Edinburgh eSIM
In Edinburgh you connect to EE or Three, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 67 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- EE and Three
- Typical speed in United Kingdom
- 67 Mbps typical, 17 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Edinburgh
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $14.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $0.94 | $46.89 |
How United Kingdom compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, EE, Three
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Poland, 68 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Slovakia, 67 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bath
Landing at Edinburgh Airport (EDI)
- Airport
- EDI / EGPH
- Distance
- 9 km from the centre of Edinburgh
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalFree but capped: two hours of internet access per day per device, after signing in or creating an account; service operated by Virgin WiFi.
Getting into Edinburgh
- Edinburgh Trams, Edinburgh Airport to city centre (EDI), about 30 minutes
- Lothian Buses Airlink 100 (airport to city centre express) (EDI)
Worth knowing about Edinburgh
- The tram stop is right outside the main terminal next to the plaza, and the ride into the city centre takes about 30 minutes, with trams every 7 minutes between 06:30 and 19:00.
- The first tram leaves the airport at 06:30 and the last at 22:52, so late arrivals need the Airlink 100 bus, which runs 24/7 between the airport and the city centre.
- Edinburgh Airport's free Wi-Fi is limited to two hours per device per day, so an eSIM is worth having active before you land if you have a long connection.
- Edinburgh has no metro or underground railway; the tram line opened in 2014 and runs at street level from the airport through Haymarket and St Andrew Square to Newhaven.
- Since 24 July 2026 Edinburgh adds a 5% visitor levy to paid overnight accommodation, charged on the first five nights in a row, at the same rate all year.
- The levy is worked out before VAT and is not charged on parking, meals, drinks or transport. Stays booked and paid before 1 October 2025 are exempt, and UK residents pay it too.
- On Edinburgh Trams you must tap your card or phone on the platform validator before boarding and again on leaving. Forget to tap off and you are charged the full Airport Zone fare, which does not count towards the daily cap.
- Contactless tram and bus fares share one daily and weekly cap, but only when every tap uses the same card or device. Visa and Mastercard work, including in Apple Pay and Google Pay; American Express does not.
- Apple Pay Express Mode works on the tram validators, so an iPhone or Apple Watch can pay without being unlocked. Ticket inspectors check by tapping the same device again.
- On Lothian buses you tap once when boarding and never on leaving. Cash fares need the exact money, since drivers give no change.
- Lothian's app shows live departures and sells m-tickets you load onto your phone before travelling.
- Lothian NightBus services cover most of the city between midnight and 4:30am every day, with Lothian Country and East Coast night buses reaching beyond Edinburgh.
- Besides Airlink, two ordinary city buses serve the airport: service 17 from north Edinburgh and service 18 from the south, both carrying city fares since April 2025.
- Edinburgh's Low Emission Zone has been enforced since 1 June 2024 with camera penalty charges. It applies to all motor vehicles except motorcycles and mopeds, so check a hire car before driving into the centre.
- Waverley, the station most visitors arrive at, has public Wi-Fi and step-free access to every platform by lifts and escalators; Haymarket is ten minutes' walk from Princes Street.
Sources for this page
Other cities in United Kingdom we cover
- Manchester
- 282 km from Edinburgh, nearest airport MAN
- Bath
- 512 km from Edinburgh, nearest airport BRS
- London
- 534 km from Edinburgh, nearest airport LCY