Europe is a continent located mostly in the northern hemisphere. Overall, it is the continent with the best privacy laws in the world. Of course, there are a few outliers and a number of different reasons to visit the continent. No matter the privacy laws or what country you plan on visiting, connecting to a VPN is a good idea. We’ll tell you more about that shortly. Before we do, though, please have a look at the best VPNs for Europe.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 125 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 95 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 110 | |
There are some great reasons to connect to a VPN while in Europe, the first one being to safeguard your privacy. As we mentioned, no matter what country you travel to in Europe, you can bet that there are cybercrooks that are looking to take advantage of vulnerable targets. If you do not connect to a VPN to create the layer of protection with encryption, you are one of them. By doing so, however, you protect yourself from anyone that would try to steal your data.
The next reason to connect to a VPN is to help you get around geo-restrictions or network blocks depending on where you are. If you want to access content from another region of Europe than you are currently in, you will typically be blocked. The trick to that is to connect to a VPN in the region you want to access. When you do, you create a secure and encrypted connection that makes the blocking software think you are located someplace else. That way, you can access the content that you want to be able to.
What is the Best VPN for Europe?
There are a number of different factors to take a look at when we are answering this question. In this case, the most important factors have to do security. After a closer look at them, we can tell you what the best VPN for Europe is.
- Strong military grade encryption to help protect your privacy while in Europe
- Strict no-logs policy offered to users
- High-Speed servers in the region to provide the best performance
- High network stability with large and stable networks to help you avoid dropped connections
- Ability to get around geo and government restricted content
- Multiplatform mobile app support including Amazon Firestick
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the best VPNs to use with Europe.
1. Best VPN for Europe: ExpressVPN
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ExpressVPN brings together fast VPN access with MediaStreamer which acts as a Smart DNS service to unblock access to geo-restricted content. The VPN service will help encrypt your connection and unblock live sporting events. You will even find a list of the latest live entertainment and sporting events on their website. Being in the British Virgin Islands puts ExpressVPN outside the 5 eyes and 14 eyes countries. They maintain a no-log policy that has been verified through high profile legal requests over the years.
ExpressVPN manages a very large VPN network. Beyond Europe, the ExpressVPN network boasts thousands of servers in key locations to help protect user’s privacy. You can connect to their VPN network to protect your privacy, unblock censorship, and watch your favorite streaming services from anywhere.
The ExpressVPN app allows you to select a server location down to the city, but you do not need to choose a specific server. Instead, the client will select the fastest server in your chosen location. You also need to know that some cities are not shown on the recommended tab inside the client. To locate a specific one, you will want to select the “All” tab, open Europe, and then select a country. At this point, you can select a European server location. We tested servers in London, Paris, and Frankfurt. The server locations performed well in our tests. ExpressVPN was the fastest VPN in each city.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of using ExpressVPN is their support for a wide range of devices. ExpressVPN offers custom VPN software for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Connect your desktop and mobile at the same time with up to 3 simultaneous connections. You can also install the ExpressVPN web extension for Chrome or Firefox. Want to protect your entire home network with a single VPN account? If so you can use the ExpressVPN router app to set it up. The MediaStreamer feature adds Smart DNS support to devices like game consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, etc.), media boxes (Apple TV, Roku, Nvidia Shield TV, etc.), and Smart TVs.
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ExpressVPN performed very well in our speed tests. They are a great choice for privacy and to unblock geo-restrictions. Customer support is available 24/7 to provide assistance and answer any questions. Enjoy the best VPN for less with confidence as ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
2. Best VPN for Europe: NordVPN
Sign up for 36 months for just $3.49 per month (70% discount)
NordVPN is based in Panama which some users prefer to using a VPN company that’s actually headquartered in the United States. You will find that NordVPN has a strong presence in the US with servers located throughout the country. Members have full access to their network in the USA and beyond for a very good price.
You will find that NordVPN has perhaps the best mix of services for the price if you subscribe to an account for a longer period of time. All users have full access to their network and custom software. You can connect using the VPN client for Windows or Mac. They also have an easy-to-use mobile app for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad) devices. You can use the NordVPN browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. NordVPN offers some advanced privacy features like double VPN, P2P servers, and dedicated IP that really helps the service stand out.
We tested the performance of servers in London, Paris, and Frankfurt. As you can see by the image below, the speed were good. You should have no problem doing whatever you want to do while connected to NordVPN.
