How to Call To and From Europe from a Landline or Mobile Phone

You don’t need to be intimidated by calling Europe and from the United States or calling the United States from European countries. On this page we offer some simple tips to make calling any European country easy and placing international calls from Europe to the United States a breeze.

How to Make an International Call

It doesn't matter how you're calling (using a landline in the United States, using a mobile phone or a Skype account while traveling in Europe, or calling internationally in Europe (for example France to Italy, or the UK to Ireland) … you are making an international call.

Here's how to do it in just a few minutes:

Dial the International Access Code

• Step1 - If you're making an international call out from the US or Canada landline or mobile phone the access code is 011. Alternately, you can enter a + instead of the 011 international access code (do this by pressing and holding the 0 key).
• Step 2 - If you are calling from a phone in any European country you must dial 00 as the international access code to call from Europe. If you are dialing from a mobile phone, enter + instead of 00.

2. Dial the Country Code

• Step 1 - Next, dial the country code of the country that you are calling (for example, dial 33 to call France, or 353 to call Italy). These country codes are provided in the table below for your convenience.

3. Dial the Phone Number

• Step 1 - Finally, dial the phone number that you're calling. If the phone number you're calling begins with 0, drop that digit and do not dial it. The exception is Italy - if you're dialing an Italian telephone number that begins with 0 you need to include it when entering the phone number.

How to Make a Domestic Call in Europe

If you want to make a phone call from a phone in Europe to another phone in the same country (either from a landline in your hotel, or with a mobile phone (local or with an appropriate SIM card), all you have to do is dial the number, including the initial 0 if there is one.

In the United States, people are used to 7-digit telephone numbers with 3-digit area codes, but European calling standards and phone numbers vary. A phone number in Europe can vary in length (even numbers in the same country), and many mobile phones use a unique prefix, making phone numbers inconsistent (which can intimidate international travelers who wish to make telephone calls in Europe).

You’ll notice that in some European countries you’re able to drop the area code when dialing a domestic phone number (the same way you can do it in the United States if calling a New York phone number from within New York). In other countries in Europe, you must dial the entire number, even if you’re calling the restaurant three blocks away.

We recommend always including the area code when you dial a domestic phone number in Europe … this ensures your call goes through the first time.

How to Call the US from Europe

Whether you are calling from a landline or a mobile phone, this is how you call the United States from Europe.

1. Dial the International Access Code (00 if calling from Europe, or enter + if calling from any mobile device).

2. Dial the Country Code, which is 1 if you are calling the US or Canada.

3. Dial the Phone Number you wish to call, including the local area code in the United States.

So if you were calling Auto Europe in the United States from Europe you would dial 00-1-888-223-5555 from any landline or dial +1-888-223-5555 from a mobile phone in Europe.

For more information about international calling, you can visit countrycallingcodes.com or howtocallabroad.com. If you are planning a trip to Europe, our advice is to purchase a local SIM card for your mobile phone, and just remember to dial + instead of the international access code (011 or 00) to make calling to and from Europe simple.

Alternately, you could use one of these apps for international calls and messaging to keep in touch with family and friends:

• Skype - an internet-based video and voice calling app which is available on most mobile devices (and it can also be used on any computer where you download the application).
• Goolge+ Hangouts - An internet-based video, voice and messaging app for Android and iOS mobile devices (and it can also be used through any computer browser).
• FaceTime - If you and your friends or family both use Apple devices, you can use this app for internet-based video and voice calls.
• Viber - Provides video, voice, and messaging capabilities for mobile devices and computers where it is downloaded.
• iMessage - Can be used to send messages between apple mobile devices and apple computers.
• WhatsApp - An internet based messaging app which allows for international text messaging between phones.