# eSIM for Israel

Viasimo's Israel eSIM starts at $2.00 for 1 GB over 7 days, running on Cellcom, Hot Mobile, and Pelephone with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/israel/

## Israel eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $9.00 | $0.90 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $9.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $13.99 | - |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $19.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $26.00 | - |
| 2 GB, 15 days | 2 GB | 15 | $3.29 | $1.65 |
| 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $4.29 | $1.43 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $38.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $5.00 | $1.67 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $8.00 | $1.60 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $11.99 | $1.20 |
| 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $21.99 | $1.10 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $69.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $144.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $214.99 | - |
| 50 GB, 180 days | 50 GB | 180 | $62.99 | $1.26 |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $414.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Israel eSIM use?

- **Cellcom**: 5G
- **Hot Mobile**: 5G
- **Pelephone**: 5G

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 1 GB – 50 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE / 5G
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Starts when you first connect in your destination
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: Israel
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Israel: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/israel/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

Since January 2025, most visitors need an ETA-IL electronic travel authorisation before flying to Israel, and border officials can ask to search your phone. Once you are there, your eSIM uses Cellcom, Hot Mobile or Pelephone on 4G and 5G. It is also worth knowing how rocket alerts reach phones, and why older handsets struggle now that the 2G and 3G networks are closing.

### Israel: quick facts

| Fact | Israel |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | 100 (police), 101 (ambulance), 102 (fire), 112 from mobiles |
| Main airports | Ben Gurion Airport (TLV); Ramon Airport (ETM) |
| Plug types | Type C, H (230V) |
| Currency | Israeli new shekel (ILS) |
| Apps worth having | Moovit, Waze, Gett, Pango, WhatsApp |

### ETA-IL and phone searches at Ben Gurion (TLV)

(Israel · https://viasimo.com/destinations/israel/#guide-eta-il-and-phone-searches-at-ben-gurion-tlv)

From **1 January 2025**, visitors from visa-exempt countries, including the UK, must get an **Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA-IL)** before travelling. It is issued by the Population and Immigration Authority through its official site, costs **25 shekels**, and is valid for two years with stays of up to 90 days each time. Apply before you book your flight and keep the approval saved on your phone, as airlines may check it at check-in.

Be ready for security questioning at **Ben Gurion Airport (TLV)** or at land crossings. The UK Foreign Office warns that officials may search digital devices and can keep them, and that some travellers have been asked to give access to their email or social media accounts as a condition of entry. Some people are questioned for several hours.

Practical steps:

- Charge your phone fully before landing, in case you're held for a while.
- Keep your accommodation details and onward booking saved offline.
- Think about what is stored on your phone before you travel.

The country's other international airport is **Ramon (ETM)**, north of Eilat in the far south.

### Rocket sirens and Home Front Command alerts

(Israel · https://viasimo.com/destinations/israel/#guide-rocket-sirens-and-home-front-command-alerts)

The UK Foreign Office warns that rocket fire can reach most of Israel, and that restrictions can be introduced at very short notice. The authority responsible for civil defence is the **IDF Home Front Command**, which publishes guidance on what to do when an alert sounds and how long you have to reach shelter, depending on where you are.

For a visitor this means:

- **Know the safety actions before you arrive.** Look up the Home Front Command guidance and the nearest protected space or shelter at each place you stay.
- **Keep mobile data on.** Sirens are the main warning, but Home Front Command updates, alert apps and news all need a live connection, and your eSIM's data is what keeps them coming when you are away from hotel wifi.
- **Keep your phone charged** and carry a power bank on day trips.

Sirens don't sound in Gaza or in West Bank areas outside Israeli settlements. Demonstrations and wider regional tensions have also disrupted flights at Ben Gurion, so keep your airline's app installed for schedule changes.

### Israel's 2G and 3G shutdown and older phones

(Israel · https://viasimo.com/destinations/israel/#guide-israel-s-2g-and-3g-shutdown-and-older-phones)

Israel's Communications Ministry ordered the country's operators to shut down their **2G and 3G networks by 2025**, moving everything onto 4G and 5G. The switch-off has been phased in network by network, so older phones that relied on 3G for calls are the ones most likely to be caught out.

