Best eSIM For Romania

Choosing the Right eSIM for Your Trip

While eSIM4 is our top recommendation, your specific travel needs might vary. Here are the essential factors to evaluate when selecting a prepaid eSIM plan for Romania.

Researched and verified against live sources. Every non-obvious claim links to its primary source.

Bears Are a Real Danger Near Brasov, Sinaia, and the Transfagarasan

Romania has the largest brown bear population in the EU, and encounters near mountain towns are not a quirky photo opportunity. They are a documented safety risk. The town of Predeal (Brasov County) received 107 RO-ALERT emergency bear warnings in a single summer, more than any other town in the country. In July 2024, a 19-year-old hiker was killed by a bear on a mountain trail, prompting parliament to double the annual culling quota to 486 animals. In summer 2025, an Italian motorcyclist was killed by a bear on the Transfagarasan mountain road. Do not hike alone at dusk or dawn in Brasov County, Sinaia, or Predeal, and do not approach bears you see near bins. Some are habituated to humans from tourists feeding them.

The Transfagarasan Road Is Only Open About 3 Months a Year

The Transfagarasan highway (DN7C), often called one of the world’s best driving roads, is typically closed from October until at least late June due to snow and avalanche risk. Meaning your window to drive it is roughly July through September. Road status is tracked at transfagarasan.travel (not an official government resource but widely relied upon), with Romania’s Road Authority usually giving only 24-48 hours’ notice before an early opening. The high pass reaches 2,042 metres with sharp hairpin bends and a maximum speed of 40 km/h. Cellular signal on the high sections is patchy. Download offline maps (Google Maps or Maps.me) before you set off, as 4G coverage on exposed mountain terrain is not reliable.

Taxi Scams Are Concentrated at Gara de Nord and OTP Airport. Not Just Generic Warning

Street-hailed taxis at Bucharest’s Gara de Nord (main train station) and in the Old Town (Lipscani) are a well-documented scam zone. Common tactics include manipulated meters, “flat rate” quotes that are several times the actual fare, and the “no change” move where the driver pockets a large-denomination banknote. Any taxi that quotes you an upfront price rather than using the meter is almost certainly a scam. The practical fix is to use Bolt or Uber exclusively. Both show the fare upfront, track the route, and accept card payment. The UK FCDO advises using taxi apps over street taxis. Also avoid currency exchange kiosks in obvious tourist locations (near hotels, stations, the Old Town). Rates can be heavily skewed and some “maradonist” operations near major landmarks are infamous for misleading customers.

RO-ALERT: Your Phone Will Receive Emergency Alerts in Romanian (and English)

Romania operates the RO-ALERT cell broadcast system, which pushes emergency messages directly to all mobile phones in a geographic area. No app download or SIM registration required. It works on roaming SIMs and eSIMs. Alerts cover flash floods, severe storms, bear incursions in mountain towns, and other emergencies. Crucially, the UK FCDO confirms alerts are sent in both Romanian and English. If your phone buzzes with an urgent RO-ALERT tone while you’re hiking near Predeal or driving through Brasov County, take it seriously. During summer 2025, Predeal alone received over 100 bear warnings in a single season.

The Bucharest Metro Has No Link to OTP Airport. The M6 Line Is Still Under Construction

Henri Coanda Has No Metro Link. Here Are Your Options

A common planning mistake: there is no metro line to Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP). The M6 line connecting Otopeni Airport to the metro grid is not operational as of July 2025, and no confirmed opening date has been announced. From the airport, your options are: Express Bus 783 to central Bucharest (Piata Victoriei), a direct train from OTP to Gara de Nord (around 4 RON, roughly €0.80), or a Bolt/Uber ride (typically 60-100 RON to the city centre, around 15-25 minutes in normal traffic). Do not hail a taxi at arrivals. Use the app or the official taxi dispatcher inside the terminal.

