Reykjavik eSIM — plans from ₹299.00

Keflavik International Airport (KEF) is about forty-five kilometres from Reykjavik, and there is no train, because Iceland has no passenger railway at all. Coach services meet flights and run to the BSI terminal and selected hotels; the alternative is a hire car collected at the airport. Icelandic operators sell prepaid SIMs at the airport, and the shops are decent, but arriving already connected is more valuable here than in almost any city on this list. An eSIM installed at home over Wi-Fi comes alive the moment your phone finds an Icelandic network on landing, with validity starting at that connection. You want it working before you drive, because road closures, wind warnings and weather change by the hour and are published online, because there is no ride-hailing to fall back on in Iceland, and because your first hour on Route 41 is likely to involve a decision about whether the day's plan is still sensible. Plans are on the Iceland eSIM page.

Iceland's operators cover the populated coastal rim far better than the map's emptiness suggests. Reykjavik and the whole capital area have solid 4G with 5G available in parts of the city. The Ring Road is mostly covered, so Golden Circle stops at Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss stay online, as do Vik, Reynisfjara and the Snaefellsnes coast road. What genuinely disappears is the interior: the F-roads, the highland tracks, the long gaps between farms on the eastern fjord passes and the inside of any lava tube or ice cave. There is no metro; buses are street level and fine. In bad weather the network stays up but the roads do not, which is the more common problem.

Download all of Iceland offline, not just Reykjavik, because the country is small enough that the whole map fits and the places you lose signal are the places you most need it. Keep data on for the official road and weather services, and for the safety and emergency apps travellers are encouraged to carry. Hotel and café Wi-Fi in Reykjavik is good; in rural guesthouses it is often satellite-backed and slow, so a phone hotspot is frequently the faster laptop connection. There is no Uber in Iceland, so plan transport around coaches, tours or a hire car. Cold and constant screen use drain batteries fast, so keep a power bank. Check compatibility on the devices page.