The world's best cities for free Wi-Fi

What are the best cities to visit for free Internet connections?

By Charlie Osborne, Contributor on Feb. 16, 2014

1 of 9 Charlie Osborne/ZDNet

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is one of the most well-connected cities on the planet with a government backed map of free Wi-Fi hotspots 10,000 connections strong.

Free Wi-Fi zones, marked with a red sign for users, can also be found via a downloadable app (Android | iOS).

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv in Israel offers visitors many free Wi-Fi hotspots at most of its popular tourist attractions. The 'free_tlv' network can be found at attractions, beaches and parks, with additional hotspots planned for the future.

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New York City, USA

Last year, New York officials announced plans to launch a free Wi-Fi network covering 95 blocks of Harlem and streets 110th - 138th. This service is due to be rolled out and the last phase finished by May 2014, and in the meantime, a number of subways, payphones and parks offer free Internet connections.

Open Wi-FI NYC also has a list of free Wi-Fi hotspots in the city.

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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Helsinki, Finland

From the moment you arrive at the airport closest to Helsinki, Finland, free Wi-Fi hotspots are available to you.

Thanks to the city's WLAN connections, visitors can enjoy password-free connections in a number of public buildings and areas, as well as on a number of buses and trams around the city.

Hotspots can be found on this map.

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a number of free services for visitors to take advantage of. The main free network, GovHK, offers tourists free Wi-Fi at parks, visitor centers, tourist attractions and ferry terminals.

In addition to GovHK, if you buy the Hong Kong Tourist Sim for just a few dollars, you can tap in to an additional 12,000 hotspots all over the city.

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Macau, China

'Wi-Fi Go' is an open network available to locals and tourists -- albeit filtered -- and is available from 8am to 1am.

There are roughly 150 hotspots around Macau to connect to the Web, and you are allowed 45 minutes of browsing before having to log off and reconnect.

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Paris, France

The capital of France, Paris, has hundreds of free Wi-Fi spots available for use by tourists.

You can use the network for up to two hours in one session, and a map is available to show you where the nearest hotspot lies.

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Perth, Australia

Free city Wi-Fi was launched in Perth last year, and has taken form as a blanket which covers the central city.

There is a limit of 50mb, or an hour, before users must disconnect and log in again.

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Taipei, Taiwan

If you happen to be visiting Taipei, there are over 5,000 hotspots available to connect to the Web for free.

Visitors can register online ahead of time to tap in to the government-backed portals. Visitors can also use the registration website to look at maps displaying hotspots close by.

Image credit: Flickr This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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