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Exploring Paris Made Easy:
The Best Apps to Download Before Your Trip
Keep these useful apps close by at all times during your next trip to Paris
Visiting Paris to explore properties and neighborhoods can be a lot of fun and is certainly exciting, but navigating the city efficiently requires having the right tools at your fingertips. To ensure your trip is smooth and enjoyable, we’ve compiled a list of essential apps that will make getting around Paris a breeze—and ensure you get the most out of every minute of your property-hunting adventure. From rideshares to restaurant reservations (and everything else in between), these useful apps will make it easier for you to experience the City of Lights like the local you’ll soon become.
Taxi
G7
G7 is one of Paris’ most reputable taxi services. With a fleet of over 9,000 vehicles, G7 ensures that you’ll always find a cab when you need one. The app offers real-time booking, fixed fares, and the option to select eco-friendly vehicles along with user-friendly fare estimator and real-time tracking features to ensure a transparent and stress-free experience.
Rideshare
>Pro-tip: While a popular option in many markets around the world, rideshare services have recently faced a number of limitations in Paris, including many streets (or lanes) now being closed off to cars other than official taxis. To avoid any delays in getting to and from the airport—or around the city—our recommendation is to take a taxi whenever possible.
Uber
Uber needs no introduction. It’s the go-to app for hailing rides quickly and easily. With real-time GPS tracking, cashless payments, and driver ratings, Uber ensures a reliable and safe journey across Paris with vehicle and feature-based pricing options, ranging from budget-friendly UberX vehicles to the more premium Berline sedans and spacious Vans. Whether you’re heading to a property viewing or exploring a new neighborhood, Uber is your perfect companion. Plus, the app’s user-friendly interface and seamless payment system make booking a ride a breeze.
FreeNow
FreeNow, formerly known as Kapten, connects you with professional drivers in minutes. Known for its excellent service, FreeNow offers both taxis and private hire vehicles, ensuring a ride for every budget. Its standout features include the ability to pre-book rides up to four days in advance, thanks to its “match” feature, you can share your ride with other passengers heading in the same direction—to cut costs and promote sustainability.
Bolt
Bolt offers affordable rides with just a few taps. Known for its competitive pricing, user-friendly interface, and focus on electric vehicles and carbon-neutral rides, Bolt is a rideshare favorite and eco-friendly choice for environmentally-minded travelers. The app also offers scooter rentals for those who prefer a more adventurous way to take spontaneous trips around the city.
Bikes & Scooters
Cityscoot
Cityscoot is an electric scooter sharing service that offers a fun and eco-friendly way to navigate Paris’ streets. With over 7,000 scooters available across the city, you can easily locate and unlock a scooter using the app. Cityscoot is a perfect choice for short trips around the city, as well as exploring areas not easily accessible by car.
Vélib’
Velib’ is Paris’ self-service bike sharing system, with over 20,000 bikes and 1,400 stations across the city. The easy-to-use Velib’ app allows you to locate available bikes (and their docking stations) and also purchase passes. With both classic and electric bikes available, Velib’ offers a healthy and eco-friendly way to explore Paris.
Lime
Lime offers electric scooters, bikes, and mopeds in Paris. The Lime app allows you to locate and unlock vehicles, with the option to reserve a scooter or bike in advance. Lime’s user-friendly app and reliable vehicles make it a popular choice for tourists and locals alike.
Dott
Dott is another electric scooter and bike sharing service in Paris. Focused on safety and sustainability, Dott offers high-quality, eco-friendly vehicles, a user-friendly app, and useful features like in-app tutorials for new users. The app’s “Beginner Mode” feature is perfect for first-time riders, limiting the scooter’s speed for a safer ride.
Tier
Tier offers electric scooters and mopeds in Paris. The Tier app allows you to easily locate and unlock vehicles, with the option to pause your ride if needed. Tier’s commitment to safety is evident in its “Safety Pricing” feature, which rewards users for parking responsibly.
Public Transportation
IDF Mobilités
IDF Mobilités is the official app for public transport in the Île-de-France region, which includes Paris. The app provides real-time traffic information, route planning, and ticket purchasing for buses, trains, and metros. A newly released feature allows users to use their “metro card” when boarding public transit (valid tickets must be purchased in-app to use this feature).
Paris Metro
Paris Metro is a user-friendly app that provides offline access to Paris’ metro, RER, and bus maps. The app’s route planner, with real-time updates, helps you find the quickest and most efficient way to reach your destination, while its station search feature makes it easy to locate nearby stops. An essential tool for navigating the extensive Paris metro system with ease.
