What about internet and mobile data when traveling to Spain?

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine traveling abroad without internet and mobile data.

Fortunately, data roaming has been in place within the European Union for a few years now, which means that for you you will not pay anything extra for using the internet as part of your tariff when traveling to Barcelona.

Simply and simply, the data is calculated normally as if you were in the Czech Republic and the fact that you are in Spain has absolutely no effect on the billing.

So you don't have to worry about your wallet starting to bleed when you use the Internet on your mobile phone or tablet during your vacation (which may be the case if you use internet and data in Switzerland). 

Don't want to use your data while moving around town? You don't have to - read the instructions on how to do it

Since the Barcelona municipality is relatively progressive and is very well aware of how important the Internet is not only in the lives of local residents but also tourists, they already launched an interesting initiative called Barcelona WiFi in 2011. Thanks to it, you don't have to use your data at all to use the Internet in the city, or you can fundamentally limit its use and save something in the end - because you will have more data left in your tariff or on a prepaid card. 

What is Barcelona WiFi about?

As part of the Barcelona WiFi initiative, the city has built hundreds of antennas around the city, to which anyone can connect and use the city's data infrastructure for their needs. In terms of scope, it is the largest public WiFi network in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. 

Where can you find WiFi antennas in Barcelona?

Usually, transmitters are placed where a lot of people are concentrated. Typically these are: 

• apartment blocks
• centers of public, cultural and sports services
• museums and monuments
• libraries
• parks
• tourist centers
• stations, stops and public transport vehicles
• busy streets and beaches

How to find a place where free WiFi is available? 

The very best thing is to look at the map of all transmitters with internet in Barcelona. Thanks to it, you can quickly find all the places where you can join for free. 

Map of all antennas offering free WiFi in the city

You can easily find the transmitter directly on the spot - the place from where the signal is being transmitted, it is marked with a white diamond with the letter "W" in a blue field. 

Public internet network in Barcelona

In such a place, just approach the transmitter, in the settings of your phone, tablet or computer in the list of WiFi networks, select the one called "Barcelona WiFi" and connect to it.

After entering your email and simple and quick registration, you can start using the Internet. The connection has a speed of 256 Kbps, which is not great, but if you happen to run out of data in the field and need to search or find something, it can certainly be used. Forget about consuming some more data-intensive content such as music or movies... 

Where can you also use free internet in Barcelona? 

If the city internet is not enough for you, you can go to some other place where you can "hunt" the internet for free. 

This includes, for example, shopping centers such as Diagonal Mar, Gran Via 2, Glories, Maremagnum or Las Arenas.

You also have free WiFi in restaurants or bars, for example - in this respect it is quite similar to ours. Fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King or Starbucks are such "certainties" in this regard. You can find several of their branches right in the center, so if you need a fast internet connection (e.g. for work) and at the same time don't want to waste your data, go here for a sandwich or a coffee... 

Be careful what data you send

Most public WiFi networks are "open". This means that your data may not be completely safe there, or that someone can "eavesdrop" on the communication. If you want to be sure that your data will be safe, always use VPN. If you can't use it, at least always have a firewall, antivirus and all the latest updates installed so that a potential attacker doesn't exploit any holes in your system...