Rome – known for the Colosseum, its architecture & food.
It is also the largest city in Italy.
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Rome would require another blog post (or a dedicated Rome blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card and eSIM options are available at the airport.
So, what SIM cards are available at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport?
You can get a TIM Italy or Vodafone Italy SIM card for between 30 EUR (32.05 USD) to 55 EUR (58.80 USD) at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO).
This guide is about Rome's main airport served by full-cost and budget carriers, not the “budget” airport closer to Rome, called Rome–Ciampino International Airport “G. B. Pastine” (CIA). SIM cards are not sold at Rome Ciampino airport.
Not too bad for airport SIM cards, honestly… I have seen worse (looking at you, Vienna Airport in Austria).
So let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport is even worth it.
Original publication: 29th of December 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in Italy
Before I tell you about the SIM card and eSIM options you have at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, you first need to know about all the mobile operators in Italy.
Italy has four mobile operators and various Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs – being added later) offering prepaid services easily accessible to tourists:
- Wind Tre (formerly Wind and Tre)
- TIM Italy (Telecom Italia)
- Vodafone Italy (Italia)
- Iliad
- Fastweb Italy (Italia)
- Coop Voce (TIM Italy MVNO)
- Digi Mobil Italy (TIM Italy MVNO)
- Ho Mobile (Vodafone Italy budget sub-brand)
- Kena Mobile (Wind Tre budget sub-brand)
- Lycamobile Italy (Vodafone Italy MVNO)
- Postemobile (Wind Tre MVNO)
- Tiscali (TIM Italy MVNO)
- Very Mobile (Vodafone Italy budget sub-brand)
Sure, there are some online-based MVNOs, but they are not available to tourists.
For more information about Italian SIM cards, check out my Italy SIM card buying guide.
Alright, back to what (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO)?
At (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, two booths sell Italian SIM cards: TIM Italy and Vodafone Italy.
Both stores are in the arrival hall of terminal 3.
Terminal 1 serves domestic travelers and those from the Schengen area (European Union).
As you can (almost) always roam for free with other EU SIM cards in Italy, they often do not need a SIM card.
Hence, you need to walk to terminal 3 if you arrive at terminal 1 and still want an Italian SIM card at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, which will take you five minutes or something.
Because of SIM card registration requirements in Italy, I recommend getting SIM cards from the official stores of the Italian mobile operators.
- Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
You can get SIM cards from resellers, like grocery stores, but you may have trouble activating them because you officially need an Italian tax number (Codice Fiscale) for activation.
But the staff at the mobile operator stores often make one up or use a dummy one.
If you do not want to deal with Italy's SIM card registration requirements, let's say for privacy reasons, you can consider ordering a Europe SIM card from Simify and get it delivered to your home before going to Italy!
Let's go through TIM Italy and Vodafone Italy to see what they have to offer us at the airport.
What SIM Cards & Plans does TIM Italy Sell at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (+Prices)?
TIM Italy only sells its tourist SIM cards at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, ranging from 30 EUR to 50 EUR.
I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).
To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
When I was at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, the TIM Italy store was closed (because of COVID).
But a Phone Travel Wiz reader was kind enough to inform me about the options when he was at the airport (thanks, Sanjin!).
TIM Italy sells four tourists SIM cards at the airport: TIM Tourist, International Promo, Internet 100 GB 4G & Internet 200 GB 5G.
Let's go over our options:
| Price | SIM Card | Data | EU/EEA Data | Local Minutes | International Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 EUR | TIM Tourist | N/A | 200 minutes | Shared with call allowance 2 | |
| 35 EUR | International Promo | 70 GB | N/A | Unlimited | Various 3 |
| 40 EUR | Internet 100 GB 4G | 100 GB | 3 GB | N/A | N/A |
| 50 EUR | Internet 200 GB 5G | 200 GB 1 | 13 GB | N/A | N/A |
1 with 5G NR access
2 to Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan & Venezuela
3 888 minutes to China | 300 minutes to Bangladesh, Colombia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco (fixed), Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Romania & Singapore | 60 minutes to Egypt, Moldovia, Nigeria, the Philippines & Ukraine
Those prices are not too bad, right?
The thing is… these prices are similar to the the normal prices charged by TIM Italy.
TIM Italy advertises its TIM Tourist SIM card for 24.99 EUR (which excludes registration fees, so probably 35 EUR).
