Last Updated on October 10, 2024 by Aswetravel
Best Travel Apps for Europe – In a world practically ruled by technology, it’s only right that we utilize it as much as possible. Gone are the days of battling with oversize tourist maps or jumping on a train and hoping we get off at the right stop while traveling to Europe.
There’s not even a need to fill in a paper e111 card renewal anymore, with the internet making it easier than ever to apply.
There are countless travel apps available on Android and iPhone that can make our travels easier than ever, and we’re here to introduce you to some of the Best Travel Apps for Europe to make your holiday just that little more stress-free.
Best Travel Apps for Europe
SkyScanner
While most of the apps on our list can be used while you are travelling, SkyScanner is ideal for before you even book your holiday.
In fact, this Best Travel Apps for Europe will search airlines and compare the prices to find you the best and most reasonably priced flights for you! You can save time, money and patience by using this app, and trust us – all three of those are valuable to keep!
Fly to any of the major European destinations with the cheapest flights and if you have a little more flexibility to go with it? You never know just how little you could spend on your air fare!
Go Euro (Omio) Travel Apps
For those of us who are seasoned travelers or have been abroad at least once and experienced the horror of not having a hire car, you’ll already know how difficult it can be to understand public transport when you’re travelling.
Luckily, GoEuro is here to make catching a bus, train or flight so much easier! With easy booking on over 450 travel companies and the best prices, traveling your destination doesn’t have to be a stressful experience.
You have all the times, fares and booking you need, right from one little app on your phone!
The Fork Travel Apps
The foodies among you – or, you know, anyone that needs to eat! – will love TheFork. This free app helps you find, book and gather special offers for a whole array of different restaurants in Europe.
This app is completely free and simple to use, and you could even get up to 50% off of your meal!
Look for the right deals on the food that you love using this app and not only will you satisfy your stomach, but your bank account too – after all, saving a little extra cash on food gives you more spending money for those cheesy souvenirs!
One Fine Stay
OneFineStay is an app for those of you who like the finer things in life. If you’re looking for a unique way of staying in the countries you love, this app will help you find the ideal luxury accommodation (usually an apartment or home!) and will even help you settle in.
You can browse their selection of homes, check the booked dates, set the address to make it easier to get back there while you’re exploring, and you’ll even have access to plenty of other information like location restaurants and sights to see!
TripLingo
TripLingo is everything you could want in an apps for travelers.
As the name suggests, this great app can help you out with the ‘lingo’ of the country you’re visiting with the voice translator feature, and there’s a phrasebook too for those need-to-know features – but the uses don’t stop there!
There’s a WiFi dial to let you make international calls when connected to WiFi, a tip calculator so you don’t have the awkward ‘too much or too little’ fiasco, and there’s plenty of culture notes, learning tools, safety advice and so much more to make getting around your destination easier than ever!
TripLingo really does have a bit of everything! Oh, and did we mention it was free?
Hotel Tonight
Hotel Tonight is an amazing app for hotel booking, and has tons of features for finding the best deals, no matter where you are in Europe.
As the name implies, Hotel Tonight focuses on last minute hotel bookings, and that’s usually how you can score such great deals. The booking app works with hotels around the world. When the hotels have empty rooms they pass the deals along to Hotel Tonight. If you’re patient, and not too picky about where you stay, you can get some fantastic prices.
That being said, Hotel Tonight still offers plenty of options for those who want to book in advance. If you aren’t interested in booking last minute, you can book weeks or months ahead of time to prepare for your Europe trip.
Hotel Tonight is available as an Android app or for iOS devices.
Google Maps
Perhaps the most popular navigation app in the world, Google Maps is an absolute essential for your European vacation. Google Maps is an all-in-one GPS, navigation, and travel app that also gives you comprehensive information about your surroundings. You can plan your routes, check traffic for a road trip, or just see which shops and restaurants are nearby.
Google Maps has mapped over 220 countries, with comprehensive information across Europe. You can focus on finding new things to enjoy, and rest assured that you won’t get lost in a strange location.
Google maps also lets you “save” maps if you won’t have access to Internet. You can take this offline map with you on-the-go, and use it throughout the day.
A must-have for any traveller, Google Maps is available on the App Store, Google Play, as well as on desktop.
Guides By Lonely Planet Travel Apps
Guides by Lonely Planet is a useful app that is packed with guidebooks for over 8000 cities worldwide (including plenty of European cities).
These are more than just your standard guidebooks. Each guide contains tons of information, audio tours, currency converters, offline maps, expert advice, virtual tours, and more. Lonely Planet is a long-standing market leader in vacation guidebooks, so their advice is definitely to be trusted.
Do note that this is not a free app. You get 5 free previews per month, and beyond that you need to buy a subscription. Luckily, you can buy a short subscription if you only need the app for the duration of your vacation. Subscriptions start at $4.99/month, and get less expensive the longer you buy.
HostelWorld
Above, we checked out our favorite hotel booking app. If you’re more into the hostel scene, then here’s our favorite hostel booking app.
