Phone apps that make life easier when in Paris.

This app is excellent when traveling the Parisian public transportation system, whether bus, tram, metro or even train. You plug in the address of where you would like to go, it will geo-locate where you are and then spit out a handful of options for you.

What I love about it is it will tell me where on the train to get on, how long the trip will take me, how crowded it is, and what exit to take for my final destination. You can also recharge your pass through the application. No need to wait in line at the ticket window to buy your tickets or recharge your pass. This is best to be used inside the city.

Traveling outside of Paris proper? This is your app to use. The concept is the same as the Bonjour RATP app, you plug in your address and it gives you all the options to get to your destination. But this has all the information for trains and trams. It will also get you into the city. One thing that this app does not have like the RATP app is where on the train you need to be to get off or make a connection. One option that is great is that you can choose to leave now, leave at a certain time or arrive to your destination at a certain time. This is extremely helpful when you know you need to be somewhere at a specific time. 

Best way to communicate with family and friends abroad via text, call, and video chat. It’s over wifi and is free. I use both services, WhatsApp and Signal. It depends on which one you prefer, they both have about the same abilities. Each is associated with your phone number and when you sign on for the first time, you’ll be asked to verify your phone number and create an account. Each both offers a web version, but you cannot make calls from the web versions.

Move over Google Translate, Deepl is in town. I started using Deepl when I started having to write professional emails for work. I use it to check certain phrases. Deeply has a phone app that I’ve downloaded and use on the go if necessary. It also has a web version you can download. There is a paid version (DeeplPro) but for small translations, it works just fine.

Don’t feel like hopping on the metro and would prefer a more scenic route of transportation? And you’ve probably seen those green and light blue bikes everyone seems to be riding around town. The green bikes are just normal bikes and the blue ones are the electric bikes (which usually cost a bit more than the green bikes. You can either use your Navigo pass to activate a bike or you can buy a ticket. They’ve got it all listed out here with all the different options for Velib users (from the occasional, like me to the every day). As a good rule of thumb, always check the front and back tire pressure as well as the breaks. You don’t want to get a bike out and then realize there’s a problem. 

This is ideal when you are using public wifi and want that extra protection when surfing the internet. This is good to have on hand, especially if you need to access any websites or services that are based in your home country. You can choose what country you want to “be in” and it will connect you securely. I know there have been times when I’ve been wanting to read a story and have been blocked because I’m on a EU server. The nice thing is I can use this on my laptop as well as my cellphone, I can use the same account. If you catch it right, you can get a subscription for a relatively cheaper price when they have a sale. It’s fairly cheaper when you pay for they yearly option instead of the monthly option. 

This is my favorite weather app because it tells me in an hour window if/when it will rain based on my geolocation. Really comes in handy when wandering around Paris. You’ve got a day at a glance look as well as a 15-day forecast (which we all know is mainly pointless when it comes to weather in Paris) as well as an hourly forecast. But as I said before, my favorite option that has come in handy more times than not is the 1-hour rainfall indicator. This has been right more times than wrong. 

This is an air quality app that comes in handy, especially during the summer months in Paris when the air pollution is very high. I use the widget on my home screen so I have an easy glance whenever needed. The higher the number, the more the air quality is not at its best. The app will give you a prediction for the next 24 hours, which makes it easy to plan, especially if I have a day off and would like to go out.