The switch-off matters more for your phone's calling than for your data:

- **Data on your eSIM** runs over 4G and 5G on Cellcom, Hot Mobile or Pelephone, so a recent smartphone will connect normally.
- **Calls on your home SIM** need 4G voice calling (VoLTE) to work without 2G or 3G. An older phone, or one whose home operator doesn't support VoLTE roaming in Israel, may show signal but be unable to make or receive normal calls. Test before you rely on it, and use WhatsApp calls over data as a backup.

Israelis lean heavily on apps. **Moovit** (route planning on buses, trains and light rail), **Waze** (both developed in Israel), **Gett** (taxis) and **Pango** (parking) are the most useful. Public transport largely stops from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall for Shabbat, so check Moovit before planning a Friday evening or Saturday journey.

### Sources for the Israel guide

- [Israel entry requirements (GOV.UK foreign travel advice)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/entry-requirements)
- [Israel safety and security (GOV.UK foreign travel advice)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/safety-and-security)
- [Telecommunications in Israel (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Israel)
- [2G: phase-out (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2G)
- [List of emergency telephone numbers (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers)

## Seven days in Israel: Tel Aviv, Haifa and Akko, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem and Masada

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/israel/#itinerary

A first visit using trains, buses and a hire car: Tel Aviv and Jaffa, the northern coast at Caesarea, Haifa and Akko, a night by the Sea of Galilee, two days in Jerusalem and a final day at Masada and the Dead Sea, avoiding all FCDO-restricted zones.

**When to go:** March to May and October to November are warm without the summer heat that makes the Dead Sea and Masada punishing; remember that most public transport stops from Friday afternoon to Saturday night for Shabbat.

### Day 1 in Israel: Tel Aviv: the beachfront and the White City

- **Base:** Tel Aviv
- **Getting there:** Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) is about 20 minutes by train from central Tel Aviv.
- **Plan:** Walk the seafront promenade from Gordon Beach towards the old port, then head inland to the White City, the UNESCO-listed district of Bauhaus-style buildings around Rothschild Boulevard and Dizengoff Square. Stop at the Carmel Market for lunch and wander Neve Tzedek's low-rise lanes in the late afternoon. Before bed, check where the nearest shelter or protected room is at your accommodation.
- **Mobile signal:** Excellent 4G and 5G across Tel Aviv on Cellcom, Hot Mobile or Pelephone; keep data on so Home Front Command alerts and news reach you.

### Day 2 in Israel: Jaffa's old port and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

- **Base:** Tel Aviv
- **Plan:** Walk south along the beach to Old Jaffa, climbing to the clock tower, St Peter's Church and the lanes of the artists' quarter above the ancient harbour. Browse the Jaffa flea market. In the afternoon, visit the Tel Aviv Museum of Art or ANU, the Museum of the Jewish People on the Tel Aviv University campus, then return to the beach for sunset.
- **Mobile signal:** Strong 4G and 5G throughout Jaffa and central Tel Aviv; the light rail Red Line is underground in the centre but has coverage in the stations.

### Day 3 in Israel: Caesarea, Haifa and the Bahá'í Gardens

- **Base:** Haifa
- **Getting there:** Caesarea is about 45 minutes north of Tel Aviv by car; Haifa is a further 40 minutes. Trains run along the coast too.
- **Plan:** Head up the coast to Caesarea National Park to see Herod's harbour, the Roman theatre and the hippodrome by the sea. Continue to Haifa and visit the terraced Bahá'í Gardens on Mount Carmel, part of a UNESCO site; check opening times and book the guided tour of the upper terraces if available. Spend the evening in the German Colony at the foot of the gardens.
- **Mobile signal:** Good 4G and 5G along the coastal highway and in Haifa; at Caesarea the open site keeps a solid signal.

### Day 4 in Israel: Akko and on to the Sea of Galilee

- **Base:** Tiberias
- **Getting there:** Akko is about 30 minutes from Haifa by train; Akko to Tiberias is about an hour by road. Do not go north of Route 89 between Nahariyya and Dalton, which the FCDO advises against all travel to.
- **Plan:** Spend the morning in Akko, the walled Crusader and Ottoman port across the bay from Haifa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the underground Knights' Halls, the Templar tunnel and the souk, and walk the sea walls. In the afternoon, drive inland to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and walk the lakeside promenade at dusk.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G and 5G in Akko and Tiberias; inside the Knights' Halls and the Templar tunnel, signal drops, so step outside to check for alerts.

