Europe By Telephone

Prepaid phone cards are a common and relatively inexpensive means of calling abroad. Each one comes with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and a toll-free access number. Call the access number and then follow the directions for dialing your PIN. To purchase prepaid phone cards, check online for the best rates; www.callingcards.com is a good place to start. Online providers generally send your access number and PIN via email, with no actual “card” involved. You can also call home with prepaid phone cards purchased in Europe (see Calling Within Europe, ).

Placing International Calls. All international dialing prefixes and country codes for Europe are shown in a chart on the Inside Back Cover of this book. To place international calls, dial:
1. The international dialing prefix. To call from Australia, dial 0011; Canada or the US, 011; Ireland, New Zealand, or the UK, 00.
2. The country code of the country you want to call. To call Australia, dial 61; Canada or the US, 1; Ireland, 353; New Zealand, 64; the UK, 44.
3. The city/area code. Let’s Go lists the city/area codes for cities and towns in Europe opposite the city or town name, next to a }, as well as in every phone number. If the first digit is a zero (e.g., 020 for London), omit the zero when calling from abroad (e.g., dial 20 from Canada to reach London ).
4. The local number.

Another option is to purchase a calling card, linked to a major national telecommunications service in your home country. Calls are billed collect or to your account. To obtain a calling card, contact the appropriate company listed below. Where available, there are often advantages to purchasing calling cards online, including better rates and immediate access to your account. Companies that offer calling cards include: AT&T Direct (US ☎800-364-9292; www.att.com); Canada Direct (☎800-561-8868; www.infocanadadirect.com); MCI (☎800-777-5000; www.minutepass.com); Telecom New Zealand Direct (www.telecom.co.nz); Telstra Australia (☎1800 676 638; www.telstra.com). To call home with a calling card, contact the operator for your service provider by dialing the appropriate toll-free access number. Placing a collect call through an international operator can be expensive but may be necessary in case of an emergency. You can frequently call collect without even possessing a company’s calling card just by calling its access number and following the instructions.

Calling Within Europe

The simplest way to call within a country is to use a public pay phone. However, much of Europe has switched to a prepaid phone card system, and in some countries you may have a hard time finding coin-operated phones. Prepaid phone cards (available at newspaper kiosks and tobacco stores), which carry a certain amount of phone time depending on the card’s denomination, usually save time and money in the long run. Another kind of prepaid phone card comes with a PIN and a toll-free access number. Instead of inserting the card into the phone, you call the access number and follow the directions on the card. These cards can be used to make international as well as domestic calls.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones are an increasingly popular option for travelers calling within Europe. In addition to greater convenience and safety, mobile phones often provide an economical alternative to expensive landline calls. Virtually all of Western Europe has excellent coverage. The international standard for mobile phones is Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). To make and receive calls in Europe, you need a GSM-compatible phone and a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a country-specific, thumbnail-sized chip that gives you a local phone number and plugs you into the local network. Many SIM cards are prepaid, and incoming calls are free. When you use up the prepaid time, you can buy additional cards or vouchers (usually available at convenience stores) to “top up” your phone. For more info on GSM phones, check out www.telestial.com, www.orange.co.uk, www.roadpost.com, or www.planetomni.com. Companies like Cellular Abroad (www.cellularabroad.com) rent mobile phones that work in a variety of destinations around the world.

Gsm Phones. Just having a GSM phone doesn’t mean you’re necessarily good to go when you travel abroad. The majority of GSM phones sold in the United States operate on a different frequency (1900) than international phones (900/1800) and will not work abroad. Tri-band phones work on all three frequencies (900/1800/1900) and will operate through most of the world. Additionally, some GSM phones are SIM-locked and will only accept SIM cards from a single carrier. You’ll need a SIM-unlocked phone to use a SIM card from a local carrier when you travel.

Time Differences

All of Europe falls within 3hr. of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). For more info, consult the time zone chart on the Inside Back Cover. GMT is 5hr. ahead of New York time, 8hr. ahead of Vancouver time, 10hr. behind Sydney time, and 12hr. behind Auckland time. Iceland is the only country in Europe to ignore Daylight Saving Time; fall and spring switchover times vary in countries that do observe Daylight Saving. For more info, visit www.worldtimeserver.com.