As a native New Yorker, I’ve always been a bit of a snob when it comes to destinations outside my city. If you tell me to go to Boston, I’ll reply with a “Lol, no.” But since the pandemic has made traveling a bit more difficult than usual, I decided to give some other places in the world a chance.
I started off small—I traveled from Manhattan to Brooklyn (which is basically like traveling internationally, tbh). After that was successful, I decided to venture even farther away and take a trip to Paris!
Of course, as soon as I realized I would be going on an international adventure, my first order of business was downloading all of the apps that could help make my travel experience even more fun and seamless. After all, the best way to see Paris is through the lens of your favorite travel app.
So if you’re planning an upcoming trip to Paris or another international destination (you go!), here are some of the best apps for travel!
Best Apps For Paris Travel
Does your smartphone never leave your side? Good! Today, there is an app for almost everything. If you’re scared that you won’t be able to make it on your own in the capital city, we have selected 10 apps to download to make your trip in Paris easier.
Related: Of course, for your smartphone to work, you must have a SIM card. To know which SIM card to use when you’re in France, check this article.
1) Moovit – Free
Logo Moovit
©Moovit
As beautiful as it can be, the French capital can be a real maze for those who are not used to using its transportation network. You will never get lost again thanks to Moovit, the ultimate public transportation application. It’s the world’s most downloaded transportation application, so that just shows how well it works! Its interactive map system, and its very simple and intuitive use, has already pleased 120 million users. Whatever means of transportation you use, this app gives you the real time situation on your bus, metro, RER… You tend to fall asleep on the Metro? No worries, Moovit will wake you up right before you arrive at your station. You are looking for a vélib’? Don’t worry, Moovit will take care of it in less than a split second. What is the best route to get to your destination as soon as possible? This app will find it in no time. A must-have or else you’ll be missing out.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
2) SNCF – Free
logo sncf
©SNCF
The SNCF app will help with public transport.
Train times and information are given instantly. So you can check departures or search for an itinerary very quickly. But you can also search for an itinerary for a specific date.
The app is customizable. For instance, when you are near a train station, you can choose which types of trains to display, and also filter which trains are shown depending on your stop.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
To download the app on Windows Phone, click here.
3) Map of Paris offline – Free
Logo Maps of Paris Offline
©Maps of Paris offline
Without wi-fi, it is sometimes hard to find your way in Paris. If you don’t want to carry a physical map of Paris and look like an old-fashioned explorer, the best option is to download the “Map of Paris offline” app. This map is highly detailed so it can be displayed and easily read on both smartphones and tablets. The different available maps track you, and it is even possible to look up street names and directions in offline mode, which is really convenient.
And if you feel desperately lost and in dire straits, no worries, you can send your GPS coordinates through text messages and other services.
To download the app, click here.
4) CityMapper – Free
logo citymapper
©Citymapper
This app is also related to transport in Paris and the suburbs. Every means of transport is available: trains, subway, bus, bike, taxi, Uber, walk…
You can compare different itinerary suggestions, all means of transport included, with information updated in real-time.
So you will be informed of possible disturbances and new itineraries which might be set up.
To allow you to take the subway “like a pro”, Citymapper shows you the exits and where to place yourself in the subway to optimize your journey. The map of Paris subway is also available offline so you can find your way even if you don’t have data or access to the internet.
What makes this app great is that it’s not only for Paris. you can also use it in other cities such as London, New York, Los Angeles, and so much more.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
5) MAPS.ME – Free
logo maps.me
©MAPS.ME
Maps.me is a very useful app. It gives you access to a map and detailed itineraries if you’re looking for directions.
But the upside of this app is that it is completely offline. Indeed, you don’t need the internet, you can use it wherever and whenever you want… as long as your smartphone is charged!
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
6) TripAdvisor – Free
logo tripadvisor
©TripAdvisor
“Know better. Book better. Go better.”
The TripAdvisor app allows you to check the travelers’ reviews of the hotels, restaurants, and other things to do. Then you can leave your own review to help other people.
“Near Me Now” shows you the things to do near your location.
You can also ask questions and receive answers from other travelers or the owners of the different establishments.
TripAdvisor is worldwide. So you can use it on all your trips!
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
7) TheFork – Free
logo lafourchette
©LaFourchette (TheFork in English)
Looking for a restaurant? You will have a lot of options with TheFork. You’ll just have to choose depending on what you want!
This app allows you to book a table in a restaurant without having to call beforehand. Indeed, availability is given in real-time. You can also get exclusive offers of up to 50% off your meal.
For each booking, you will receive 100 Yums. If you get 1,000 Yums, you will receive a 10€ discount in a partner restaurant.
If you don’t know where to eat, TheFork makes restaurant suggestions. And if you hesitate, just check the reviews left by other users.
