Travel · Continental Europe · 230V / 50Hz
Europe: one plug standard, four exceptions.
The Type C Europlug seats in almost every socket from Lisbon to Helsinki, which is why one cheap adapter covers most of a European trip. The trap is “most”: the UK, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland each use a socket a plain “Europe adapter” will not enter.
Five plug shapes, one voltage
Everything below runs at 230V / 50Hz. Only the shape of the hole changes, in five ways:
| Plug type | Where | Shape | Grounded | Accepts a Type C plug? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C (Europlug) | Accepted almost everywhere on the continent | 2 round pins, 4mm | No | — |
| E | France, Belgium | 2 round pins + an earth pin sticking out of the socket | Yes | Yes |
| F (Schuko) | Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Iceland, the Nordics | 2 round pins + earth clips on the rim | Yes | Yes |
| G | United Kingdom, Ireland | 3 rectangular pins, fuse inside the plug | Yes | No |
| L | Italy (alongside F and C) | 3 round pins in a line, 10A and 16A widths | Yes | Yes |
| J | Switzerland | 3 round pins, earth offset from the pair | Yes | Yes |
The Europlug is the continent's common denominator — one Type C adapter gets power in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland alike. What it lacks is an earth connection, which matters only for a laptop brick with a three-pin removable cord.
230V will not hurt your charger
Read the small print on any USB-C charger. If it says Input: 100–240V ~ 50/60Hz — every one sold in the US does — it already handles European mains. You need a plug adapter, a passive shape change, not a voltage converter, a transformer that steps 230V down to 120V.
Converters exist for one category: devices turning electricity straight into heat or motion — hair dryers, curling irons, travel kettles. Their labels read 120V 60Hz with no range, and 230V destroys them in seconds. Full decision tree: adapters vs converters, the head-to-head comparison.
What to pack for a multi-country trip
One multi-port GaN charger plus the plug adapters for your itinerary collapses four bricks into one and leaves a socket free.
- Type C
Type C Europlug adapter (2-pin)
The cheapest thing that works on the continent: two round pins seating in C, E, F, L and J sockets alike.
- Fits
- C / E / F / L / J
- Earth
- No
- Conversion
- None — pass-through
- 4-in-1
EPICKA Universal Travel Adapter
One body, four slide-out heads: a UK leg and a Schengen leg need nothing extra.
- Plug types
- A, C, G, I
- USB
- 3× A, 1× C
- Fuse
- 8A, spare included
- 65W
UGREEN Nexode 65W GaN
Charges an ultrabook, a phone and earbuds at once behind any plug adapter.
- Output
- 65W total
- Ports
- 2× C, 1× A
- Input
- 100–240V 50/60Hz
Sizing the brick is the same as at home: 65W adapters for a laptop, or the wattage guide. Cabin rules: airline rules guide.
The four places a "Europe adapter" fails
United Kingdom and Ireland. Type G: three rectangular pins, a fuse inside the plug, and shutters over the live and neutral holes that only the longer earth pin opens. No Europlug enters.
Italy. Type L sockets take three round pins in a line, 10A and a wider 16A version. Type C fits both; a Schuko plug fits only sockets built to accept it.
Switzerland. Type J puts the earth pin off the line between the two power pins, and its recess is too tight for Schuko's rim clips. A German Type F plug does not go in; a Type C does.
Every European country guide
- Austria
- Denmark
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
Not in Europe this trip? The travel adapter hub covers 45 countries; plug types by country is the full A–Z.
FAQ
Does one adapter cover all of Europe?
A universal adapter with interchangeable heads does. A fixed 'Europe' adapter usually means Type C/E/F only, leaving you stranded in the UK, Ireland, and in Italian or Swiss sockets not built to accept a Schuko plug.
Is European electricity 220V or 230V?
230V at 50Hz is the harmonised standard across the continent and the UK. Older references say 220V or 240V, the pre-harmonisation national figures; equipment tolerates the whole band, as does any 100-240V charger.
Do I need a grounded travel adapter?
Only for equipment with a three-pin cord: a laptop brick with a removable mains lead, a CPAP machine, some camera gear. Phone and USB-C chargers are double-insulated and safe on an ungrounded Type C adapter.