The WiFi sign in the picture is something one sees often in Romania. Connecting to the Internet on the go should not be a problem here, and the high Internet speeds and general availability of WiFi hotspots are something to brag about.

Unlike in many Western European countries, connecting to the Internet for free while on the street or in a restaurant or a coffee shop is a common activity in Romania. Below we list some of the places where you will most likely find good Internet connections in Romanian capital Bucharest.

Cafes, pubs and restaurants

Most cafes and restaurants in Bucharest will have a WiFi connection allowing you to surf the net while sipping coffee or enjoying your sarmalute. Where the name of the WiFi connection and password are not already mentioned /written down somewhere visible, ask the waiter and they will give you all the details. In most places, there will be speedy Internet available.

Fast food restaurants 

Most large fast food chains in Romania give you free access to their WiFi networks. Take McDonald's, Pizza Hut and KFC – where it is possible to surf the net.

Shopping malls

Many shopping malls in Bucharest have their own WiFi hotspots, so when in a mall, scan for open networks. Just be wary of what sort of information you access or you upload while on open WiFi networks, as security level is low.

Hotels

When booking a hotel room in Bucharest at any of the big hotels – three to five – star ones – Internet access is usually included in the room rate, so you don't have to pay extra, like in many Western European countries. Ask the hotel desk clerk about the ways to connect to the Internet, and before booking the room, double check what sort of Internet options you have.

Public hotspots

Telecom and cable companies have been racing in recent years to offer free Internet access with WiFi to their users and more recently, even addressing bigger groups.

Orange Romania recently opened up its WiFi hotspots to all mobile phone users – more details here. This free and unlimited for Orange users, and free for two hours for users of other mobile telephony networks.

The best known Orange WiFi hotspots are in Victoriei Square, in Orange shops, and on the National Arena stadium. There is also one at Club Fabrica, one outdoor hotspot in the Old Town – Franceza and Selari streets, one covering Lipscani street, one for the Sfantul Dumitru and Nicolae Tonitza streets.

Telecom and cable company RCS RDS – a Romanian company – has the most extended network of WiFi hotspots, but only available for its internet services subscribers. They get a user and password and can access any of the hotspots. In Bucharest, it has 353 hotspots, many of which at Universitate, Unirii and Romana squares downtown, and in the Old Town. RCS RDS hotspots can also be found in metro stations.

If you are an RCS RDS subscriber, you need to log in to your personal account on their site, and generate your user and password for their WiFi network.

There are also public hotspots installed by the Communication Ministry starting 2009, but as we've never found, or used one, we cannot attest to their existence, or quality. We would advise scanning for WiFi networks when in public areas in Bucharest, because there are high chances you will find one.

WiFi implementation for businesses

For those who own a public place – restaurant, terrace, several companies offer WiFi services. These include Romtelecom – with a product called Hotzone, and MIBA Telecom, among others.

editor@romania-insider.com