You Must Buy a Rovinieta (Road Vignette) Before Driving on National Roads

Any vehicle on Romania’s national road network needs a rovinieta. A time-based electronic vignette. Fines for non-compliance are heavy and checks are automated at camera gantries. You can buy the e-rovinieta online before you arrive at roviniete.ro or e-rovinieta.ro, or at border crossings and most petrol stations. A 10-day vignette for a car costs approximately 14 RON (roughly €3). The vignette is electronic. There is no sticker; your plate number is registered in the system. Tourists renting cars in Romania should confirm whether the rental already includes a valid rovinieta before driving off the lot.

Drug Arrests at Music Festivals Are Increasing. Romanian Airports Have Advanced Detection

Revolut: The App Romanians Actually Use

The UK FCDO specifically warns that increasing numbers of foreign visitors have been arrested and received lengthy sentences for drug offences at Romanian music festivals. Romania imposes severe penalties including long jail sentences for possession, use, or smuggling. Including cannabis. Romanian airports are equipped with advanced detection technology that scans the baggage of transiting passengers, not just arrivals. This matters if you’re connecting through Bucharest (OTP) with festival gear in your luggage.

Revolut Is Widely Used by Romanian Locals. But It’s Not a Universal Payment Method

Revolut has a significant user base among urban Romanians, particularly among millennials and Gen Z who originally adopted it for Bolt and Uber payments. Revolut opened an official Romanian bank branch in 2024 and launched Revolut Reader. A card payment terminal targeted at small merchants and street vendors. However, Revolut is an app-to-app payment system for peer transfers; Romanian merchants do not have a scannable QR code system equivalent to China’s Alipay. For tourists, Revolut is most useful as a fee-free ATM card for withdrawing Romanian Leu and for paying in places that accept standard Mastercard/Visa contactless. Which Revolut’s physical card supports.

Winter Tyres Are Effectively Mandatory November to March. Not Just Advisory

Romania legally requires winter tyres (or snow chains for certain vehicles) whenever snow, ice, or sleet is on the road. In practice this means November through March as standard. The UK FCDO travel advice explicitly lists this as a legal requirement. Road conditions in mountain passes and rural areas deteriorate rapidly in winter, and rental car companies in Romania will confirm whether your vehicle already has winter-rated tyres. If you plan to drive the Carpathian mountain resorts (Sinaia, Predeal, Poiana Brasov) in winter, plan for noticeably longer journey times and verify road closure status via the CNAIR (national roads authority) website before departing.

The New EU Entry/Exit System (EES) Is Now Active. Expect Longer Border Times

Romania is part of the Schengen area, and the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is now being implemented across the Schengen zone. On your first entry into a Schengen country, you may be asked to register biometric details (fingerprints and a photo) at a special booth before the immigration desk. This adds time. There is no fee. Subsequent entries use your existing 3-year digital record. US, UK, and Australian citizens can still enter Romania visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Overstaying can result in a ban of up to 3 years from all Schengen countries.

How To Travel Around Romania

Skip Uber: Bolt Runs Romania

Bolt is the dominant ride-hailing app in Romania and has broader coverage than Uber. Bolt operates in more Romanian cities than Uber, which itself covers over 20 cities including Bucharest, Brasov, Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, and Constanta. Both apps show fares upfront, track routes, and accept card payment, making them the safest and most transparent transport option. In Bucharest, prices between the two apps are comparable. locals recommend checking both apps simultaneously for a given route as one is sometimes cheaper. Avoid hailing taxis off the street, particularly near Gara de Nord, Old Town, and OTP airport arrivals.

Bucharest Metro Has No Airport Link Yet

The Bucharest metro (Metrorex) runs five colour-coded lines (M1, M5) and is the fastest way across the city. As of 2025 the network spans 77 km and 63 stations, running daily from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM. A single trip costs 5 RON (approx. €1); a 24-hour pass is 12 RON; a 72-hour pass is 35 RON; and a 7-day pass is 50 RON. Contactless bank card payment (Visa/Mastercard) is accepted directly at the access gates. Tap your card at the gate terminal without needing to queue at a ticket booth. However, only MasterCard, Maestro, and Visa contactless cards work at the gates; do not hold multiple contactless cards near the reader simultaneously or you may accidentally charge the wrong card. The M5 line (Drumul Taberei) is the newest, most modern line. The metro does not reach OTP airport. The planned M6 line remains under construction as of mid-2025.