CityMapper
Citymapper is a popular multimodal transport app, with an intuitive interface, that covers over 100 cities worldwide, including Paris. It provides real-time updates, route planning, and step-by-step navigation for public transport, walking, cycling, and more. Citymapper’s “Super Router” feature helps find the best route based on your preferences and real-time conditions.
Parking
Indigo
Indigo is France’s leading parking operator, with over 400 car parks in Paris. The Indigo app allows you to locate nearby parking facilities, view real-time availability, and book a spot in advance. With its contactless entry and exit system and mobile payment options, Indigo offers a seamless parking experience.
Trains
SNCF
SNCF is the official app for the French National Railway Company, offering high-speed TGV services and regional trains to other parts of the country and throughout Europe. The SNCF app allows you to book tickets, view timetables, and access real-time traffic and train status information. With its e-ticket feature and seat reservation options, the app makes traveling by train a breeze.
Restaurant Reservations
TheFork
TheFork (formerly LaFourchette) is a popular restaurant booking app that covers over 60,000 restaurants worldwide, including many in Paris. The app allows you to search for restaurants by cuisine, location, or price range, read reviews, and make instant reservations. TheFork often offers exclusive discounts and promotions to sweeten the dining experience.
Food & Grocery Delivery
UberEats
UberEats is a popular food delivery app that partners with thousands of restaurants in Paris. The app allows you to browse menus, place orders, and track your delivery in real-time. With its wide selection of cuisines and user-friendly interface, UberEats is perfect for those nights when you want to enjoy a delicious meal from the comfort of your apartment.
Deliveroo
Deliveroo is another popular food delivery app operating in Paris. The app offers a wide range of cuisines from local restaurants and major chains, with the option to schedule deliveries in advance. Deliveroo’s “Plus” subscription service provides free delivery and exclusive discounts, making it a great choice for frequent users.
Toilet Finder
Flush
When nature calls, Flush is there to help. This handy app, which also has offline functionality, allows you to locate public toilets and restrooms nearby, providing information on opening hours, accessibility, and user ratings. Flush covers over 200,000 toilets worldwide, making it an essential app for any traveler—especially in a city like Paris, where finding a public restroom can sometimes feel like a feat in and of itself.
Water Fountains
Les Fontaines de Paris
Les Fontaines de Paris is an app dedicated to locating public drinking water fountains across Paris. In addition to mapping out over 1,200 fountains, the app provides details on each fountain’s history, architecture, and water quality. Stay hydrated and explore Paris’ rich heritage with this uniquely informative app.
Download: iOS
Translation
Google Translate
Google Translate is an essential app for any traveler, offering instant translations in over 100 languages. The app’s camera mode allows you to translate text in real-time by simply pointing your phone at signs, menus, or any written material. With its offline translation feature and conversation mode, Google Translate ensures you’ll never be lost in translation.
DeepL
DeepL is a powerful translation app that offers high-quality, accurate translations in 26 languages. The app’s interface is user-friendly and allows for easy copy-pasting to make translating text on the fly a breeze. While DeepL’s language selection is more limited than Google Translate’s, it often provides more nuanced and context-aware translations.
Entertainment
Urbs Travel App
Urbs Travel App is a multifunctional travel companion tailored for Paris. The app includes an offline metro map, a currency converter, a tip calculator, and a selection of popular French phrases (that you have mastered before your trip, of course). Urbs Travel App also provides personalized recommendations for attractions, restaurants, and shopping based on your preferences and location, along with curated audio guides and self-guided tours for discovering the city’s hidden gems and historical sites at your own pace.
Google Lens
Google Lens is an intelligent camera app that can recognize and provide information about objects, landmarks, and artwork. Simply point your camera at an item of interest, and Google Lens will offer relevant details, translations, and even shopping links. In Paris, Google Lens is particularly useful for identifying historical buildings and monuments—in addition to translating signs, menus, and other written content in Paris (and around the world).
Download: iOS | Android (Built-in)
Tiquets
Tiqets is a convenient platform for booking tickets to museums, attractions, and tours in Paris (and all around the world). The app allows you to browse and purchase tickets for popular destinations like the Louvre, Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower, often with skip-the-line access. Tiqets’ mobile tickets and instant delivery make it easy to plan your itinerary on the go.
Communication
WhatsApp is a widely-used messaging app that has essentially become Europe’s go-to messaging app. It allows you to send texts, share media with friends and family, and make voice and video calls (over Wi-Fi and data, for those of you purchase a data plan). The app’s end-to-end encryption also ensures your communications remain private and secure, so you can stay connected with loved ones back at home with peace of mind during your travels.
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