International Promo seems to be an airport-only plan, so I cannot comment on it.
The Internet 100 GB plan officially costs 49.99 EUR, while the 200 variant costs 99.99 EUR.
So… you get a significant discount at the airport? Awesome!
Well, not that fast – Sanjin could not confirm if these plans are valid for 6 months (100 GB) or 1 year (200 GB), or only one month.
If you can figure it out for me, let me know.
Even then, the prices are not too bad… unlike Vodafone Italy's…
Lastly, can you get a TIM Italy eSIM at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport? No, you cannot.
While TIM Italy does have eSIMs, they are not sold at the airport.
But if you want to learn about all recommended eSIM options for Italy, which many Phone Travel Wiz can vouch for too, check out my Italy eSIM comparison guide (with one option also offering unlimited data in the country).
Also, be sure to read my TIM Italy review if you are interested in getting a TIM Italy SIM card.
What SIM Cards & Plans does Vodafone Italy Sell at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (+Prices)?
Vodafone Italy only sells its tourist SIM cards at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, ranging from 35 EUR to 55 EUR.
I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).
To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
Disclaimer: the SIM card prices mentioned in the guide were current when I was in Italy – the offering and prices may have changed since then. To see Vodafone Italy's current starter packs, check out my Italy SIM card buying guide.
You have this booth at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport after leaving the secured area.
But there is apparently also a store two corners further down (it was closed when I was at the airport because of COVID restrictions).
Vodafone Italy sells two tourists SIM cards at the airport: one costing 35 EUR and the other 55 EUR.
The 35 EUR SIM card will give you 30 GB of data, 5 GB EU/EEA data, unlimited Facebook Messenger, Viber & WhatsApp data, 300 local minutes & 300 international minutes for 1 month.
The 55 EUR variant will get you 60 70 GB of data (increased since I left Rome), 12 GB EU/EEA data, unlimited Facebook Messenger, Viber & WhatsApp data, 300 local minutes & 300 international minutes for 1 month.
The thing is… you pay a 20 EUR or 25 EUR service charge, depending on the SIM card you choose, when you get your Vodafone Italy SIM card at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport.
That means up to 57% in service charges for buying a SIM card at the airport.
Yeah… that is just criminal 🗿.
So unless you really need to be connected as soon as you land, you are better off going to Rome Termini, the final train station if you take the train from the airport to the city, and get a Vodafone Italy SIM card there and save some money (my Vodafone Italy SIM card review explains how).
You can buy me a coffee with the funds you will save 😏.
Lastly, can you get a Vodafone Italy eSIM at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport? No, you cannot.
While Vodafone Italy does have eSIMs, they are not sold at the airport (because the airport store is run by a reseller, not Vodafone Italy directly).
But if you want to learn about all recommended eSIM options for Italy, which many Phone Travel Wiz can vouch for too, check out my Italy eSIM comparison guide (with one option also offering unlimited data in the country).
Also, be sure to read my Vodafone Italy review if you are interested in getting a Vodafone Italy SIM card.
Should You Get a SIM Card at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO)?
I do recommend getting a SIM card at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport if it is from TIM Italy only. Vodafone Italy's SIM cards are overpriced and of bad value, especially when you can get regular-priced SIM cards if you wait 30 minutes to get to the city by train.
While the data allowances offered by Vodafone Italy at the airport seem to be generous, mobile data rates are generally low in Italy, and you can get much more for less money.
TIM Italy's airport plans are similar to its regular plans, so it does not seem to overcharge you at the airport.
For example, if you skip TIM Italy and Vodafone Italy entirely and go with the cheapest mobile operator in Italy, Iliad, you can get 150 GB of (5G NR) data, unlimited local minutes & unlimited local SMS for only 9.99 EUR (+9.99 EUR for the SIM card) for a plan called Giga 150.
If you do not care about 5G NR (or your phone does not support it) or just want data, get the Dati 300 plan with 300 GB of (4G/LTE) data for only 13.99 EUR.
Yeah… that puts the plans offered at the airport to shame, lmao.
So if you can help it, do not buy a SIM card at (Rome) Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport… unless you really need to lose money.
But then you can buy me a coffee instead ☕.
Italian SIM Card Reviews
I tried out the SIM cards of the Big Four in Italy.
You should read those reviews.
>>> Wind Tre Review | TIM Italy Review | Vodafone Italy Review | Iliad Italy Review <<<
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other European SIM cards.