CFR Calatori App: Book Romanian Trains Without the Queue

For intercity trains, CFR Calatori’s official app (available on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery) lets you book and pay for Romanian train tickets directly from your phone. No need to queue at a ticket window. Romanian trains connect Bucharest with Brasov (~2.5 hrs), Cluj-Napoca (~6-8 hrs depending on route), Sinaia (~1.5 hrs), and Constanta (~2.5 hrs). Seat reservations are generally required for InterCity and EuroCity services; second-class regional trains (Regio) are very cheap but slow. Flixbus operates an extensive Romania network. bookable via the standard Flixbus app or website. Connecting major cities and towns that the rail network underserves, including routes to Transylvania and the Black Sea coast.

STB vs Metrorex: Two Separate Cards for Buses and Metro

For Bucharest’s surface network (buses, trams, trolleybuses), the STB card is a separate rechargeable card from the metro’s Metrorex card. Integrated metro + surface transport tickets are also available. A combined 24-hour pass for metro plus bus/tram costs 14 RON (approx. €2.80), and a 72-hour combined pass is 35 RON. Validate your ticket on entry to every vehicle. Google Maps works well for Bucharest transit routing and shows real-time departures on the main bus corridors.

Money: How Payments Actually Work

Romanian Leu (RON): ATMs Beat Airport Exchange Every Time

Romania’s currency is the Romanian Leu (RON). As of early 2026, exchange rates are approximately US$1 ≈ 4.3 RON, €1 ≈ 5.1 RON, and £1 ≈ 5.9 RON. Use bank ATMs (called ‘bancomat’ locally) or reputable exchange bureaus. Avoid kiosks near major tourist sites and train stations, which can charge heavily skewed rates. The National Bank of Romania publishes the official reference rate at bnro.ro. Do not accept exchange offers from unofficial dealers on the street.

Card and contactless payment is increasingly standard in Bucharest and major cities. in urban areas debit and credit cards have very high acceptance, with contactless functionality the norm. However, cash remains essential outside major cities. Rural areas, market stalls, and smaller businesses often only accept cash, and some tourist attractions (particularly smaller museums and castle sites) do not have card terminals. A July 2024 law (Law 406/2023) now requires all merchants to offer at least one electronic payment option, which is gradually improving coverage. The practical rule: carry enough cash (500-1000 RON) when heading outside Bucharest, Brasov, or Cluj-Napoca.

Tipping: 10% Expected, Now on Every Bill by Law

Tipping is expected but not legally mandatory in Romania. The standard tip is 10%, and since January 2023 a law requires restaurants to provide a dedicated tip line on the bill. You fill it in directly. In practice, many locals round up the bill or leave small change rather than calculating a precise percentage. For Bolt and Uber drivers, 10-15% is customary. Hotel porters, tour guides, and hair salons also expect 10%. Unlike in Western Europe, a service charge is not routinely pre-added to restaurant bills. Check for ‘serviciu’ or ‘service’ on the bill before adding a tip.

Why You Should Avoid 200 RON Notes Outside the City

Avoid keeping 200 RON banknotes as your primary spending cash. Reddit users consistently warn that getting change for 200 RON notes is difficult, especially in small towns, markets, and rural areas. Use ATMs to withdraw in 50 or 100 RON denominations. Romanian businesses are not legally required to provide full change, so arriving at a small village shop with only large notes can leave you stuck.

Apps to Install Before You Leave

How Much Data You Actually Need

The biggest mistake travellers make is underestimating the amount of data they need, then burning through a 1GB plan before lunch on day one. Here is what real activities consume per hour:

Activating Your eSIM on Arrival

Install Before You Fly: 3 Simple Steps

If You Haven’t Set It Up Yet: Airport Guide

Phone Numbers and SMS

Romania is an EU member state with no app blocking, internet censorship, or VPN restrictions. WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessage, Signal, Telegram, and all major Western apps function normally. There is no equivalent of China’s Great Firewall or Vietnam’s content filtering. The RO-ALERT emergency alert system works on roaming SIMs and eSIMs via cell broadcast technology. No app required, no opt-in needed.

