Cell phone for Europe?

Quote from vicra : Thanks all. The country is Italy. Don't want to take any expensive electronics after seeing a TV report on pickpockets. Traveling alone, taking trains to a few cities. Just want inexpensive way to keep in touch with daughter back home and in case of any emergencies. Thanks.

Just for the record, you'll see TV reports on pickpockets everywhere. TV reports will have you believe that every person on every street in every city in the world is constantly getting robber for all of their worldly possessions.

Crime happens everywhere. If you flash expensive stuff and you look like you're not paying attention to your stuff, you might get robbed. Otherwise, Italy isn't any more dangerous than anywhere else. There aren't any more pickpockets in Italy than there are in New York or Chicago or anywhere else.

I'm not arguing with a decision to bring a cheap phone or leave your valuables at home.......that's fine, but I wouldn't be overly worried, either. I've traveled in 35 countries and lived on 3 different continents in addition to traveling to 38 states in the USA. I've only been robbed once and it was completely my own fault. And it wasn't on a train and it wasn't in Europe.

As for the phone issue, you can buy any unlocked GSM cell phone (get one used on Ebay or used from Cowboom or Amazon or something) and then just buy a local chip in Italy -- or just buy a prepaid phone cheaply there. Cell phone service is MUCH less expensive pretty much everyone else in the world.

FWIW the only place on the whole Italy trip I felt like there was any decent shot at being pickpocketed was the train station in Naples.... Naples in general is a complete crap-hole that I only suggest stopping in for a few reasons:

1) The one museum where they took most of the 'good' stuff from Pompei that was movable

2) The pizza really is fantastic- handily enough there's an outstanding >100 year old pizza place right down the block from the museum in item 1

3)I It's where you switch to the regional trains for Pompeii and Sorrento (which is really nice)


So I only recommend stopping there for half a day on your way through to hit the museum and pizza place then get the hell out... but in the meantime the train station was the by far most "crimey" feeling place on the trip, with any number of folks aggressively begging, trying to high-pressure-sales you on hiring them for a private car, or otherwise shady looking folks walking around.


I mean, don't flash expensive stuff, and keep situational awareness, no matter where you go... but apart from the Naples train station at no point on the trip did any place seem more likely to harbor a pickpocket than anywhere else in other countries.

You can buy any kind of good Nokia phone for you in very reasonable price.

Quote from Knightshade : FWIW the only place on the whole Italy trip I felt like there was any decent shot at being pickpocketed was the train station in Naples.... Naples in general is a complete crap-hole that I only suggest stopping in for a few reasons: 1) The one museum where they took most of the 'good' stuff from Pompei that was movable 2) The pizza really is fantastic- handily enough there's an outstanding >100 year old pizza place right down the block from the museum in item 1 3)I It's where you switch to the regional trains for Pompeii and Sorrento (which is really nice) So I only recommend stopping there for half a day on your way through to hit the museum and pizza place then get the hell out... but in the meantime the train station was the by far most "crimey" feeling place on the trip, with any number of folks aggressively begging, trying to high-pressure-sales you on hiring them for a private car, or otherwise shady looking folks walking around. I mean, don't flash expensive stuff, and keep situational awareness, no matter where you go... but apart from the Naples train station at no point on the trip did any place seem more likely to harbor a pickpocket than anywhere else in other countries.

Thanks all so much.

I bought a cheap cell for europe. I don't think it has data capabilities.

I was reconsidering bringing my iphone to use as a camera and at wifi hotspots. I'm not sure how to turn off data so I don't get charged for roaming, etc.

Do you think it would be dangerous to have the phone out to use as a camera?

Unfortunately, I will be meeting a friend for second week in Italy and she booked naples as a base for the amalfi region. It sounds like your use of Sorrento as a base was a much smarter way to go.

Did you use any tour companies along the way? In Rome I will only have a few hours to see the sights of Vatican city. Do you think a tour is worth the money there?

Thanks again and again!

Quote from vicra : Thanks all so much. I bought a cheap cell for europe. I don't think it has data capabilities. I was reconsidering bringing my iphone to use as a camera and at wifi hotspots. I'm not sure how to turn off data so I don't get charged for roaming, etc. Do you think it would be dangerous to have the phone out to use as a camera? Unfortunately, I will be meeting a friend for second week in Italy and she booked naples as a base for the amalfi region. It sounds like your use of Sorrento as a base was a much smarter way to go. Did you use any tour companies along the way? In Rome I will only have a few hours to see the sights of Vatican city. Do you think a tour is worth the money there? Thanks again and again!

You can put the iphone in airplane mode, but then turn wifi "on" that should leave anything cellular "off"

It'd be fine as a camera, just again, have situational awareness of what's around you


As to the vatican- there's usually pretty long lines there... you can buy tickets online in advance which will let you skip the LONG ticket lines... you'll still have to go through security screening though.... with advance tickets I think it was only maybe 10-20 minutes or so to get in... as opposed to the folks who looked like they'd be there an hour or more standing in the line to buy tickets that day.


There's an INSANE amount to see there though, we spent probably 6 hours and only saw the highlights... so try and find some maps/info online and plan your visit ahead of time... if you can find a tour that doesn't put a significant markup on stuff and fits your schedule it might get you past certain lines quicker, but on the other hand it might hinder you- having to move at the pace of a group, and wait for there to be room for a group in whatever next area you're going to.

The one place it might really help- after getting through a bunch of the museum stuff and then the sistine chapel, there's a door there that gets you 'direct' into St. Peters without having to go through security again... they no longer let regular people through that, so you have to go outside and through security lines (different ones than the initial entry), this can slow you down.... it's possible some of the tours might still get access this way though (I'd check first- that'd probably be worth paying a little extra for if you are in a hurry)

Quote from Knightshade : You can put the iphone in airplane mode, but then turn wifi "on" that should leave anything cellular "off" It'd be fine as a camera, just again, have situational awareness of what's around you As to the vatican- there's usually pretty long lines there... you can buy tickets online in advance which will let you skip the LONG ticket lines... you'll still have to go through security screening though.... with advance tickets I think it was only maybe 10-20 minutes or so to get in... as opposed to the folks who looked like they'd be there an hour or more standing in the line to buy tickets that day. There's an INSANE amount to see there though, we spent probably 6 hours and only saw the highlights... so try and find some maps/info online and plan your visit ahead of time... if you can find a tour that doesn't put a significant markup on stuff and fits your schedule it might get you past certain lines quicker, but on the other hand it might hinder you- having to move at the pace of a group, and wait for there to be room for a group in whatever next area you're going to. The one place it might really help- after getting through a bunch of the museum stuff and then the sistine chapel, there's a door there that gets you 'direct' into St. Peters without having to go through security again... they no longer let regular people through that, so you have to go outside and through security lines (different ones than the initial entry), this can slow you down.... it's possible some of the tours might still get access this way though (I'd check first- that'd probably be worth paying a little extra for if you are in a hurry)

Thanks! If I pay for a tour I'll make sure it has that access into St. Peters.