Top 10 European Cities with Free Wi-Fi

Top 10 European Cities with Free Wi-Fi

When you’re on the go, Wi-Fi access can be a make-or-break factor in your ability to change plans on the fly and coordinate with your travel buddies. At the times you desperately need to go online, it can be tricky to know where to get connected fast and for free in a new location. The good news is that some European cities excel in providing free Wi-Fi so that you can easily stay connected when you travel wherever you are.

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona has one of the largest networks of free internet in Europe. Boasting nearly 2000 hotspots throughout the city, especially in the Old Town, Eixample, Sants and Gràcia districts. This service has been available since 2011, and is now the largest free Wi-Fi net in all of Spain. Elsewhere in the country, Madrid also has free Wi-Fi, as well as Bilbao, which was one of the first cities in the country to implement free internet city-wide.

Top locations: Browse the web in public facilities maintained by the city: libraries, neighbourhood centres, markets, parks, museums, sports centres, and even the beach. The airport offers a free basic Wi-Fi at the airport, although a download speed limit applies. Restrictions: Free after registration. The speed is 256 Kbps, which is too slow to download anything, but you can surf normally and use messaging platforms.

Paris, France

There are over 260 public places, and 400 terminals, with Wi-Fi in the City of Light. This provides users with free access to a high-speed wireless internet connection available to everyone. The service is called Paris Wi-Fi and it started back in 2007, managed by three companies: first Alcatel, then Orange and since 2013, Nomotech. In Bordeaux, you’ll find Wi-Fi on the streets and in public places such as parks and gardens, as well as in the cities of Orléans, Metz, Nantes, Grenoble, and Clermont Ferrand.

Top locations: Scenic locations for comfort and connection: Terrasse des Archives at Le Marais, Café de L’Institut in the Latin Quarter, Le Conti at St. Germaine-Montparnasse, Rosa Bonheur in Le Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Point Éphémère (which is also a concert venue at Belleville). Restrictions: 2 hours of free connection, but you can simply log in after that times out. Generally, the internet is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. but it depends on the closing times of the public building you are in, for instance, a library or municipal house. Open spaces like the Champ de Mars or the square of the Hôtel de Ville have Wi-Fi 24 hours a day.

London, United Kingdom

This is a city covered in hotspots from The Cloud that give you 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi daily, as well as the public networks BT Wi-fi and O2. Since 2012, mobile operator O2 rolled out the free internet to millions of residents and visitors in central London by launching Europe’s largest free Wi-Fi zone for the Olympics. Beyond the capital, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, and Nottingham. are among the ‘wireless cities’ offering free access to their centres. Many chains like Pizza Express, Pret A Manger, McDonald’s, and Punch Taverns. Wi-Fi is also available at over 260 Tube and 79 London Overground stations across the capital, a collaboration with Virgin Media resulting in coverage in over 97% of the network. You can go online anywhere in those stations, in ticket halls and walkways, and on platforms. If you're a Virgin Media, EE, Vodafone, O2 or Three customer you can use the Wi-Fi service for free as part of your plan.

Top locations: The Royal Albert Hall, The British Museum, The National Gallery, The Victoria & Albert Museum, and The Tower of London all offer free Wi-Fi.
Restrictions: In shops, there are few restrictions if any, though consider buying a second coffee if you’re in a café for the long haul. On The Cloud Wi-Fi, you just need to download “The Cloud” app, and the signal will pick up automatically. When using O2 access in restaurants and cafés you need to register on their site before automatically being texted an access code.

Pforzheim, Germany

Since 2013, free Wi-Fi has been available throughout the whole inner city, as well as some hotspot locations on the outskirts. Pforzheim was the first big German city to offer free Wi-Fi, but it’s catching on across Germany, especially in public spaces. Berlin currently has 650 wireless hotspots throughout the city while Stuttgart, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and other cities have free internet at selected locations in their city centres. Over 120 train stations in Germany give visitors access to 30 minutes of free internet per login on the network Telekom.

Top locations: If you want to surf the web, head to the campus of Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, or, on sunnier days, one of the many green spaces outside it, including the luscious Goldschmiede Park.

Restrictions: A surfing speed of 600 Mbit / s is available to users without any limitation on the data volume.

Antwerp, Belgium

There are hundreds of hotspots and antennas throughout the city so that you can get connected for free. This is only part of the free Wi-Fi project across the country, called “Wireless Belgie,” which has been ongoing since 2003 to modernise cities and attract visitors. The first city to achieve public Wi-Fi was Sint-Katelijne-Waver, a close neighbour of Antwerp.