HostelWorld is great for travelers on a budget. You can browse hostels, read reviews, and book rooms all from the app. HostelWorld features over 17,000 hostels in countries all over the world. Whether you want a party hostel, a quiet hostel, or a laid back experience on the beach, you can find it on the app. You can filter your search based on price, room type, location, etc.
HostelWorld partners with many hostels, and offers fantastic prices on accommodations. The app also features a “noticeboard”, where travellers can post about local events, meet-ups, and more.
LoungeBuddy Airport Lounges
Seasoned travellers know the importance of a nice airport lounge. An opportunity to kick back and relax during a hectic travel time. LoungeBuddy helps travellers find, book, and learn more about the nearest airport lounge.
LoungeBuddy has a library of over 2000 lounges in over 800 airports around the world. Just click your location, and you’ll get info, pictures, and ratings of the nearest lounge. From there, you can choose to book with your credit card, right on the app.
Not each airport lounge is created equal. LoungeBuddy helps you decide whether it’s worth the entry fee before you pay. Decide if the lounge is up to your standards, and take it from there.
Best Travel Apps
What are the Best Apps to Keep You Occupied on Holiday – Are you a gadget head that simply can’t be without your favorite device?
Of course you are, heck, you are probably reading this on your mobile device of choice!
You are not alone as we, too, are constantly glued to our smartphone.
So what is one to do when away from the comforts of their own home?
Load your phone up with your favorite apps, of course!
So whether you are living it up on a caravan park close to home or on the other side of the word, you can keep yourself occupied with our favorite apps.
Twitch
The last five years have seen an incredible rise in the internet streamer, which has been spearheaded by Twitch – formerly Justin.TV.
The platform is the home of live streaming gamers and, with over 14 million users every day, Twitch is live and kicking.
As well as watching people from around the world playing your favorite games, you can participate in a live chat with other like-minded individuals.
As entertainment moves with the digital wave, live streamers are taking full advantage and we, as a willing audience, are more than happy to sit there staring at a screen as we watch other people staring at a screen.
Spotify
On long journeys and, let’s face it, on holiday there is a lot of travel involved, we need our favorite tunes to keep us sane.
Whether your album of choice is Definitely Maybe by Oasis or Abba’s Waterloo, Spotify is there to see you through.
Twenty years ago, it would have been unthinkable to have your entire music library in your back pocket.
Fast forward to the present day and there we have it and, not only that, you can create and share playlists with your friends and family.
Social Apps
Where would we be without the ability to share pictures of our holiday to make all of our friends jealous?
Before the introduction of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you would have to wait until you got home to bore all of your friends and family with slideshow after slideshow.
Now, you can rub your friends and families faces in the fact that you are sitting on a beach, whilst actually still sitting on the beach.
Technology, eh?
Amazing!
Share your snaps and remember to use hashtags such as #BeachLife, #SunSeaAndCocktails and #WishYouWereHere.
You know, just to let your friends know you are thinking about them.
YouTube
On holiday, you can never find anything good to watch on television, can you?
Most hotels only provide the basic channels, and even then the picture isn’t that good.
Fear not, though, because YouTube is on hand to keep you occupied with cat videos galore!
Hopefully where you are staying has stable Wi-Fi, or at the very least your phone has a decent 4G signal.
Of course, using your data to stream music is one thing, but streaming videos use a whole lot more data.
Make sure to book somewhere that offers Wi-Fi, even if you have to pay a nominal fee to use it.
Travel Apps
Lastly, and probably most importantly, having trusty travel apps on your phone such as Google Maps, public travel services and any other apps on the local area will serve you well when out and about.
Finding your way somewhere new can be scary and challenging, so a handy companion will help you on your travels.
With any map app, download the latest map to your phone when connected to Wi-Fi.
This will help to keep your data usage down to a minimum, meaning that you need not worry about running out of data when walking unknown streets.
Kindle
There is nothing better than sitting poolside in the sun with a good book, but as any book lover will know all too well is that books take up a lot of room in the suitcase.
That is where the highly popular Kindle app comes in, giving you access to your favorite titles and authors as the tap of a screen.
The Kindle app has come on in leaps and bounds over the years, providing the user with the ability to purchase and download books instantaneously.
Equally, the user can also download samples of titles, allowing them to test the water before deciding whether to proceed with a purchase.
This is a holiday essential if you plan on topping up your tan in the sun.
Google Maps
This pre-loaded app is a life-saver for when you are trying to navigate your way round a city or town that you have never been to before or cannot read the signs!
Be careful, though, because the data this can use can end up racking up an expensive bill but, used efficiently, take its rightful place amongst your holiday essentials.
For us, we certainly recommending using Google Maps over Apple’s alternative for the simple reason of the app being far superior than its competitor.
Maps are easier to read and have better street view capability, although Apple are working on expanding their street view offering.
While you don’t go on holiday to spend all day glued to a screen, these apps will make your time away that little more pleasant.
