Have you been planning your dream trip to Europe? Have you been spending your days picking and choosing what countries to visit and how to navigate them?
Then you already know it’s not like traveling in one big country. Instead, it’s more like navigating a dozen different systems at once. Trains work differently, restaurant culture changes by the block, and Google Maps or Uber alone doesn’t always cut it.
That’s where local and Europe-specific apps come in. They’re built for the region’s quirks, including its multi-country routes, old towns with no street signs, and cities where even finding a toilet can be a challenge. This guide skips the obvious travel apps and brings you apps that you’ll actually end up using during your European trip.
From navigating public transport like a local to finding last-minute food deals or clean restrooms when you really need one, these tools are practical, lightweight, and genuinely helpful on the road.
Omio
Best For: Booking trains, buses, and flights across multiple countries, especially when crossing borders or comparing travel modes.
If you’re planning to hop between cities or even countries in Europe, Omio is one of the most convenient transport apps you can use. It lets you compare and book trains, buses, and even flights in one place and is perfect for planning complex or multi-leg journeys, which is a typical requirement on a trip to Europe.
What makes it better than something like Skyscanner or Trainline is that Omio doesn’t just show high-speed or obvious routes. It includes lesser-known bus services like ALSA, regional trains, and multi-mode options you might miss otherwise. For example, if you’re going from Madrid to Porto, it’ll show you train-to-bus combos and cheaper long-distance buses most apps don’t surface.
Rome2Rio
Best For: Planning long-distance routes between cities, regions, or even countries when you want to compare all possible transport options.
Rome2Rio is a great app to use during the early stages of trip planning, particularly when you’re trying to figure out how to get from one region or country to another. It shows all the ways to go from point A to point B, including trains, buses, flights, car routes, and even ferries.
What makes it more helpful than Google Maps is that it works across borders and includes transport combinations that Google usually skips, like low-cost bus operators or regional ferry routes. You also get estimated travel times, rough pricing, and operator names, which helps you build a realistic itinerary without toggling between websites.
It’s especially useful for less straightforward routes like “Split to Florence” or “Porto to Granada,” where a direct train or flight doesn’t exist. Rome2Rio gives you the full picture so you can decide what works best for your time and budget.
Pro Tip: Use it to explore alternative routes before finalizing bookings on Omio or directly with operators.
BlaBlaCar
Best For: Budget-friendly, long-distance rides, especially on routes with limited train or bus connections.
BlaBlaCar is a long-distance ridesharing app where you can book a seat in a car with someone already driving between two cities. It’s widely used in countries like France, Spain, and Germany and can be a lifesaver when trains are fully booked, or routes are too rural for easy public transport.
It often proves much cheaper than trains or buses. For example, you can travel from Paris to Lyon for around €20, which is less than half the cost of a last-minute train ticket. Drivers list their departure time, pick-up points, and available seats. You simply choose one that fits your schedule.
However, since this is not a taxi or on-demand ride like Uber but rather more like coordinated carpooling, it would be helpful to learn the basics of the local language in the place you are traveling to for a smoother experience and better communication with your co-passengers.
This app works best for city-to-city rides booked 1–3 days in advance. However, always confirm the fare with the driver up front. Last-minute demands for higher rates are common, and you don’t want to be caught off guard.
Citymapper
Best For: Getting around major European cities using public transport with real-time updates and local accuracy.
Citymapper is hands-down one of the best apps for navigating public transport in Europe’s big cities. It gives you up-to-date metro, tram, and bus info in places like London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Barcelona, cities where Google Maps often falls short.
So when in Europe, don’t just default to Google Maps. Citymapper shows real-time delays, platform numbers, last-train timings, and even alternative routes if something’s down. Its options for e-scooters and shared bikes are particularly impressive. The app makes it convenient for you to mix and match transport based on time or cost.
The interface is also cleaner and less cluttered than most national transport apps and even Google Maps.
Too Good To Go
Best For: Scoring cheap, surprise meals while helping reduce food waste, especially in cities where eating out is expensive.
Too Good To Go is a brilliant app that connects you to restaurants, bakeries, and cafes looking to sell their leftover food at the end of the day. You pay a small fee — usually €3 to €6 — and pick up a “magic bag” filled with whatever’s left over. It’s a bit of a mystery box, but it’s almost always a good deal.