You will be able to use TheFork in many cities in France, and some cities of the world.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
8) Google Translate – Free
application google traduction
©Google Translate
Let’s be honest, when we travel, we often face the language barrier. Not understanding instructions or written indications in a foreign language can lead to embarrassing, even dangerous, situations. Thankfully, we do live in an era where technology can help us break this barrier. With the Google Translate app, in addition to being able to type text in to have it translated instantly in offline mode in 59 languages, it is now possible to take a picture and having it translated in two clicks! This app has improved a lot lately, and translations are more and more accurate, especially between French and English. A must-have for every traveler.
Links :
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
9) AllBikesNow – Free
logo allbikesnow
©AllBikesNow
If you would prefer to take a bike to visit the capital city, this app will help you.
It will let you know where to find a bike (from the self-service bike system) near you or near an address given, where to return it, and give in information on your favorite stations.
This app works with Vélib’, Paris’ self-service bike system. But you can also use it in other cities such as Lyon, Marseille, or Toulouse. Some international cities are also available.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
To download the app on Windows Phone, click here.
10) Taxi G7 – Free
logo g7
©G7
No need to look for a taxi, the Taxi G7 app lets you order one from your smartphone.
Besides ordering a ride quickly to leave as soon as possible, this app allows you to book a ride up to 14 days in advance!
Different levels of services are available and you can choose the one you want when you order your ride.
Payment can be made via the app or with the driver.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
11) Uber – Free
logo uber
©UBER
Uber allows you to order a car with a driver whenever you want, 24/7.
So you won’t have to worry about train times or finding a parking spot. In a few minutes, you will have ordered a ride.
On the app, you will get a picture of your driver and all the information you need.
Several choices are available: uberX is for a ride where you’re the only customer, whereas, with uberPOOL, you share a ride with other people going in the same direction as you. The latter costs less.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
12) Tricount – Free
Logo tricount
©Tricount
Planning on visiting Paris with your friends? What a great idea – there’s no better city to have group fun. But it is always a mess when it comes to paying bills. Since short reckonings make long friends, the Tricount app allows to set your spending up and split it within the group, as you wish and according to your own criteria. A sync system instantly shares the accounts status, and the “balance” option allows you to see how much everyone owes each another. Nothing now could hinder your trip to Paris, so don’t hesitate to download this app a bit ahead of your trip to make sure everything is organized your way.
Links :
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
13) Secrets de Paris – Free
logo secrets de paris
©Secrets de Paris
The Secrets de Paris app is like a tour guide that allows you to discover the city in a new light. Each day, the apps suggest something original to do!
Secrets de Paris will make you discover the City of Light in a unique way! Indeed, very touristic activities aren’t suggested. But you can discover the wonders that make Paris one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Come and visit the unusual places of the capital city!
Add the locations you like to your ‘favourites’ to find them again easily. You can also check the distance between your location and the place you picked.
Links:
To download the app on iPhone, click here.
To download the app on Android, click here.
14) The Tourist In Paris – Free
logo the tourist in Paris
©The Tourist In Paris
In need of a helping hand to enjoy your trip to Paris as much as possible? This app is made for you. The Tourist in Paris app gives you advice on the best deals, the absolute places to see, and the low-key addresses well known to Parisians that unaware tourists will surely miss. This app’s promise is to put you in a Parisian’s shoes, and to get you off the beaten tracks of overrated and overcrowded tourist spots. There isn’t, you know, just the Eiffel Tower to see in our beautiful city! This is a customizable app that will match your daily mood thanks to its “What’s your mood today?” section, and will give you activities to do that fit your wants and your state of mind.
french news apps
My husband owns an Android phone, while our friends, family and I have iPhones.
I guarantee you’re familiar with how my husband feels whenever he’s around us iPhone users.
So I think you deserve to have French learning resources designed specifically for you, an Android user.
Here’s a list of the 10 best Android apps for French news, so you can learn the language through one of the most exciting media out there!
Contents
Why Bother Downloading French News Apps?
Spread the News! There Are 10 Amazing French News Apps for Android
TV5MONDE
France News
French Newspapers
FRANCE 24
News in Slow French
Le Monde
VOA Afrique
RFI
BFMTV
FluentU
Get a convenient and portable copy of this blog post
Download Free Ebook
Why Bother Downloading French News Apps?
You’ll learn important vocabulary for culture and daily life. The words you learn through news resources are different from ones you’d study in a classroom or expressions you’d pick up through watching French movies or reading French literature.
You’ll pick up words commonly found in news stories that describe our world and culture, from politique (politics) and l’économie (economy), to l’immobilier (real estate), to mode (fashion). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
You’ll have daily, bite-sized reading practice. If you download apps that give you French news articles to read, you’ll have a fresh source of French reading material every day, right at your fingertips. This is a great way to spice things up if you’re getting burned out on that classic French novel you’ve been working your way through for weeks.
