SIM Cards and Wi-Fi: Staying Connected in Berlin

If you're travelling to Berlin today and wondering whether you need to sort out a SIM card in advance, you can relax in most cases. The situation has improved considerably in recent years — both in terms of mobile coverage and public Wi-Fi availability.

EU and EEA Visitors: Just Get Going

Since 2017, roaming surcharges have been abolished across the entire European Union and European Economic Area. If you arrive in Berlin with a German, French, Spanish, or any other EU tariff, you simply use your home data allowance and pay nothing extra. Insert your SIM, enable data, done.

This applies equally to most EEA countries such as Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. For visitors from Switzerland or the United Kingdom, the situation is different — it's worth checking your own contract before using data freely.

Options for Visitors from Outside the EU

If you can't use EU roaming, there are several good options in Berlin:

Aldi Talk offers prepaid SIMs with 15 GB of data and unlimited calls for around €10 — available in every Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd store. Similarly affordable is Lidl Connect, sold in Lidl branches. Both are straightforward, inexpensive, and perfectly adequate for a week in Berlin.

If you need more data or better network coverage, O2 My Prepaid is worth a look — available in O2 stores and electronics retailers such as Saturn and MediaMarkt. The packages cost more, but offer significantly more data in return.

A convenient alternative, particularly for short trips: eSIMs from providers such as Airalo or Holafly. You buy these online from home before you travel, download them to your phone, and you're online the moment you land — no queues, no counter, no physical card. Prices vary by package and provider, but for 7 days in Berlin you can usually find something under €15.

Registration Requirement — Don't Forget Your ID

An important note: all German prepaid SIM cards are subject to a registration requirement. When purchasing, you must identify yourself with a passport or national identity card. This applies equally to Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect, and all other providers. No document, no SIM — so come prepared.

Free Wi-Fi Across the City

If you want to be economical with your data, Berlin has plenty of free Wi-Fi on offer. The entire BVG network — U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and buses — is equipped with Wi-Fi. The connection is activated either via a brief email registration or directly through the BVG app. Quality varies, but it's more than adequate for short journeys and quick message-checking.

Cafés and restaurants practically everywhere offer Wi-Fi — just ask or check the menu. The city also operates the Free WiFi Berlin network, with public hotspots at the key tourist locations: at the Brandenburger Tor, on the Museumsinsel, at the Alexanderplatz, and at various other central spots. The connection is stable enough for maps, messages, and brief video calls.

Network Coverage and Dead Spots

Germany's three major networks — Telekom, Vodafone, and O2 — provide good coverage across the whole of Berlin. Above ground, there are virtually no gaps. In deeper U-Bahn tunnels, there are still occasional reception black spots, particularly on older sections of the network. Work is ongoing to address this, but anyone relying on an important map should download it in advance.

Where to Buy a SIM Card?

Cheapest option: the nearest Aldi or Lidl. Most convenient on arrival: Saturn or MediaMarkt (multiple locations in the city centre). Most expensive and therefore least recommended: at BER airport. Prices there are noticeably above the city average — if at all possible, wait until you reach the first supermarket.

For a relaxed stay in Berlin without logistical stress: simply set up an eSIM before you travel, or pop into a supermarket in the first half-hour after arrival. After that, everything runs itself. And if you're starting out with a fully equipped apartment as your base, you're already off to a good start — bevoflats takes care of the rest.