It’s especially useful in cities like Paris, Amsterdam, or Copenhagen, where even a casual meal can burn a hole in your pocket. The app has massive coverage across Europe and is easy to use. All you need to do is just check what’s available near you, book a pickup slot, and show up.
There’s no real equivalent for this in most other parts of the world, which makes it a uniquely European travel hack.
The Fork (by TripAdvisor)
Best For: Reserving restaurants and unlocking discounts, especially in food-forward countries like France, Spain, and Italy.
If you plan to eat out at least once a day in Europe, The Fork can save you both time and money. The app lets you browse restaurants, see real-time availability, and book a table instantly.
But the real reason why you should use this app is that many listings on this app offer exclusive discounts, sometimes up to 50% off your total bill, automatically applied when you book through the app.
It’s particularly useful in countries where popular places fill up fast or where reservations are expected, like Paris, Lisbon, or Florence. Instead of walking around hungry and being turned away, you can secure a table and probably even a deal ahead of time.
Every listing has photos, menus, and reviews to guide your choice, minus the fuss of flipping through Google or TripAdvisor separately. You can also filter by location, cuisine, price range, and promotions to find a place that matches your preferences and budget.
Flush
Best For: Quickly find public toilets in European cities, especially when you’re offline or in busy areas.
Flush is one of the most practical apps to have on your phone when traveling through Europe. It helps you locate nearby public restrooms. It even works offline, which is useful in places where mobile data might not be available or is limited.
Unlike Google Maps, Flush focuses solely on toilets and provides helpful access information like whether the restroom requires payment, if it’s wheelchair accessible, or if you need to ask for a key.
This app is particularly helpful in older European cities like Paris, Rome, or Venice, where restrooms are often unmarked or hard to come by when you really need them.
The app has a simple interface and loads quickly, making it useful for emergencies on the go. It’s a small tool, but one that makes a big difference when you are out sightseeing in newer and unknown towns.
Refill
Best For: Finding free, reliable water refill stations across European cities, ideal for cutting costs and reducing plastic use.
Refill is a simple but useful app that helps you locate public fountains, and other water stations across Europe. It’s particularly helpful in cities where bottled water is expensive, and you would struggle to locate free drinking water sources.
Instead of paying €2–3 every time you’re thirsty in a tourist-heavy area, you can use Refill to find the closest spot to top up your bottle. The listings include public fountains, shops that participate in the refill network, and eco-conscious businesses happy to let travelers use their tap.
The app works in most major cities and tourist regions, and it’s especially handy on long walking days or hikes where hydration is key.
GetYourGuide
Best For: Booking tours, skip-the-line tickets, and local experiences across Europe without last-minute stress.
If you’re planning to visit major attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Sagrada Familia, or the Colosseum, GetYourGuide is one of the most reliable apps to use. It lets you book tickets in advance. You can even buy tickets with guaranteed entry times and skip-the-line access.
What makes it better than buying on-site is the convenience and coverage. Many top attractions across Europe sell out days in advance during peak seasons. With GetYourGuide, you can book ahead, receive instant confirmation, and get QR codes that serve as your entry tickets. You don’t printouts or physical pickups either.
The platform also has a wide range of guided tours, day trips, and niche experiences that are vetted and reviewed by other travelers. You can filter by language, group size, cancellation policy, or interest.
Compared to Viator, GYG has broader coverage in European cities and a smoother booking experience.
Country-Specific Railway Apps
Best For: Real-time train updates, seat reservations, and local travel perks within specific countries.
Even if you’re using Omio or Rome2Rio to plan or book cross-border travel, it’s still worth downloading the official railway apps of the countries you’re visiting.
Apps like DB Navigator (Germany), SNCF Connect (France), Renfe (Spain), and ÖBB (Austria) offer more accurate real-time updates, platform numbers, and last-minute seat reservations than third-party apps.
They’re also useful if you’re traveling within a single country, as local rail systems might have regional discounts, commuter trains, or special offers not visible on global platforms. These apps also let you save mobile tickets, check live delays, and sometimes even change or cancel your booking without having to go to a station.
If your itinerary includes multiple train journeys in one country, using the local app alongside Omio or Rome2Rio gives you the best of both: big-picture planning and on-the-ground accuracy.