### Day 5 in Israel: Sea of Galilee shore, then to Jerusalem

- **Base:** Jerusalem
- **Getting there:** About 2.5 hours by road from Capernaum to Jerusalem via Route 6 and Route 1, staying inside Israel.
- **Plan:** Drive the north-west shore of the lake to Capernaum, with its ancient synagogue and the remains of a fishing town, and the Mount of Beatitudes above it. Stop at Tabgha's Church of the Multiplication. Then head south to Jerusalem through the Jezreel Valley and along Route 6. In the evening, walk to the Mahane Yehuda market and Jaffa Road.
- **Mobile signal:** Good 4G on the lakeshore and Route 6, with 5G in Jerusalem's centre. Stay south of the Route 91 line in the Golan, which the FCDO also restricts.

### Day 6 in Israel: Jerusalem's Old City

- **Base:** Jerusalem
- **Plan:** Enter the Old City through Jaffa Gate. Walk the ramparts, then visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall plaza and the Jewish Quarter's Cardo. Follow part of the Via Dolorosa through the Muslim Quarter. In the afternoon, visit the Israel Museum for the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book, or Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. Dress modestly for religious sites.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G is reliable across the Old City, though the narrow covered alleys and the stone churches can weaken it; follow official guidance on security around the gates.

### Day 7 in Israel: Masada and the Dead Sea

- **Base:** Jerusalem
- **Getting there:** About 1 hour 30 minutes from Jerusalem via Route 1 and Route 90 along the Dead Sea, south of Highway 1, which the FCDO excludes from its West Bank advice. Ben Gurion is about 2 hours from Ein Bokek.
- **Plan:** Leave early for Masada, Herod's fortress above the Dead Sea; take the cable car or climb the Snake Path at dawn before the heat. Then float in the Dead Sea at a public beach at Ein Bokek, and visit Ein Gedi nature reserve's springs and waterfalls if time allows. Drive back for an evening flight from Ben Gurion, or return to Jerusalem.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G along Route 90 and at Masada and Ein Bokek, with weaker spots in the canyons at Ein Gedi; carry water and keep your phone charged in the heat.

### Staying connected on this Israel route

- Keep mobile data on all week so Home Front Command alerts and news reach you, and learn the shelter procedure before you arrive.
- Install Moovit for buses and trains and a taxi app for Shabbat, when most public transport stops.
- If you plan to call on your home SIM, make sure your phone supports VoLTE, since Israel has shut its 2G and 3G networks.
- Charge your phone fully before landing; border questioning and device checks at Ben Gurion can take time.

### Sources for the Israel itinerary

- [GOV.UK: Israel travel advice, warnings and insurance](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/warnings-and-insurance)
- [Israel safety and security (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/safety-and-security)
- [Israel entry requirements (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/entry-requirements)
- [Old City of Acre (UNESCO)](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1042)
- [Masada (UNESCO)](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1040)

## About this eSIM

Israel is small, dense and thoroughly phone driven, and visitors feel that immediately: taxis, transit, restaurant queues and museum tickets all assume you are holding a live connection. The country is also compact enough that you can be in a Mediterranean city in the morning and a desert crater by mid afternoon, and the network follows you most of the way. What you are really buying is the ability to move on someone else's timetable without stopping to find wifi.

### Getting online when you land

Ben Gurion handles nearly everyone, and the walk from the gate through the terminal is long enough that your profile will have registered by passport control. Have it on before you reach the train platform in the basement, because the rail link into Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is the fastest way out and its ticketing is easier to handle with data than without.

Set the profile up at home beforehand, on wifi, because installation needs a connection you will not reliably have on arrival. Then check three things: roaming permitted on the travel profile, your home line still switched on so your own number keeps working for calls and bank codes, and mobile data pointed at the eSIM rather than your usual line.

If you are arriving overland at a land crossing, or flying into Ramon in the south, turn the profile on before you queue rather than after. Border formalities are not the moment to be fiddling with settings.

