Top 5 Apps For Visitors To Paris
When traveling to Paris (or any European country), there a numerous smartphone apps to make your trip that much more enjoyable. From navigating the head spinning metro and winding city streets, to learning more about the best art and food the city has to offer, these 5 smartphone apps have you covered.
Taxi G7 (free)
Unlike New York City or London, you can't just hail a taxi off of the street in Paris. Finding a dedicated taxi stand or ordering a cab to take you to the airport in the morning can be difficult if you are a tourist. English speaker friendly Taxi G7 has one of the largest radio fleets in Paris if not France. With the phone app, you can order a taxi for either immediate or advanced booking in only a couple of clicks, with the ability to choose the type of car required. Receive real-time notifications and view your taxi's progress and arrival on the in-app map.
Created by American professional cook, baker, food writer, and Parisian resident David Lebovitz, the app details over 300 of his favorite ice cream, pastry, and chocolate shops across the French capital. Each shop includes original photographs and a review by Lebovitz himself, as well as practical information such as address, closest metro station, website, telephone, opening hours, and map location.
iTranslate (free)
Although pretty much everyone speaks at least a little English in Paris, you will be much better received if you try speaking some French (even if they answer you right back in perfectly good English). This popular translation app can not only help you read menus and grocery store labels in 70 different languages, but offers text-to-speech, Romanization, and voice recognition via an in-app purchase.
Avenza PDF Maps (free- some maps extra)
Roaming data charges can be downright criminal when traveling abroad. Ensure you can still navigate the city and subways without the need for a data connection with this pdf reader. Using your phone's GPS together with geospacial PDF maps, you can navigate almost anywhere, while your phone remains safely stuck in Airplane Mode. Not even a WiFi connection is required. You can plot placemarks and record your tracks for the day, and even estimate the distance or travel time between different landmarks on the map.
WhatsApp or Skype (free)
Text and call friends and family back home without paying a single cent in roaming charges.
With more than 35,000 works of art on display at any given time, navigating the Louvre can be a daunting task to say the least. The official Louvre Audio Guide helps you explore the museum in expert company, with over 3 hours of commentary and an interactive map so you always know just where you are in the museum (and where to find the nearest café noisette). You can choose from guided tours or self-guided visits based on a thematic selection of artworks such as the "must-sees". The "Masterpieces" tour guides you past the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, treasures of ancient Egypt, and Renaissance sculptures across the Louvre's most prestigious galleries.
