Five Great Travel Apps for Paris

Welcome to the third installment in our series highlighting useful destination-specific apps for travelers, apps that will help you get around, find things to do, and maybe save a few bucks. This time, I’m covering Paris.

As I mentioned in my London apps post, there is the issue of roaming charges when using the data link on your smartphone. If you plan on bringing your phone abroad, you’ll want to pre-purchase an international data package rather than pay your provider’s outrageous roaming fees. Also keep an eye out for free Wi-Fi. A city like Paris is bound to have numerous free Wi-Fi hotspots at cafes, hotels, and public spaces.

Metro Paris Subway: Mass transit apps are a must-have in any big, unfamiliar city, and this one comes packed with all you need. The app shows you nearby stations, plots routes from one place to another, and pushes updates about service disruptions to your phone. $0.99.

Rick Steves’ Europe: Rick Steves has four guided tour apps for Paris: Historic Paris Walk & Tour, Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, and Versailles. Each app is really well done, with artful illustrations along with text, photos, and videos. Best of all, the apps run offline, so you don’t need to connect to Wi-Fi or a data network to use them. At press time, the apps were all on sale for $1.99.

Paris2Go: This app consists of a scalable map with arrows indicating various points of interest throughout the city. Click on an arrow and you’ll get information on historic sites and structures. $0.99.

Zagat: Paris is synonymous with outstanding dining, so you may as well go with a trusted restaurant guide to make the most of all the options. Zagat’s app is pricey at $9.99, but covers a few dozen cities, including New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, London, Tokyo, and Chicago.

Meet Me at Pere Lachaise: If you venture into the beautiful yet eerie grounds of Paris’ famous Pere Lachaise cemetery, you’ll probably want a guide. This app provides a map, 31 audio tours, and images. You can also bookmark the sites you want to see before you visit and create a custom tour. $2.99