Title says it all. I am looking for a practical travel assistant with maps and or sightseeing suggestions.

Thank you.

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I just got back from a trip to Rome and Paris. In Rome we used an app called Rome Metro by Desoline. In Paris we used one called "Paris Metro" by Mapway. These are strictly Metro apps and don't cover sightseeing.

In Paris we got a Paris Museum Pass. We got our money's worth out of them, but if you are planning on getting one just know that the "skip the line" perk that they are always pushing only means skipping the ticket line. With the popularity of these passes now everyone has one and we still had to sit in line at some places. Like at the Louvre. We entered at the Le Carrousel entrance and had to wait in line with everyone else because the security check is before the ticket office. And you still have to stand in the ticket line if you want to get an audio guide.

At Versailles, you go through a bag check. Then those that don't have tickets have to go through the ticket line. We got to Versailles about 9:30 and there was already a huge line of people that already had their tickets or Paris Pass waiting to get in. But we found a secret! If you have a Paris Pass, get to Versailles early enough and eat breakfast in their "Ore" restaurant. It cost us 20 euros a piece and was very good. Then when you go back down stairs you can show the lady at the desk your receipt and she'll walk you around the corner to pretty much the front of the line. Then you have to go through a metal detector security check.

If you don't have a ticket you can purchase one with your breakfast. See this link for more info.

http://en.chateauversailles.fr...visit/facilities/ore

ETA: A couple more apps we used were Nannybag and BagBNB. They are bag drops. So in our instance we got to London at around 1200 and couldn't check into our AirBnB till 1700. So we used one of these services to drop our bags and went to the British Museum. Easy peasy.

I also used the TripAdvisor app a time or two looking up info on places we were going.

Top notch advise! Thank you very much for it.
Wasn't even aware of the ticket situation and was counting on figuring it out when in place. Must plan ahead...

What about Rome. Tickets should also be my priority?

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TripAdvisor is very good for finding things to do and places to eat.

We always like the Rick Steve's guides when visiting Europe. They are better for sightseeing than dining. Tons of useful tips and suggestions.

When visiting the Vatican book your reservation in advance. That way you get to skip the ticket line and go to the will call window to get your tickets. The ticket line is blocks long.

In Rome I would book as much as you can in advance. Book directly with the venues if you can. I looked at the Rome Passes and didn't feel that they were worth the money.

So Rome, I'm not Catholic, but was traveling with two of my buddies that are Catholic so the Vatican was a top priority for us.

If you plan on going to the Vatican Museum I suggest signing up for one of their night time tours. The Museum is open all day then closes for a few hours then opens again for the night tours I think around 1930 hours. They opened the doors right on time, but we got their a bit early to insure we were on time. We had to wait in line about 30 minutes, but with the sun having set already it wasn't like having to stand in the sun like you would getting in during the day. The crowds are just as bad on the night tours though which I was a little disappointed in as I thought I was signing us up for a more exclusive tour than what it ended up being.

St. Peter's Square is an easy visit if you don't go during some kind of service. We went to hear the Pope give his Angelus speech and had to go through a security check to get into the square. Earlier that day, it was a Sunday, we queued up to attend a mass at the Basilica and was able to get right in after going through security. Inside they have several priests offering mass in many different languages. My friends were able to take Communion at the Basilica. We walked around the Basilica for a while until the Dome opened and we went and got in line for the climb to the top of the Basilica. Amazing views!

We also went on a tour of the Coliseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill. I found that tour through Viator.

I think though, the most impressive thing I saw outside of Vatican city was the Altare della Patria. It is just massive and until I saw it from a distance on top of Palatime Hill I didn't even know it existed! It houses the Italian Tomb of the Unknowns as well as a museum. We didn't go into the Museum, but you can go inside and gain access to some of the higher levels of it.

Had to look up Il Altare... I know it as the Vittorio Emmanruel II monument, aka the wedding cake.

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Citymapper ap to get around. Rick Steves’ guides for the ins and outs of what to see.

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Originally posted by 0-0:Tickets should also be my priority?

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Understatement. Buy ALL your museum/location tickets in-advance. You're traveling thousands of miles/km for vacation, you didn't travel all that way just to wait in line... Planning is paramount, the entire world visits Italy 12-months out of the year, there's no more down season like it used to be.
Visiting Rome for 2/3-days, consider purchasing a Roma Pass. The free public transportation offer is fantastic.

Best travel apps that I use the most:

- Google Translate
- Google Trips (combines information from tickets, accommodations and bookmarks into single-platform...kinda scary actually)
- Rick Steves Audio (like his books, great for self-guided tours, certain maps, and podcasts broken down by country)(We used it for self-guiding around Florence and Venice)(His radio show/podcasts aren't as bland as his TV program)
- What's App (for texting)
- Yelp (I utilize the bookmark feature to mark out the restaurants I want to consider, the mapping feature gives me my proximity to those locations, take a screen shot when you depart wi-fi and reference the photo)

Hello!

Spent last week in Paris. Make sure you have the Uber app! We also bought a metro pass and rode it all over. We hit all the big tourist places at various times during any given day and had only one delay - and that was at Versailles. Even then we were only in line for 25 minutes. Loved Paris! Have fun!

Jim

Thank you all. Keep it coming, please.

No one here even mentioned the passes. Went to a couple of travel agencies and the service is terrible.

My last touring trip precedes the digital age. I believe the Romans were still building roads to their Empire. The spousal unit hasn't been to Europe yet.

Jim, what can you tell me about the weather?

We have a few handicap starting from Argentina. My wife's CC has little credit so we'll use mostly cash.
Uber is still a big no no down here. Cars and drivers arebeing attacked on the streets bycab drivers. Therefore, people is afraid todownload their app. Foreign visitors do not seem to mind but Uber was only legalized a month or so ago. Cab companies are a long way from coexiting peacefully with it.

Will likely have to buy the passes once we get there.

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Hello!

Locals told us that the weather had been unseasonably warm. It was in the mid 70s daily; we ran around in shorts no problem. But it’s cooling off quick.

Jim