Driving Romania: an eSIM for Bucharest, Transylvania and the Carpathians

From Otopeni Airport you can reach central Bucharest by express bus, train or a ride-hailing app, and all three need internet — whether it's paying for a ticket in the transport operator's app or booking a ride. It makes sense to install the eSIM profile at home by QR code or the Quick install button, then turn on data roaming right after landing instead of waiting for terminal Wi-Fi.

Coverage in Bucharest itself is stable everywhere, from the historic centre to the vast Palace of the Parliament, so the first days of the trip go smoothly as far as data is concerned.

Bran Castle, which tour guides tie to the Dracula legend, and the far grander Peleș Castle are a couple of hours from Bucharest, and the route usually continues through Brașov and medieval Sighișoara. Navigation between Transylvanian towns runs reliably, but opening hours and last-entry times for the castles are worth checking in an app or online right before you go, since they can shift by season.

Brașov and Sighișoara are busy tourist towns with plenty of traffic, so uploading photos and video there goes quickly, while on secondary roads between towns data speed can occasionally dip.

The Transfăgărășan and the less famous but equally scenic Transalpina are Romania's main mountain roads, cut through the Carpathians. Both are typically open for driving from roughly late June to October and can close over winter and early spring because of snow — the exact dates shift year to year, so it's worth checking the road's current status right before you go rather than relying on what you read at home in advance.

At the pass itself, near Bâlea Lake, there's usually signal, but on the long switchbacks lower down it can weaken briefly between turns. Navigation and an offline map work as a pair here: one guides the route, the other covers you if signal drops for a minute or two.

In valleys like Maramureș with its wooden churches, and in remote Carpathian villages, coverage can be noticeably weaker than in Brașov or Cluj-Napoca — terrain and low population density both play a part. That's no reason to skip these places; they're often the most memorable part of the trip. It's worth downloading an offline map of the region in advance, while you still have solid signal in the nearest town.

In national parks and reserves where wildlife-watching is popular, including the Carpathians' brown bears, data matters more for photos and staying in touch with a guide than for navigating a marked trail, since many of these routes run with a guide anyway.

Romanian roads need a bit of prep beyond an eSIM — here's what's worth checking: