Europe is a continent rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. It’s also home to some of the world’s most visited cities, including London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona.
But with so much to see and do, how do you know where to start? We’ve put together this list of the best travel apps for exploring Europe. These apps will help you plan your trip, save money on your travels and make sure you don’t miss anything important during your visit.
We’ll start with our top 3 favorite apps:
Best Apps For Travelling In Europe
Gone are the days when going on an international trip meant lugging around a big guidebook or printing out dozens of pages of information, maps, phrases, and directions. Nowadays, there’s a travel app for just about everything, from making restaurant reservations or booking last-minute museum tours to hiring taxis or checking train schedules. Many are free, and some can be used offline to avoid data charges.
Here we’ve collected a list of some of the best apps for European travel, including several that are useful on other continents, too.
Best Travel Apps for Transportation in Europe
- Cabify
screenshot of Cabify app.
The model for the ridesharing app Cabify is very similar to Lyft and Uber, though Cabify is only available in two European countries—Portugal and Spain. You can share details of your journey to let friends know when you’ll arrive, and even customize your ride by identifying musical and climate control preferences.
iOS
Android
- FREE NOW
screenshot of FREE NOW app.
The emphatically named FREE NOW (yes, it’s in all caps) was once known as mytaxi, which should give you an idea of what the app does. Calling itself “Europe’s largest taxi app,” FREE NOW offers taxi booking in nine European countries. It’s similar to a ridesharing app, except that this one is for taxis, allowing travelers the convenience of paying for rides through the app instead of cash.
iOS
Android
- Omio
screenshot of Omio app.
With so many ways to get around Europe, it might be overwhelming to compare them. Omio (formerly GoEuro) makes it simple by showing you all your transportation options—trains, planes, and buses—so you can easily see which solution makes the most sense for you. Book your tickets right through the app, and then either print your tickets or save the mobile version on your smartphone.
iOS
Android
- Rome2rio
screenshot of Rome2rio app.
Not only will Rome2rio give you your public transit options between any two destinations on earth, you’ll also get information on driving. From the main results page, where you see the approximate travel times, routes, and costs of each transportation option, you can then drill down and get more details on your favorite—and there’s a link to book tickets, too.
iOS
Android
Read our guide to using Rome2rio
- Flixbus
screenshot of Flixbus app.
Trains may be one of the best ways to get around much of Europe, but plenty of destinations aren’t served by rail. That’s where coach buses come in. Flixbus connects cities in more than 25 countries throughout Europe with regular coach service, and passengers can book easily through the app. There’s free WiFi on board and the drivers even have snacks and drinks you can buy during the trip.
iOS
Android
- BlaBlaCar
screenshot of BlaBlaCar app.
BlaBlaCar is basically what hitchhiking in the 21st century looks like—you’re not standing on a roadside hoping for a ride, you’re screening potential carpooling partners through an app and arranging a trip in advance. If someone else is already driving that way, you can join them, share expenses, and have some company. The network covers more than 15 European countries and now also includes a bus service called BlaBlaBus in five countries.
iOS
Android
- Bike Share Buddy
screenshot of Bike Share Buddy app.
Exploring a new place on two wheels is both fun and efficient, and the proliferation of bike sharing definitely helps make it easier. Travelers don’t always know the ins and outs of a given city’s particular bike sharing program—but Bike Share Buddy solves that problem. The handy app shows you the locations of bike sharing stations in more than 45 countries (many of which are in Europe), even indicating how many bikes are available at each one.
iOS
- Eurail/Interrail Rail Planner
screenshot of Eurail app.
The tried-and-true Eurail Pass now has a tech component. The Eurail/Interrail Rail Planner allows you to search train schedules throughout Europe to plan your rail travel itinerary. You can even filter to see only the trains that work with your pass. And because the Eurail Pass is the equivalent of a ticket, booking on the app is only for the additional reservations you’ll need on top of the pass you already have.
iOS
Android
- Gett
screenshot of Gett app.
Gett makes it easy for travelers to book rides with London’s famous black taxis. The app is also available in Bristol, Coventry, and Manchester in England, and Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland. Using Gett means you don’t need to wait in taxi lines or hail a taxi on the street, and you can schedule a ride in advance.
iOS
Android
- Eurostar
screenshot of Eurostar app.
Speedy Eurostar trains whisk you back and forth from the UK to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel, and the Eurostar app makes booking and storing train tickets easy and convenient. The app tracks purchases so frequent travelers can earn loyalty perks, and even features some TV programs through Amazon video to watch during the trip with free on-board WiFi.
iOS
Android
- DB Navigator
screenshot of DB Navigator app.
Germany’s national train service, Deutsche Bahn, is revered for its efficiency—so it’s not surprising that the app is, too. The DB Navigator app, like the website, includes not just real-time German train schedules but also train schedules all over Europe. You can book train tickets (for German trains only) through the app, check in for your trip, and even see where on the train platform you need to stand to be near the car where you’ve reserved a seat.
iOS
Android
- Trainline
screenshot of Trailine app.
Despite what the name might make you think, this app is about more than just trains. Trainline is a booking app for trains and buses in Europe—including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain—helping travelers secure the sometimes-sizeable discounts that come with advance bookings. The app even lets you search for route options that will specifically go through (or avoid) certain cities to better tailor your journey.
iOS
Android
Read our guide to train travel in Europe
- Citymapper
screenshot of Citymapper app.
The powerful and popular Citymapper app, available in nearly 20 cities in Europe, combines public transit maps for buses, subways, and trams with real-time schedules, transit status updates, and even car and bike sharing information. You can also find out which exit to take from a subway station. It’s all in one handy place to make city navigation a piece of cake—for residents and travelers alike.
iOS
Android
- Scooterino
screenshot of Scooterino app.
While the Scooterino app’s usefulness is limited (it’s only for Rome), it’s so well-suited to getting through the busy city’s notorious traffic just like an Italian that it’s worth mentioning. Scooterino is ridesharing via scooter, giving you a chance to zip through the Italian capital on the back of a scooter without needing to do any of the driving or knowing your way around. Find out the rough cost of a trip before you book and pay your driver through the app, just like other ridesharing services.
iOS
Android
The Best Travel Apps for Translation and Conversion in Europe
- Google Translate
screenshot of Google Translate app.
Google’s handy online translation is available in an app, which helps you translate between 103 languages. There are several ways to enter the word or phrase you want to translate, from typing on the keyboard or handwriting to speaking into the microphone and even translating text in real-time using the phone’s camera. The number of languages supported by each method (aside from using the keyboard) varies, but it’s still overall a powerful tool. What’s more, Google Translate now works in any app with “Tap to Translate.”
iOS
Android
- TripLingo
screenshot of TripLingo app.
The TripLingo app covers the basic translation needs most travelers have—through typing on the keyboard, speaking into the microphone, or using the phone’s camera—but it’s also got educational tools. The app includes a phrasebook as well as audio language lessons, as well as specific etiquette, safety, and culture tips to help travelers feel more comfortable in unfamiliar places. There’s even a built-in currency converter and tip calculator.
iOS
Android
- GlobeConvert
screenshot of GlobeConvert app.
The minimalist GlobeConvert makes conversion easy, no matter what you’re trying to convert. Quickly switch currency, temperature, weight, distance, and much more into the unit of measurement you understand best. Save the conversions you use frequently, like US dollars to euros or fahrenheit to celsius, to make the process even more convenient. The app will even automatically fill in one of the currency fields based on your geotagged location. GlobeStudio, the makers of GlobeConvert, have other useful apps for travelers, too, including one that details tipping guidelines for the country you’re in.
iOS
Read our tips for getting around when you don’t know the language
The Best Travel Apps for Things to Do and See in Europe
- Viator
screenshot of Viator app.
No matter where you want to go in the world, or what you want to do, Viator probably has a tour (or seven) that will suit. To make it easier to find and book tours on the go, Viator’s app brings the catalog to your phone—even finding what’s near you based on your location. You can book same-day tours in some cases, find tours that help you avoid long entrance lines, and tickets booked through the app are saved on your phone.
iOS
Android
- SANDEMANs New Europe
screenshot of SANDEMANs app.
SANDEMAN has been giving free tours in a growing list of cities for more than a decade, and now covers 17 European cities. Each basic city tour is free—the idea being that each traveler tips the guide based on how useful, entertaining, or educational they thought the experience was. There are also several other paid tour options in each place. So, if you enjoy the free tour, you can book another one right away with the app.
iOS
Android
- TripDoc
screenshot of Tripdoc app.
Any travel lover who is constantly accumulating recommendations for future (potential) adventures—from friends, TV shows, magazines, etc.—knows how annoying it is to finally take a trip and not remember where you put all those little notes. Enter TripDoc, a guide to any city in the world that you create by adding pinpoints to city maps. Save notes about each tip to help jog your memory (such as a specific recommended dish at a restaurant or who gave you the tip). Then, when you’re visiting a city saved in your TripDoc library, the map will show you where those recommended spots are in comparison to where you are. No more substandard meals because you’re hungry only to find out later that a restaurant your friend told you about was just around the corner.
useful apps for traveling in europe
Our smartphones have become like our own personalized travel agents these days. From finding flights, to accessing real time translations, they have become a one stop shop for everything we need to search for, book, and enjoy our holidays.
Through the use of helpful apps, we can now easily travel all around the world like a pro. Though the usefulness of an app can definitely be regional; for instance what might be a brilliant app for Australia, might not do you any good in Europe.
When travelling through Europe you are faced with a wide variety of transportation options, hotel decisions, languages, currency conversions, etc. As such, knowing what the best apps are to help you with your journey is vital in order to enjoy a flawless travel experience.
The following are our favorite apps for European travel. I guarantee you’ll be well taken care of if you have these seven apps on your phone, though don’t forget to also set yourself up with prepaid Europe travel SIM cards to maintain reception and data.
The Best Apps for Travellers Heading to Europe
TEP Wireless
Tep blue device wireless internet
OK, not an app in itself, but before we jump into the best apps you’ll need for Europe, to use any of them you’ll need internet access.
TEP offers a very convenient device; a pocket-sized personal WiFi hotspot, to keep you connected to high speed internet anywhere across Europe. (High speed, secure internet).
Portable wifi in Europe is the best way to enjoy unlimited internet (on up to five devices at a time) seamlessly between countries, without having to rely on local SIM cards or unsecure public hotspots. Plans start at $6.95 a day.
Now to our favorite apps for Europe!
TripCase
One of the best apps for general travel, TripCase allows you to organize all of your trip details and travel plans in one place. Easily link your hotel bookings, flights, car rentals, and more. You can then view them all in one handy itinerary in the app.
View airline maps and access helpful contact numbers. Get the latest notifications such as flight delays and gate changes sent directly to your phone, usually before individual airline apps do. Search alternate flights if your plans change and see real time seat availability on your flight.
In addition, you can quickly access directions to your hotel when you arrive at your destination or book an Uber directly from the app. Share your trip with others and TripCase will keep them updated on your behalf.
Omio (Previously GoEuro)
Train RF
Omio is the ultimate app when it comes to a search and booking platform for trains, buses, and flights throughout Europe. It is one of the best comparison apps for cheap transport as it displays all transportation options for getting from Place A to Place B.
Their real-time comparison gives you direct access to over 600 trains, bus, and flight partners, and you can compare the three different modes of transport directly next to one another to find the quickest and / or most affordable journey.
It allows you to quickly search and compare thousands of routes for trains, buses, and flights anywhere in Europe. In just a few easy steps you can select the journey that best suits your needs, know you are getting the best price, and have your paperless e-tickets available to you in the app, even without Wi-Fi connection.
This is particularly useful for those who want to weigh up the convenience of a flight over the cost of the ticket for a bus or train.
FREE NOW (Previously MyTaxi)
Waiting for a taxi cab RF
Most likely Europe’s largest taxi app, FREE NOW (previously MyTaxi) has a network of more than 45,000 affiliated taxis across 40 cities. It’s the first taxi app that lets you book, pay for, and rate a taxi.
Simply book a taxi with FREE NOW, add a payment method to your account (credit card or PayPal) and pay for your journey with the app, and watch it arrive in real time and on the map along with receiving a notification when your driver arrives at your location.
If you enjoyed your taxi driver, simply save their name as a “regular driver”. They will be placed at the top of the list the next time you book a journey. Businesses will love FREE NOW as it allows your staff to book taxis without having to pay themselves and the business will receive a single bill for all their journeys once a month.
FREE NOW has been equipping taxis with tablet PCs that allow passengers to view the latest news and weather forecasts during their journey.
Culture Trip
The Culture Trip app is like Tripadvisor on steroids. It gives you the top recommendations when it comes to your destination’s attractions and restaurants along with information regarding its art, music, history, and more.
Explore articles focused on your destination that are written by locals. Bookmark posts you want to come back to and share stories with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. You’ll find suggestions for off the beaten path gems in addition to the usual tourist traps.
The app covers numerous locations all over the world. It caters to the individual user, giving recommendations based on their personal preferences and recognizes your current location to give you inspiration for what you can experience.
TheFork
Restaurant phone
A foodie’s best friend, The Fork allows you to search from over 40,000 restaurants to find the European dish you’ve been dying to try.
Read restaurant reviews, be tempted by mouth watering culinary photos, browse menus, and find directions to your chosen restaurant. The app allows you to book a restaurant free of charge and sends your booking confirmations by email and SMS.
Take advantage of a loyalty program and in-app discounts of up to 50 percent at select restaurants, including a 10€ discount after making your 1st booking with the app.
Google Translate
Learning a new language can be extremely difficult and travelling around Europe presents you with a wide array of languages.
Thankfully with the Google Translate app, you don’t have to learn all the languages as it allows you to translate over 100 different languages.
Don’t have data or Wi-Fi, no problem, as it can translate 59 languages with no internet connection. One of my favourite features is the instant camera translation which allows you to instantly translate text from nearly 40 languages simply by pointing your phone’s camera at the text.
Star and save translated words and phrases for future reference, take photos for higher quality translations, and translate bilingual conversations on the fly.
CalConvert
Pexels Money
If you are like me and despise having to deal with math in your head, CalConvert will help you with currency conversions as well as dealing with converting units of measurements.
It is both a simple and advanced scientific calculator that supports all major mathematical functions. You gain access to 150+ currencies without the internet so you can easily see just how much those Italian pair of high heels will cost you.
Convert feet to metres, pounds to kilograms, and miles to kilometres. You can easily save frequently used units of measurement and currencies as well as being able to see a history of your conversions or calculations.
HotelsCombined
With so many booking websites and apps out there it is hard to know where to look. HotelsCombined acts as a search engine dedicated to finding you the best hotel at the best rate.
I usually love Boooking.com for searching hotels but HotelsCombined allows me to see listed prices from this website as well as numerous others such as Expedia and Hotels.com.
Search some 800,000+ hotels with images and ratings, knowing you are backed by their best price guarantee. A nice feature is that their hotel booking app is available in over 40 languages.
HotelsCombined can also help you get in contact with your hotel and sort out any reservation issues when you can’t seem to get things sorted with the hotel directly yourself. To date I have found the app convenient and easy to use along with always seeming to offer the best prices on hotels I am searching for.
Time to Download!!
➡ Organize portable WiFi in Europe through TEP Wireless
➡ Download Tripcase for organizing your trip details and travel plans in one place.
➡ Download Omio for a search and booking platform for trains, buses, and flights throughout Europe.
➡ Download MyTaxi for Europe’s largest taxi app.
➡ Download Culture Trip for destination guides / recommendations.
➡ Download The Fork for restaurant bookings.
➡ Download Google Translate for real time translations.
➡ Download HotelsCombined for finding you the best hotel at the best rate.
OUR FAVORITE EUROPE TRAVEL GUIDES: CLICK TO LOOK INSIDE↓
Lonely Planet Europe
Europe on a Budget
Lonely Planet Western Europe
SPREAD THE WORD! PIN THIS TO YOUR TRAVEL PINTEREST BOARDS ↓
When it comes to travel apps for Europe, the following are the best. Click through for Europe specific recommendations for travel apps!When it comes to travel apps for Europe, the following are the best. Click through for Europe specific recommendations for travel apps!
If You Liked This Post You May Also Like:
The Best Christmas Markets in Europe
Epic European Adventures to Try Within Your Lifetime
Top River Cruise Destinations in Europe
Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.
Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.
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