Top locations: Some pleasant bars such as Coffeelabs or Caffenation provide free with your latte, making them excellent places to sit down to work or simply surf. On the whole of ‘Via Sinjoor’, the central route from Central Station to the Scheldt, you can use the city’s wifi network for free: Koningin Astridplein, De Keyserlei, Meir, Wapper, Theaterplein, Meirbrug, Schoenmarkt, Groenplaats, Jan Blomstraat, Handschoenmarkt, Grote Markt, Suikerrui en Steenplein.

Restrictions: Everyone can access the city’s websites without additional registration thanks to the free Wi-Fi zones (search for “Antwerp Free Wi-Fi). Users must, however, register to access other websites, using a social media profile.

Groningen, Netherlands

Public spaces across this Dutch city enjoy free and easy Wi-Fi access. The project initially began in 2007 but was then cancelled in 2010. In 2013 the city of Groningen restarted the project and today, the city boasts 256 free Wi-Fi spots for wireless surfing.

Top locations: If you want to sit down and enjoy a nice cappuccino and connection, head to Black and Bloom, a charming coffee-bar.

Restrictions: The Wi-Fi is available for two hours per day and only in public places rather than shops, and speed is limited to 200Mb.

Milan, Italy

With 259,679 hotspots around the city, Milan truly has free Wi-Fi everywhere. The free internet initiative across Italy was first promoted by Rome, Sardinia and Venice and since 2010, a lot of Italian cities have joined the project. The process of conversion to public Wi-Fi in Milan started in 2012 and today Wi-Fi can be found all over the city as well as metro and train stations. Trains on Frecciarossa (high speed from Turin to Salerno) and Frecciargento (high speed from Rome to North East to Southern Italy) by Trenitalia give users free Wi-Fi on their journey.

Top locations: Pavé is a lovely café with Italian pastries and free Wi-Fi. Public libraries and some museums provide it too and you’ll find Wi-Fi throughout Malpensa airport.

Restrictions: You’ll need to register, but that’ll give you access to up to 300 MB per day, including one hour of high-speed internet before being limited to 192 kb/s.

Vienna, Austria

All of Vienna is surrounded by free Wi-Fi hotspots. However, it is usually referred to in German as WLAN! Wi-Fi access points are growing, especially in Vienna, with ever more hotspot possibilities being available. Though Wi-Fi connection in Austria is pretty decent across the bigger cities like Graz, Salzburg or Innsbruck, be careful not to count on the internet when you go to remote places like the Eastern Alps of Austria.

Top locations: Go to Karlsplatz Kunsthalle, where the beautiful exhibits are mirrored by beautiful cafés. A perfect place to test out both the Wi-Fi and your swiping skills is at Palmenhaus close to Biergarten, where you can find people enjoying nature and technology at once.

Restrictions: Technically, there is a restriction of one hour a day, but you just have to disconnect and reconnect to restart another hour.

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn is truly a wireless city with free internet basically everywhere. You can access Wi-Fi in all public places, including beaches and in the forest. The Estonian government considers internet access a universal right for inhabitants which led to a programme for free Wi-Fi in Tallinn that started to develop in 2005, and has made Tallinn into one of the most innovative cities in Europe when it comes to free city Wi-Fi. Estonia was also the first country that allowed people to vote online.

Top locations: You can get connected in all sorts of public spaces (parks, squares, pubs, cafés), especially in the tourist areas. The train stations and airport also have free access.

Restrictions: Download speed is limited to 15Mb per second.

Helsinki, Finland

The city of Helsinki offers a free Wi-Fi service for city dwellers. Finavia also offers free Wi-Fi with unlimited use for all passengers at Helsinki Airport. The municipality has been setting up its free wireless Internet network in a number of public spaces in Helsinki since 2006. Free Wi-Fi is quite common throughout the country in urban centres, and it is commonplace for cafés and bars to offer services either for free or with purchase.

Top locations: The heart of the city holds the Esplanade park between the 2 streets of Pohjoisesplanadi and Eteläesplanadi. Many Finns come here for picnics, but it also has a good connection to Wi-Fi so it’s a great spot to stop and surf. The largest shopping centre, Kamppi, has its own Wi-Fi.

Restrictions: There is no password or registration required. Just select “Helsinki City Open WLAN” from the available networks and surf away!