Romania Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 40. Public telephones are widely available and can be used for direct international calls; most require a calling card. Hotels often impose a high service charge for long-distance calls, but usually do not charge for local calls.

Roaming agreements exist with many international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good around Bucharest but variable elsewhere. Local mobile phone hire is available.

Romania has numerous Internet cafes, some offering Wi-Fi.

Airmail to Western Europe takes one week. 

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-2000, Sat 0800-1400.

Romania's media are among the most lively in the region. The 1991 constitution upholds freedom of expression, but prohibits ‘defamation of the country'. Private radio stations began to appear in 1990; over 100 of them now broadcast alongside state-run Radio Romania. A boom in the newspaper market followed the 1989 revolution, but many were later forced to close owing to rising costs.

• Daily papers include Adevarul, Libertatea, Evenimentul Zillei, Romania Libera and Jurnalul National, which has English-language pages.
• English newspapers and publications include Bucharest Business Week, Nine O'Clock and Vivid Magazine.
• There are a great number of daily and weekly newspapers published in Romanian, Hungarian and German.

• TVR operates Romania 1 and TVR 2.
• Commercial channels include Antena 1, Pro TV, Prima TV, Acasa TV and Realitatea TV.

• Radio Romania is state owned and runs four national networks, as well as local and regional services.
• Commercial stations include Europa FM, Kiss FM, Pro FM and Radio 21.
• The BBC World Service is available on FM in the capital.