Here are a couple of useful mobile apps for anyone planning on a trip to France in the near future.
First up is TER Mobile (thanks to forum poster Wanderer for alerting us to this), an iPhone and Android app that provides full access to the French TER SNCF train timetables.
The app lets you view upcoming departures from any station, find the nearest station to your current location and a host of other features that are all explained in French, so a smattering of the language won’t hurt if you want to use this app. You can also access the same features using any mobile web browser by visiting the TER Mobile web site.
Second is the France-Yoyage.com mobile guide that provides personalised tourist information for travellers and holidaymakers. It provides details on over 17,000 places of interest, along with maps, walking itineraries and places to eat, all based on your geographic location. iPhone and Android users also have access to ‘augmented reality’ features that layer computer-generated information over the camera view.
The app also provides an itinerary builder that suggests places to visit and things to do, based on your arrival and departure times and things you’re interested in. The guide is accessed online using a mobile web browser at http://m.france-voyage.com/en/.
The only catch for both services is that since they rely upon internet access, you’ll need to pay data roaming charges if you want to use them while you’re actually in France, so check with your service provider about overseas internet charges before you travel.
