Stay connected with affordable eSIM data plans. Instant activation, no roaming fees, perfect for your UK - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland adventure.
No data plans available for the selected duration
Try selecting a different travel duration above
Essential information to help you get connected seamlessly
This virtual SIM only includes data. It does not allow you to make cell phone calls or send SMS messages. You can still use WhatsApp or Skype to call your contacts.
Make sure your phone is both unlocked and compatible with eSIM technology.
Scan the QR code from your smartphone settings and add the data plan. You can either print it and scan it, or open it on another device to scan it. But don't activate it until you land at your destination.
The £20 ETA, Edinburgh's new levy, and no Schengen paperwork
The UK sits outside the Schengen area, so the EU's new biometric border system does not apply here. The UK has built its own pre-travel permission instead, and most visa-exempt visitors now need one before they fly. Scotland added a second change in July 2026: Edinburgh became the first UK city to charge a visitor levy on overnight stays.
An ETA costs £20
Most visitors who do not need a visa, including travellers from Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before travelling.1
It covers the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man
An ETA permits travel for stays of up to 6 months, and applications are made through the official government service. Other sites charge more for the same document.1
No EU Entry/Exit System here
The EU's biometric EES applies at Schengen external borders, not at UK ones. If your trip pairs London with Paris or Amsterdam, you meet EES on the EU side of the journey.2
Our take: apply through GOV.UK itself and do it as soon as flights are booked. Copycat sites rank highly in search results and add a fee to the identical £20 authorisation.
Edinburgh charges a 5% visitor levy
Scotland's first visitor levy applies to overnight stays from 24 July 2026, at 5% of the accommodation cost, capped at five consecutive nights.3,4
It applies to everyone, including UK residents
All paid overnight accommodation in Edinburgh is liable: tourists, business travellers and Scottish residents alike. Exemptions cover defined groups such as people experiencing homelessness and some disability-benefit recipients.3
Our take: if you booked an Edinburgh stay before 1 October 2025 for a 2026 date, check your confirmation. The levy applies to bookings made on or after that date, so older reservations sit outside it.
August belongs to Edinburgh
The Edinburgh International Festival and the other August festivals fill the city for most of the month; accommodation prices reflect it well in advance.5
Our take: for Scotland without the crush, aim for late May or September: long daylight, open hills, and Edinburgh at ordinary prices.
Intercity rail rewards advance booking
Advance fares on long-distance routes are released well ahead and priced far below walk-up singles; National Rail's planner shows which trains still have them and which operator runs each service.6
Plan around engineering works
Weekend closures and replacement buses are published in advance through National Rail rather than announced on the day. Check before booking a Sunday intercity leg.6
Our take: in London, just tap a contactless card or phone at the gate. Fares cap automatically across the day and week, and buying paper tickets or a visitor pass usually costs more than tapping.
999 for emergencies, 111 for urgent health advice
The NHS directs people to call 999 for life-threatening emergencies and 111 when they need urgent medical help but it is not an emergency.7
Traffic drives on the left
Look right first when crossing. London crossings paint the direction on the kerb for exactly this reason.
The UK is a good place to run a phone-first trip: contactless transit, digital rail tickets and QR entry are the norm, and city coverage is dense. The weak spots are rural and predictable: stretches of the West Highlands, mid-Wales, the North York Moors and long rail tunnels. If you are heading into the Highlands or Snowdonia, download offline maps and don't rely on a signal at a trailhead; if you are moving between cities, save your rail ticket locally rather than reloading it at the barrier.
If you are visa-exempt, almost certainly yes. It costs £20, is applied for through the official GOV.UK service, and covers travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man for stays of up to 6 months. Check your own nationality's requirement on GOV.UK before you book.1
No. EES operates at the external borders of 29 Schengen-area countries. The UK is not one of them, so you meet EES only on the EU side of a trip, for example arriving in Paris or Amsterdam after London.2
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on August 31, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.