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-   -   Buying SIM card in Venice airport? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/buying-sim-card-in-venice-airport-1118382/)

linawood Jul 13th, 2016 10:11 AM

Buying SIM card in Venice airport?
 
Will I be able to find a place in Marco Polo airport to buy a SIM card on arrival. Could you tell me roughly where? We'll be heading straight up to a small village in the mountains and I hope to get set up before we go. I haven't done this before and I hope it can be easy.

NYCFoodSnob Jul 13th, 2016 12:12 PM

A little research will tell you there isn't a place to buy one at VCE. A little more research will tell you that if you're "heading up to a small village in the mountains" directly from your flight, it's not going to be easy.

In a situation like this, the easiest way to get a SIM is to order online and have it delivered to your home. If you want to save money and purchase one in Italy, you need to find an inexpensive, hassle-free way to visit a SIM dealer after you land. Depending on the time of day and the day of the week, you may not find a store that is open, so you'll need a Plan B. Whether any of this activity, Plan A or Plan B, will save you money depends on what you actually encounter on the ground. Sometimes the least expensive method is to order online.

greg Jul 13th, 2016 12:42 PM

Major carriers like TIM have a store locator, www.tim.it/trova-negozio. Depending on which way you are heading out Mestre and Treviso are possibilities. The Treviso shops look like they are inside the ZTL.

linawood Jul 13th, 2016 07:31 PM

Thanks. That helps. I'll get one before we arrive. The per minute charges are higher but I don't expect to use it much.

barreg Jul 14th, 2016 09:33 AM

There is a TIM store and a Vodafone store almost right next to each other near the Rialto bridge on the San Polo side. I had planned to buy a SIM card at the TIM store but there was a line of 5 customers that wasn't moving and only 1 salesperson. So, I walked to the Vodaphone store where there was no line and had a SIM card after a few minutes. We had very good reception all over (Venice, Liguria, Tuscany, Rome).

Ackislander Jul 14th, 2016 12:04 PM

I don't think the OP is going to Rialto on the way to the mountains.

VCE, in my memory, is considerably less mall-like than many other airports.

barreg Jul 15th, 2016 07:05 AM

Sorry, I read Marco Polo airport and missed the part about going straight up to the mountains.

jeffbaovu May 30th, 2019 04:27 PM

SIM card in Venice Airport
 

Originally Posted by linawood (Post 16118382)
Will I be able to find a place in Marco Polo airport to buy a SIM card on arrival. Could you tell me roughly where? We'll be heading straight up to a small village in the mountains and I hope to get set up before we go. I haven't done this before and I hope it can be easy.

YES, I just got back from Venice on May 2019 and as soon as you pick up your luggage in Airport, as you walk out its on your left side, you will see the store with big name VODAFONE in Red. I bought the tourist package for 45eu for 5gb of data...They will help you set up and it will be in effective in about 90mins...to activates. so about time you check in your hotel it should be ready...voila...

SusanP May 30th, 2019 05:49 PM

Jeff, this thread is from 2016.

Traveler_Nick May 30th, 2019 07:11 PM


Originally Posted by jeffbaovu (Post 16927959)
YES, I just got back from Venice on May 2019 and as soon as you pick up your luggage in Airport, as you walk out its on your left side, you will see the store with big name VODAFONE in Red. I bought the tourist package for 45eu for 5gb of data...They will help you set up and it will be in effective in about 90mins...to activates. so about time you check in your hotel it should be ready...voila...


Either that's new or something else happened.

The tourist package from Vodafone is €30 and includes 2GB of data.

Holiday Tariff, call home from Italy - Vodafone

Holly_uncasdewar May 31st, 2019 10:17 AM

There's nothing wrong with updating old information, especially on a thread that's not all that old.
As for the difference in price per Traveler Nick's post - dunno.

Andrew May 31st, 2019 02:48 PM

45 euros for 5GB of data is expensive. You'd be better off buying a SIM ahead of time via Amazon like the Orange Holiday SIM which gives you much more data than that for about the same price (but good for only two weeks). At least you could set it up ahead of time and not have to waste your time at the airport.


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