### The networks you'll be on

This profile connects through Hot Mobile and Pelephone, both of which run 4G/LTE and 5G in Israel. Coverage in a country this compact is dense by default, and in the coastal cities you will regularly be on 5G without having done anything to arrange it.

There is little reason to select a network manually, but if data goes flat somewhere in the hills or the desert, switching off automatic selection and choosing the other operator by hand is worth a try before you assume the plan is at fault. Switch the setting back once you are moving again.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

The coastal strip is the strong spine of the country. Tel Aviv and the whole Gush Dan metropolitan area, Herzliya, Netanya and Haifa are comprehensively covered, as is Jerusalem across its neighbourhoods. The main highways, the intercity rail line and the built up parts of the Galilee all hold service.

Where it gets interesting is underground and inside stone. The Old City's covered souks, the tunnels beneath it, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the Western Wall tunnels and the vaulted Crusader halls in Akko all cut you off, and narrow limestone alleys will also confuse GPS badly, so your blue dot can sit a street away from where you are. Do not fight it; look up.

The Negev is the real geographic gap. Around Mitzpe Ramon and the crater itself you will have service in town and lose it on the trails and the dirt tracks. The Arava road south towards Eilat has long empty runs, the desert wadis and the Judaean Desert hiking routes down to the Dead Sea are thin, and Masada's paths are better than the canyons around them. Eilat itself and the Dead Sea hotel strips are well covered. Up north, the Golan plateau and the deeper Galilee valleys have patches where a hill sits between you and everything.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Getting around, constantly. The country's transit app is the standard way to plan buses, light rail and trains, and it matters most on Fridays and Saturdays when public transport largely stops for Shabbat and your options change completely. Taxi apps fill the gap and are how most people book a car rather than hailing one. Navigation software here is famously good and locals live on it, because traffic between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem swings wildly by hour.

Beyond transport: timed entry tickets for museums and archaeological sites, checking Shabbat opening hours which vary by city and by business, translating Hebrew and Arabic menus and signage, and coordinating with tour operators for the Dead Sea, Masada sunrise trips and desert jeep tours, all of which confirm by message. Payment is heavily card and phone based, and splitting a bill among friends usually happens in an app.

### Before you fly

Install and confirm the eSIM before departure, checking that it is listed and enabled in your data settings. Keep your usual number active for voice and verification texts.

Download offline maps for Jerusalem in particular, since the Old City is exactly where positioning struggles and where you least want to be lost. Save your accommodation address in Hebrew if you can, screenshot your entry tickets, and note the emergency numbers, which differ by service here rather than being a single line. Carry a power bank for desert days, where heat and navigation drain a battery faster than you expect. And verify your handset supports eSIM before you buy, since a profile that will not install cannot be fixed from arrivals.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Israel?

Yes. Your Israel eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Cellcom, Hot Mobile, Pelephone. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

### Do I get 5G in Israel?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Cellcom, Hot Mobile, Pelephone in Israel, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

### Do I need an ETA to visit Israel?

Yes, if you're from a visa-exempt country such as the UK. Since 1 January 2025, visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA-IL), applied for online through Israel's Population and Immigration Authority. It costs 25 shekels and is valid for two years, for stays of up to 90 days at a time. Get it before you travel and keep the approval on your phone.

### Can Israeli border officials search my phone?

Yes. The UK Foreign Office warns that security officials at Israeli entry points may search digital devices and keep them, and that some travellers have been asked for access to their email or social media as a condition of entry. Questioning can last several hours. Arrive with your phone charged and key bookings saved offline.

### Will my old phone work in Israel after the 3G shutdown?

For data, any phone that supports 4G will work with the eSIM. Calls are the bigger issue: Israel ordered its 2G and 3G networks shut by 2025, so your home SIM can only make normal calls if your phone and home operator support 4G calling (VoLTE) in Israel. If they don't, use WhatsApp or other apps for calls over data.

### Does public transport run on Shabbat in Israel?

Mostly not. Most buses, trains and light rail services stop from Friday afternoon until after nightfall on Saturday. Check Moovit for what is running, and use Gett or another taxi app if you need to travel during Shabbat. Avoid driving into ultra-Orthodox areas of Jerusalem at that time.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Israel?

For 7 days in Israel, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $2.00 and unlimited data for $19.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.