Buying an eSIM at Paris Airport (in 2026)

You’re due to fly to Paris soon, and you forgot to sort out a SIM. Whether you’re coming for croissants, culture, or Coco Chanel, mobile internet is a must in the City of Love. 

Thankfully, the disorganised traveller can easily sort out data at the airport, both Orly and Charles de Gaulle. Here’s how to get connected ASAP upon touchdown.  

UNDERSTANDING ESIMS

The easiest way to get data in France is to skip the old-school plastic SIM card and switch to an eSIM. Short for “embedded SIM,” the eSIM is a digital SIM profile you download onto your phone.

Installing the eSIM is a cinch – simply purchase a plan, scan a QR code, and follow the prompts. In less than five minutes, you’ll have a fast and reliable data plan that automatically activates when you touchdown in Paris. 

Most smartphones made in the last few years support eSIMs. 

THE BENEFITS OF USING AN ESIM IN PARIS

The eSIM is less hassle than a physical SIM card. No more queuing up at crowded kiosks, nervously blurting out high school-level French, or juggling tiny plastic cards. The eSIM lets you compare prices online and get set up within minutes. 

That’s a massive plus when you pull into Paris, bleary-eyed after a 24+ hour flight from Australia. The last thing you want in a haggard, jet-lagged state is to organise a data plan in a foreign language – the eSIM quietly activates in the background. And with no plastic packaging to discard, the eSIM is more eco-friendly, too. 

The other big advantage is price. The cheapest European eSIMs are much more affordable than a global roaming plan. For example, digitally frugal users on a ZenSim 5GB/30-day Europe eSIM will pay A$21 – less than a croissant-and-coffee combo at Charles de Gaulle.

HOW TO GET AN ESIM AT CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT

As Paris’ primary international aviation hub, Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) serves a wide range of long-haul routes. If you’re flying from Australia to Paris via Asia or the Middle East, you’re probably landing here. 

Haven’t got an eSIM yet? You need WiFi to download a plan. All three terminals offer free internet under the "WIFI-AIRPORT" network name. 

Pro tip: It’s way easier to pre-purchase an eSIM that automatically activates upon arrival.  

GETTING A LOCAL SIM CARD AT CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT

Not keen on eSIMs? No worries. There are a couple of places you can find an old-school physical SIM card at each CDG terminal. 

The first option is Relay, a nationwide French convenience store with at least one branch in each terminal. Staff generally speak pretty basic English and are too busy to provide much info about their plans – there’s usually a queue. 

Relay sells tourist SIMs from Orange and Bouygues Telecom, two large, well-established French telcos with good nationwide coverage. Prices are comparable to the best European eSIMs; often only a few dollars cheaper than a low-cost provider like ZenSim. 

Orange tends to offer better rates and a longer validity. Either way, you’ll have to swap in the new plastic SIM and register it yourself – hope you bought a SIM ejector tool

The alternative is to visit one of the many Tourism Information Centres scattered throughout the different arrival halls. 

• Terminal 1 (Gate 4)
• Terminal 2C (Gate 5)
• Terminal 2D (Gate 5)
• Terminal 2E (Gate 7)
• Terminal 2F (Gate 11)

The staff at these shopfronts are less time-stressed than those at Relay, but don’t expect detailed or technical information. Again, you can only buy Orange and Bouygues Telecom tourist SIMs here, and staff don’t register or install the SIM for you. 

Most Tourist Information Centres open from around 7:00 to 21:00, while Relay generally trades from 06:00 to 22:00. Therefore, if you land in Paris during the dead of night, you won’t be able to buy a local SIM at all. 

Of course, you could just do things the easy way and get an eSIM instead. 

HOW TO GET AN ESIM AT PARIS ORLY AIRPORT (ORY)

Located 13km south of the Parisian CBD, Orly is a smaller, more convenient airport that primarily serves full-service carriers doing European and North African routes. 

If you’re keen to sort out an eSIM at Orly, your best bet is to access the free, albeit rather slow, airport WiFi, which extends to all four terminals. Look for the "WIFI-AIRPORT” network and follow the prompts to get online.  

Again, grabbing an eSIM before arrival is much less hassle. 

GETTING A LOCAL SIM AT PARIS ORLY AIRPORT

When sorting out a local SIM, the situation at Orly is pretty similar to Charles de Gaulle. There aren’t any telco shopfronts, so you’ll need to seek out a Relay or Tourism Information Centre. 

The largest, most accessible Relay is located in the arrivals baggage claim at Level 0. If it’s super busy, as is often the case, you could try one of the smaller stores in the arrivals area of T1 or T3. 