You’ll improve your French listening skills. While some apps give you articles to read, other apps allow you to watch or listen to the news. First of all, this will help you grow accustomed to the native accents of France or other countries.
Second, you’ll develop your ability to understand people speaking at a relatively fast speed. Third, even though reporters speak quickly, they usually enunciate clearly, making French news apps great resources for improving your listening skills.
You’ll naturally pick up French grammar rules. You’ll encounter numerous French verb tenses in the contained context of a news article or clip. Yes, you’ll see plenty of verbs in le conditionnel (conditional), le subjonctif (subjunctive) and le participe présent (present participle) tenses. But perhaps the most valuable skill will be learning to differentiate between l’imparfait (imperfect tense) and le passé composé (compound past) when speaking about the past.
For example, you may read, “Le directeur fermait le magasin lorsque le suspect est entré avec une arme à feu.” (The manager was closing the store when the suspect entered with a gun.)
You’ll learn about culture in French-speaking regions. French news apps will teach you about local politics and economies, the environment, pop culture, travel, sports and Francophone countries’ stances on international issues. Choose which aspects of French culture you want to learn about and get reading! (Or listening. Or watching.)
You’ll always have access to the news. Scanning a French newspaper or turning on the TV to the news is fun. But when you download French news apps for Android, you can access French news anytime, anywhere. Whenever you’re in the mood!
Spread the News! There Are 10 Amazing French News Apps for Android
TV5MONDE
french-news-app-androidTV5MONDE is a respected French language global TV network. Download this French news Android app to watch the news and hear native French accents.
This is another app that’s great if you prefer to learn about the news through videos. Sometimes I need to watch people’s mouths move when I’m listening to French expressions or terminology that’s particularly challenging, and videos are a godsend for this.
A great show for language learners on TV5MONDE is “Destination Francophonie” (“Francophone [Countries] Destination”), which covers French-speaking regions of the world and international French language learning initiatives.
If you want to expand your news intake beyond just France and Europe, check out “Afrique Presse” (“Africa Press”), where professionals talk about current events around Africa. Topics range from countries’ professional rugby teams, to the continent’s tourism, to the troubling state of Burundi’s and Lesotho’s economies.
Or maybe you’re more interested in what’s going on in Ontario and Quebec. (Canada does tend to have cheerier news topics than the rest of the world, after all!) Tune into Radio Canada to hear what people have to say about the legalization of marijuana and their super hunky Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
And those news sources are just the beginning of what you’ll find on TV5MONDE!
France News
french-news-app-androidThe France News app is a resource that collects news from various French newspapers. The company boasts that this app is extremely simple to use. Just open the app, choose which news source you want to learn with for the day and get reading!
This app is perfect for language learners who don’t want any extra, unnecessary features. If your ultimate goals are following French news and improving your reading skills, then this app can meet your standards. When it comes to learning a language, sometimes simple is better!
Follow French news with newspapers such as Le Figaro to keep up with politics, Eurosport to follow les matchs de football (soccer games) and ZDNet to stay up to date with the latest technology updates.
French Newspapers
french-news-app-androidFrench Newspapers is another great Android app for people who want to improve their French reading skills.
This app collects all the top newspapers and magazines printed in the French language and stores them in one place.
You may be wondering how the French Newspapers app differs from the France News app. Well, the material is broken down into six categories: general, regional, economics and politics, sports, celebrities and fashion.
This means you can read La Dépêche du Midi (The Noon Dispatch) to find out what’s going on in Toulouse. Then you can hop on over to L’Est Républicain (The East Republican) to find out what journalists in Nancy have to say.
You can read about economics in La Tribune (The Tribune). When that inevitably gets too heavy, read about the latest dress styles in Vogue or about soccer matches around the world in MAXIFOOT.
If you’re trying to decide between downloading France News and French Newspapers, just remember… France News has a much simpler user experience, while French Newspapers has a wider range of news topics.
Or you can just download them both!
French Newspapers and France News are fantastic resources if you want to keep up with all types of news. If you just want to stick with one type, though, or prefer journalism with a particular slant, one of the specific newspaper apps on this list may be more to your liking.
FRANCE 24
french-news-app-androidFrance 24 is a media company owned by the French government. This app is great for language learners who want to follow a wide range of news stories, because France 24 covers both French and international news.
If you want a variety of media, this could be the app for you! You can read articles in French, or you may choose to watch interviews and broadcasts. This way, you’ll receive a well-rounded experience and improve both your listening and reading skills.
France 24 also makes it easy for you to share your favorite content on social media. This feature is super convenient if you like to update your Twitter with all your favorite links or if you’re part of a French learning Facebook group where people share resources.
The main downside of France 24? A lot of users complain that there are too many ads. But that’s often the trade-off for a free app. And who doesn’t love free things?