If you have a dual-SIM phone, the recommended setup is to keep your home SIM active for 2FA SMS (banks, Google, etc.) while running your eSIM for data. This matters because many Western banks and apps will send 2FA codes to your registered home number, and a data-only eSIM cannot receive SMS.

Revolut and Wise accounts work in Romania with no restrictions and can be topped up with a card from home, making them useful for obtaining RON from ATMs. Romania’s local emergency number is 112 (equivalent to 999 or 911), which works from any phone including one without a SIM card.

For virtual number services: Revolut provides a local IBAN for transfers but not a Romanian phone number; if you need a Romanian number for any reason (certain booking platforms, local contacts), a prepaid Digi or Orange SIM is the simplest option and costs as little as 5-10 RON at any supermarket or telco shop.

Where You Will Actually Use Your eSIM

• BucharestYour eSIM earns its keep from the moment you land. Use Bolt or Uber immediately from OTP. Do not accept taxi touts in arrivals. Google Maps with a data connection is essential for navigating the Old Town (Lipscani), where streets are pedestrianised and confusing on foot. The metro contactless tap-to-ride works directly with your bank card at the gate. 4G is fast and reliable throughout Bucharest, with Orange leading on 5G with median speeds of 227 Mbps. Free Wi-Fi is available at major metro stations including Unirii, Victoriei, and Piata Romana.
• Brasov4G coverage is strong throughout Brasov city and the surrounding Prahova Valley. Use your data connection to track RO-ALERT bear warnings if hiking near the forest edge. The system pushes to your phone automatically. Bolt is available in Brasov for local transport. Google Maps is accurate for the city centre and the cable car area (Tampa Mountain). Download offline maps before heading up to higher trails.
• Cluj-NapocaRomania’s second city has reliable 4G across the urban area. Bolt and Uber both operate here. The city has a good free public Wi-Fi network in the central area. CFR Calatori app is useful for booking train connections from Cluj to Brasov or Bucharest.
• Sinaia / Prahova ValleyGood 4G coverage in Sinaia town itself. Signal can weaken on the higher ski slopes and mountain trails above the gondola top station. Download offline maps before ascending. If driving south toward the Transfagarasan, be aware that data coverage becomes patchy on the high-altitude section of the road. The pass is above 2,000 metres and exposed ridgelines have poor signal.
• Transylvania (Bran Castle / Rasnov area)Strong 4G in the tourist centres around Bran and Rasnov. Bolt does not operate in Bran village itself. You will need to arrange private transport or a taxi from Brasov (book via app, not street-hail). Use Google Maps for navigation between castle sites. Bear awareness is active in this region. Brasov County ranks second nationwide for dangerous animal reports and RO-ALERT warnings are frequent in summer.
• Constanta / Black Sea CoastSolid 4G across Constanta city, Mamaia, and the main coastal resort strip (Eforie, Neptun, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mangalia). Mamaia is a modern resort area with good connectivity. Bolt operates in Constanta. The beach resort strip runs 45 miles south of Constanta and is well connected for data in summer months when network capacity is boosted for seasonal demand. Card payment acceptance is generally higher here than in rural Romania due to the summer tourist influx.
• Danube DeltaThis is Romania’s genuine connectivity dead zone. The Danube Delta is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of channels, lagoons, and wetland communities that are among the most remote in the EU. Orange is building 5G infrastructure in the Delta under the EU-funded 5G-CDD project, targeting 23 isolated Delta localities. But as of 2025 this infrastructure is still being constructed. In practice: basic 3G-4G signal exists in Tulcea (the Delta’s main town) and a few larger villages, but in the deeper channels and on boat tours, expect no signal for extended periods. Download offline maps of the Delta region before departing Tulcea, save your accommodation’s coordinates offline, and download any boat tour booking confirmations locally before heading out onto the water.