With plenty of places with free WIFI in Paris, a smartphone can dramatically facilitate life in Paris. You can literally have Paris at your fingertips by downloading and using some of the great Paris apps which are available. From getting around to going out, here is a selection of the most useful as well as free of charge.
Getting Around
- Citymapper: Although there’s a designated app for Paris’s transit system, this app provides the best solutions in real time for getting around the city, by métro, RER, tram, bus, bike, car and on foot.
- Vélib Métropole: The city of Paris’s official bike share scheme, the app allows you to rent a bike as well as find the nearest free bikes and stations.
- Uber, Heetch and Taxi G7: There are a number of ride-sharing and taxi services in Paris. Of course, Uber is the best known, however, you can often get better deals on Heetch. If you’d like to reserve a traditional taxi, the company G7 has a handy app, plus they have a large fleet of eco-friendly “taxis verts”.
- SNCF: France’s national rail service also has a handy app for booking longer distance train tickets, checking schedules or downloading your pre-purchased e-tickets.
Exploring the City
- Spotted by Locals: With content provided by expert residents of cities, this site and app aims to show you the local side of the city, from restaurants to curious sites.
- Culture Trip: A more established site, this app showcases museums, sites, things to do as well as suggestions for going out.
- GPS My City: This app has a collection of free walking tours of Paris.
- Street Art Cities and Flash Invaders: Paris is a great city for street art. You can find the best works via the handy Street Art Cities app. For something fun and different, download the Flash Invaders app to track when you spot the famous “space invaders” around the city. Learn more about Paris street art in this post.
- Super Lachaise: At some point during your time in Paris, you’ll want to visit legendary Pere Lachaise cemetery. Instead of taking a screenshot of the map once you arrive, download this app in advance to avoid getting too lost trying to track down certain graves (but that’s also part of the fun!).
Going Out
- Paris Bouge, le Bonbon and Time Out: If you’re looking for great restaurants, bars, events or clubs frequented by les parisiens, have a look at either of the apps of thesse trendy websites.
- La Fourchette (The Fork) and TripAdvisor: to find a restaurant located near you, try either of these apps. Check on La Fourchette for restaurants offering discounts.
- Le Fooding and 52 Martinis: For cooler and new restaurants and bars, peruse the suggestions of this noted website and app. Cocktail lovers will want to download the app of local cocktail expert 52 Martinis.
Practicing Your French
- Word Reference: The app of this extensive translation website provides translations, verb conjugations, forums and more.
- Linguee: This app provides examples of vocabulary used in real sentences on the Internet, which can be helpful when you need to choose between two similar words.
- Duolingo: This popular app is a good way to learn French grammar and vocabulary on the go.
Meeting People
- Meetup: This great app has listings for a huge range of events for special interests, from film to veganism.
- Bumble: There is a variety of “dating apps” in France, this app also offers the option of networking and making new friends.
Managing Money
- XE Currency: If you are coming from a country outside the Euro Zone, this app can be a lifesaver. In addition to providing real time exchange rates, it also has money transfer services.
- Wise: This popular service (formerly Transferwise) allows you to transfer money across borders at lower rates than traditional banks.
- Revolut: This online bank allows you to receive and send money internationally and produces IBAN and bank details in different currencies.