News in Slow French
french-news-app-androidNews in Slow French was created specifically for French language learners. While students at all levels can benefit from this Android app, it’s especially useful for beginners who need to hear things slowly and in simple terms.
This app primarily provides audio for learning the news. But you can also use it to create flashcards so you can keep up with all the new vocabulary you’re picking up from the audio clips.
Want to practice your French pronunciation? After listening to a sentence, pause the audio and practice repeating the phrase you just heard out loud. See how similar you can make your accent to the reporter’s in the audio clip!
And News in Slow French covers more than just the news. It also has sections where you can review French grammar and expressions. This is fantastic for readers who want a little more guidance in using the news to learn the language.
This app’s ultimate goal is to help you learn French. The creators just happen to think that keeping up with the news is the best way to do so!
Le Monde
french-news-app-androidLe Monde (The World) is a popular, daily left-wing newspaper published in France. It’s extremely well-respected, so if you want high-quality journalism, this is a must-have app.
By downloading this app, you can receive notifications about news stories before they even hit the print newspaper. Instant access to high-quality reporting about important world issues? It doesn’t get any better than that!
My favorite feature of the Le Monde app is that you can “react” to articles the same way you would react to Facebook statuses.
Let the app know if you really enjoyed an article or if you don’t want notifications about a certain topic anymore. For instance, I’d love updates about the Tour de France. But I’d give a thumbs down to any content about Brexit or Donald Trump… I get enough of that from English-language papers!
Some reviewers also complain that Le Monde forces too many ads on you. That can be a make-or-break issue for some users, but if ads don’t bother you too much, this is a fantastic app otherwise.
VOA Afrique
french-news-app-androidYou may have already heard of VOA, a U.S.-based radio news broadcaster. VOA AFRIQUE (VOA AFRICA) offers French-language coverage. The stories focus primarily on Africa, but there’s also coverage about international news.
This is a great app for people who are interested in African culture. Even if you aren’t passionate about Africa, this is still a nice app to have if you want something a little different from the rest of the apps on this list, which place a heavy emphasis on news from France.
RFI
french-news-app-androidRFI stands for Radio France Internationale (Radio France International), which is a French public radio service. It covers international, French and African news stories, so you can stay up-to-date on news from multiple countries.
While this is a great app for you to improve your French listening skills, RFI also contains articles you can read. You can access live news broadcasts or go back and hear or read stories you missed. You can even download audio files and articles so you can learn when you don’t have internet access!
The RFI app does a great job of personalizing your experience. Customize your RFI homepage with all your favorite stories and news topics.
While RFI is a useful resource for French language learners of all levels, it’s especially great for beginners who need a little assistance. The app is available in multiple languages, and it’s very easy to switch back and forth between English and French. If you want to double-check your understanding of French content, just click the “English” button. Then switch back to continue in French!
Here’s a fun exercise for learning with RFI: Listen to or read a story in French and write out the English translation. Then check the English version of the story on the app. See how closely your translation matches the real English text!
BFMTV
french-news-app-androidBFMTV is a 24-hour news channel in France that leans slightly to the right. (Yes, they’re right-wing, but not Fox News-level right-wing.) It’s one of France’s most-watched news networks, so by tuning in, you’ll definitely be immersing yourself in French culture!
BFMTV reports 24 hours per day, seven days per week. And the app is no exception! This means you can watch videos or listen to audio reporting any time of day. You can squeeze in your French news for the day while jogging on the treadmill or sitting in traffic on your way home from work.
You can also read the latest articles with this app. That makes BFMTV perfect for French language learners who like taking in their news by watching videos, listening to audio or reading. One app for almost any learning style!
FluentU
FluentU is a language learning program based on authentic French videos, including the news. The app comes with a variety of learning tools, so you have some extra support while being completely immersed in French media content.
The news reports, along with the rest of the media clips, are divided by learning levels. They also have interactive subtitles to teach you new vocabulary while you watch. You can click on any unfamiliar term to automatically pause the video and see an in-context definition, sentence examples and video references. To test your listening skills, you can also toggle off the English subtitles (or both English and French).
Once you’re done watching the news, there are flashcards and multimedia quizzes to help you remember what you’ve learned. Vocabulary lists and full transcripts are also built into every video.
As the owner of an Android device, you may have felt shunned in the past. But who knew there was such a wide range of apps created solely for the purpose of accessing French-language news on your Android phone?
So what’re you waiting for? Download your favorite French news Android apps on this list and spread the news to your fellow Android users!
Laura Grace Tarpley is an editor at FluentU. She loves tinkering with crossword puzzles and playing with her puppy, Tuna. Follow her on Twitter @lgtarpley.
Conclusion
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check out other publications to gain access to more digital resources if you are just starting out with Flux Resource.
Also contact us today to optimize your business(s)/Brand(s) for Search Engines