Want to access streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world? If so NordVPN is a great choice. They are one of the only VPN services that can still unblock Netflix. You can sign up for unlimited VPN and SmartDNS service from just $3.49 a month with a 3-year membership.
3. Best VPN for Europe: Surfshark
Sign up for 24 months for just $1.99 a month (83% discount)
Surfshark launched their VPN service in 2018. Since that time, the company has made quite a splash in the community. The team continues to grow and add server locations to their high-speed network. They have focused on privacy and value. The service includes extra features like CleanWeb (blocks ads and malware), Whitelister (split tunneling), MultiHop double VPN, kill switch, private DNS and leak protection.
With a large network of servers around the world, strong encryption, and the ability to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Premium, and Amazon Prime, there are many opportunities to enjoy the service. You can access Amazon Prime Video in multiple regions including the US, Germany, and UK. The Windows client gives you the option to connect to physical server locations, virtual servers (best suited for unblocking geo-restrictions), servers that support P2P usage, and MultiHop servers.
For our tests regarding Europe, we wanted to select servers located throughout the region. Once you log in, simply click on the location tab and type the location in the search bar. From there, you can connect to a server. When we connected to servers in London, Paris, and Frankfurt and tested the speed.
For the value and the features, Surfshark is an excellent option for those who want to protect their privacy and unblock restrictions. All of their VPN apps were designed with a similar user interface and are easy to use. You can sign up for an unlimited VPN account for just $1.99 a month with a 2-year subscription.
4. Best VPN for Europe: PIA
Sign up for 12 months for just $3.33 a month (67% discount)
Private Internet Access (PIA) gives users a few different options. Unlike in the past, you no longer have to set up a profile for each VPN server. Now, you can connect to any of their server locations in 33 countries. The PIA team has organized their servers by region, country, and city. You will find the speed to be fast most of the time.
There are a lot of torrent users who love Private Internet Access. The service includes a feature that will stop your system from communicating if the connection to their service drops. Meaning if your encrypted VPN access is dropped for any reason it will keep you safe.
We use PIA’s Windows client and there isn’t much to it in terms of set up and usage. However, you won’t want to underestimate the service. PIA offers different levels of privacy protection depending on your needs. You can control encryption levels and find the right balance between privacy and speed. As you can see below, the PIA network is represeted in key locations around Europe.
When it comes to their Windows client the PIA team has included an Internet kill switch. The kill switch will kill your Internet connection anytime the VPN fails. That can really come in handy for those wanting to ensure anonymity. Private Internet Access offers VPN from $3.33 a month along with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
5. Best VPN for Europe: CyberGhost
Sign up for 36 months for just $2.75 a month (79% discount)
CyberGhost was founded in 2001 by 7 enthusiastic young team members in Bucharest, Romania. Since that time the company has grown into one of the largest VPN services in the world. The team of 50+ members is focused on protecting users privacy. Robert Knapp, co-founder and CEO, continues to lead the team even after they joined the Crossrider group in 2017. Since that time the CyberGhost network has expanded quite a bit.
CyberGhost offers a nice mix of server locations, strong encryption, and the ability to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Red, and Amazon Prime. Some of the channels even let you unblock geo-restrictions for multiple regions. For example, you can access Amazon Prime video content in the US, Germany, or UK. The Windows client also gives you the option to surf anonymously, protect WiFi, torrent anonymously, unblock basic websites (Google, Facebook Instagram, etc.), and choose a server.
Once again we connected to VPN servers located in London, Paris, and Frankfurt to test the CyberGhost network. As you can see below the performance was a bit sluggish across all 3 cities. This is one of the reasons we recommend the VPN service for a wide range of purposes.
The CyberGhost VPN client is one of our favorites. It is very easy to use and includes a number of advanced features to help protect your online privacy. They have a development team in Germany that is continually adding features to the client and mobile apps. You can sign up for full access to the CyberGhost network from just $2.75 a month during their current promotion.
No matter what your plan is while visiting Europe, it is important that you connect to a VPN. As you can see above, there are 2 big reasons why you would want to. Even though we have given you some good options above, there are others on our top 10 VPN list. They’ll all work as you would hope them to, but we specifically made our choices to work while in Europe. That way, you can get the best access and speeds possible no matter where you are. Read our guide to help you make the best possibl decision.