Top free French smartphone apps
Track post, check traffic and trains: here's our selection of top free French smartphone applications
Beyond an array of dictionaries there are hundreds of phone applications for life in France for both iPhones and other smartphones using the Android market place.
PagesJaunes (the Yellow Pages) is freely available on both, as is a La Poste app which allows you to find your nearest post office and track parcels among other features.
There are several applications to let you see real-time train information both nationally, regionally and for Paris’ local transport (search gares and have a browse).
The iPhone’s Velib’ program lets you find your nearest bike hire station in the capital with information on how full or empty they are. There are applications on both Android and iPhone that cover bike hire schemes in other major French cities – just search vélo.
ViaMichelin provides the application and the information for travel news for the iPhone, whereas travel monitor Bison Futé is behind the Trafic app for Android.
News sources such as Le Figaro, Le Monde, France Inter, France Info, 20 Minutes, TF1 and Le Parisien are available on both as are plenty of weather applications.
The iPhone has a handy program called Congés, Vacances et Fêtes which tells you about French public and school holidays, religious days etc.
It also has Livecam 360 – which links to some of the most beautiful webcams recording in France. There does not appear to be equivalents for these two for Android yet.
For property hunters the SeLoger app is a great tool for both iPhone and Android users.
