, providing a smooth experience for anyone visiting Spain, with stable connection and coverage.

You can check Orange’s coverage map here.

SIM vs eSIM

ESIM plans are a great option to travel to Spain and avoid roaming costs. Traditional SIM cards require for you to go to a retailer, deal with a local vendor in a mix of your broken Spanish and his/her English knowledge, and provide your passport or identification. You’ll need to switch your home carrier’s SIM with the new one (unless you have another SIM tray), with the added risk of misplacing the card in the process.

You can avoid these headaches by buying a SIM online, but it usually means you’ll have to wait until you receive your card. In the meantime, you’ll have to fulfill your data needs by connecting to local Wi-Fi hotspots or roaming on your home carrier rates.

The advantages of eSIMs are obvious. No waiting period, no time wasted on dealing with a Spanish mobile store, and no risk of losing your home carrier’s SIM card.

Travel eSIMs are specifically designed for tourists. They offer the convenience of eSIMs and the features you will need to enjoy your holiday avoiding roaming costs while you travel abroad.

Compatible devices

Only certain devices support eSIMs. Apple phones (iPhone 11, iPhone XR and newer models), Samsung mobile phones (Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S21…), Google phones (Google Pixel 3, 3XL, Google Pixel 7a…), the Huaweii P40, some Oppo models, Xiaomi, Vivo, Motorola… the number of mobile phones using this technology keeps increasing.

To know if your phone is eSIM compatible, the best option is to check the list of compatible devices from your eSIM carrier, since some eSIMs carrier offer compatibility only on certain devices.

Another option is to check our article: eSIM compatible phones. Check our list or your phone’s manufacturer or your home carrier to see if you can install an eSIM on your device to travel to Barcelona.

FAQ about eSIM in Barcelona