At Orly, you’ll find Visitor Information Centres in the arrivals areas of Terminal 1 (Gate 14A), Terminal 3 (baggage delivery), and Terminal 4 (Gate 48A). 

Like Charles de Gaulle, you can only purchase tourist SIMs from Orange and Bouygues Telecom, and must register the plan and swap in the new SIM yourself.

Purchasing an eSIM ahead of time will save you a whole lot of hassle while deathly jetlagged at Orly airport.

THE BEST ESIM FOR FRANCE & EUROPE

You got the memo – an eSIM is the easiest way to get connected abroad. But with so many brands competing online, which eSIM is the crème de la crème?

We’re briefly comparing the top players for a single-country trip in France. Read about the best travel eSIM in France for a more detailed breakdown. 

ZenSim 

ZenSim is a low-cost, up-and-coming Australian startup partnering with top-tier networks in France (Orange) and beyond. A near-perfect  4.9/5 Productreview rating is partly thanks to its responsive customer support and a sleek, user-friendly app. 

• 20GB, 30-day: A$45 ($29 USD)
• Unlimited, 30-day (3GB/day before throttling): A$85 ($55 USD)

Simify

Simify is another small, albeit much pricier, Australian brand, this time offering unique large data and long duration plans. Unlimited data is available but the daily usage cap is hidden within a “fair use” policy. 

• 20GB, 30-day: A$75 ($45 USD)
• Unlimited, 30-day (unclear “Fair Use” daily limit): A$99 ($59 USD)

Holafly

Holafly is one of the world’s most recognised eSIM brands, partly thanks to an affiliate program where bloggers “recommend” them in exchange for a commission. This provider only offers pricey unlimited plans, which come with 500MB daily hotspotting limits and ambiguous daily usage caps. 

• Unlimited, 30-day (unclear “Fair Use” daily limited): A$117 ($74.90 USD)

Saily

From the team behind NordVPN, Saily pairs its eSIMs with security add-ons like web protection, an ad-blocker, and a virtual location tool. Although kinda cool, the security features are overkill for most Aussie travellers. 

• 20GB, 30-day: A$51 ($32 USD)
• Unlimited, 30-day: A$115 ($72 USD)

SHOULD I GET A FRANCE ESIM OR A EUROPE ESIM?

Planning a sneaky side-trip to Italy? You’re better off getting a Europe travel eSIM instead of purchasing two separate plans. 

Our Europe eSIMs have similar prices to our French plans and cover 39 countries across the continent, including France and a bunch of non-EU nations like the UK and Switzerland. 

ZenSim has low prices for its Europe travel eSIM. 

• 20GB, 30-day: A$45 ($29 USD)
• Unlimited, 30-day, (3GB/day before throttling): A$89 ($57 USD)

Learn more about why ZenSim is among the best Europe eSIMs for Australians. 

WHY CHOOSE ZENSIM FOR YOUR UPCOMING TRIP TO FRANCE

✅ Easy installs: Scan a QR code and follow the prompts

✅ Great networks: Orange offers blistering speeds

✅ Fast support: Near 24-7 responses via WhatsApp

✅ User-friendly app: Top-up data, days, or countries

✅ Unlimited hotspotting: Endless tethering

✅ Transparent pricing: Clear usage caps and no hidden fees

✅ Cheaper rates: Save your Euros for ham-and-cheese crossaints

✅ Excellent feedback: 4.9 / 5 rating on Productreview

WHERE TO GET A SIM CARD IN PARIS AIRPORT

Whether you’re touching down in Charles de Guelle or Orly, we’ve shown you exactly where to buy a SIM card at the airport in Paris.

But let’s be real. After a gruelling double-long-haul flight from Australia, you won’t want to stuff around organising data at a busy airport convenience store. Installing a ZenSim France eSIM or Europe eSIM takes 5 minutes and will give you one less thing to worry about upon arrival. 

Bon voyage. 

FAQs

WHERE CAN I BUY A SIM CARD AT THE PARIS AIRPORT?

SIM cards are sold at any Relay convenience store or Tourist Information Centre in the Orly or Charles de Gaulle airports.

WILL MY PHONE WORK WITH AN ESIM?

Probably. Most modern smart phones work with eSIMs these days. If you’re unsure, you can use our eSIM compatibility tool. 

HOW DOES MY FRANCE ESIM WORK?

You download and install it online, then the eSIM will automatically activate upon your arrival in France. Just be sure to turn data roaming on for your eSIM. 

WILL MY FRANCE SIM WORK IN OTHER COUNTRIES?

No. It will only work in France. However, ZenSim offers regional Europe eSIMs covering 39 countries for a similar price. Also, you can add additional countries for a fee through the app.