Best eSIM for Romania 2026 – Data from $3.90, Unlimited from $3.05/day
Best eSIM for Romania 2026 — Data from $3.90, Unlimited from $3.05/day
Updated August 2026 · Prices in USD, verified at checkout · Network data from our supplier’s live catalogue
Bucharest, the painted monasteries of Bucovina, Transylvanian villages that have not changed in two centuries, and a mountain road that regularly appears on lists of the world’s best drives. Romania is one of Europe’s best-value destinations and one of its most under-visited. Here is what a Romanian eSIM costs in 2026 and where the signal actually holds.
Orange 5G & Vodafone 4G · QR by email · No shop visitGet your Romania eSIM — 10 GB for $8.90 →If you live in the EU, read this first
If your contract is with a carrier in an EU or EEA country, “roam like at home” already covers Romania at no surcharge, subject to your operator’s fair-use policy — you probably do not need to buy anything. This guide is for travellers from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and everywhere else the rule does not reach, and for long-stay visitors whose home allowance runs out in week two.
What the Romania plans cost
| Romania data package | Price | Cost per GB | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 GB / 30 days | $3.90 | $1.30 | A weekend in Bucharest |
| 5 GB / 30 days | $4.90 | $0.98 | A week in Transylvania |
| 10 GB / 30 days | $8.90 | $0.89 | Two weeks across the country |
| 20 GB / 30 days | $16.90 | $0.85 | Remote work, hotspot use |
A 50 GB / 180-day plan at $57.90 covers a season. Romania Unlimited runs from $4.30 for one day and $28.31 for a week (about $4.04 a day) to $91.63 for 30 days — $3.05 a day.
The fair-use number, stated openly
Romania Unlimited allows 5 GB per day at full speed, then continues at 512 Kbps until the next day resets. Five gigabytes is a heavy travel day — maps, messaging, social media and a few videos rarely come close. At the reduced speed maps, messaging, tickets and email still work; HD video does not.
Which networks you connect to — and where the 5G is
The Romania eSIM roams on Orange and Vodafone, switching to whichever is stronger. As in Poland, the detail worth reading is that 5G comes from Orange only — on Vodafone this plan runs at 4G.
Romanian mobile internet has a reputation for being unusually fast, and in the cities it earns it: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Brașov, Iași and Sibiu all have strong coverage. The countryside is more mixed than the reputation suggests. Expect solid service in the Transylvanian towns and along the main routes, and genuine gaps in the Apuseni mountains, parts of Maramureș, and the Danube Delta beyond Tulcea — where the villages are reached by boat and coverage follows the channels rather than the map.
If you drive the Transfăgărășan or the Transalpina
Both mountain roads have long stretches with no signal on any Romanian network, and both close in winter — typically from around October to June, with the exact dates announced each year. Check the road status before you commit to the drive, download the route offline, and do not rely on being able to call for help from the top.
The apps worth having
Bolt and Uber both operate in the larger cities and cost a fraction of western European fares — and, as everywhere, they fix the price before you get in. CFR Călători handles the trains, which are slow but scenic and very cheap. For the Danube Delta, the local boat schedules mostly live on operators’ Facebook pages rather than in any app, which is itself a reason to have data.
Romania uses the leu, not the euro. As elsewhere, decline any card terminal that offers to charge you in your home currency and pay in RON.
The honest caveat: your internet exits in France or the Netherlands
Like most travel eSIMs, this one is home-routed. Your phone attaches to a Romanian mast, but your traffic reaches the public internet through a gateway in France or the Netherlands. Websites see a French or Dutch address, so anything geo-locked to Romanian — TVR Plus and some Romanian banking portals — may refuse. Latency is marginally higher than a local SIM; browsing, navigation, video calls and streaming are unaffected. The full mechanism, with the exit region for every destination we sell, is in our transparency report on where travel eSIMs reach the internet.
Getting online, step by step
1. Buy the plan; the QR code arrives by email within about a minute.
2. Scan it at home on Wi-Fi: Settings → Cellular/Mobile → Add eSIM.
3. Label it “Romania”, switch it off, and fly.
4. On landing at Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca or Timișoara, turn the Romania line on with data roaming enabled for that line only.
5. Keep your home SIM on for calls and SMS codes, with its own data switched off.
Your QR code stays valid for 180 days before you install it, and the plan clock only starts when the eSIM first connects to a network in the destination country — not when you pay.
Questions travellers ask before buying
What is the best eSIM for Romania in 2026?
The 10 GB package at $8.90 — two weeks of maps, Bolt and photos on Orange and Vodafone. Unlimited from $3.05/day suits long stays.
Do I get 5G?
On Orange, yes. On Vodafone this plan runs at 4G. Romanian 4G is fast, so the practical difference is small.
Does it work in Transylvania and the villages?
In the towns and along the main routes, yes. The Apuseni mountains, parts of Maramureș and the Danube Delta have real gaps on every Romanian network.
Does it work on the Transfăgărășan?
Partly. Long sections have no signal from anyone, and the road closes for much of the year. Download the route offline before you drive it.
Do EU residents need it?
Usually not — “roam like at home” covers Romania for EU and EEA contracts.
Does it cover Moldova or Bulgaria?
No. Both are separate countries with their own plans, and the border crossings are common enough on Romanian itineraries to be worth checking first.
Can I hotspot my laptop?
Yes — tethering is included on both plan types at no extra charge.
When does my plan start?
On first connection to a Romanian network, not at purchase. The unused QR code stays valid for 180 days.
Ready for Romania?
A Bolt across Bucharest for the price of a coffee, a monastery found down an unmarked lane, a mountain pass checked before you commit to it — Romania rewards a working phone more than most of Europe. Install tonight, land connected.
Install today · Activates when you landGet your Romania eSIM — 10 GB for $8.90 →Prices checked August 2026 at aerosims.com and subject to change; per-day figures derived from listed plan prices. Network partners, per-operator network generation, fair-use allowance and gateway country come from our supplier’s live package catalogue and are accurate as of 9 August 2026. Mountain-road closure periods vary year to year and are announced by the Romanian road authority.
Plans & prices
Pick your size — the QR code arrives by email in seconds.