10 Most Useful Apps for a Trip to Rome

10 Most Useful Apps for a Trip to Rome

A number of useful apps can help you make the most of your stay in Rome! Image by Clem Onojeghuo, sourced from Unsplash

International traveling is not a rare occurrence anymore; it’s part of our lives, a fact so common and ordinary as having a mobile device or eating exotic food! Our parents’ generation wasn’t necessarily so lucky, but we are!

It’s with that thought in mind that I came up with a list of apps that could be extremely useful during your trip to Rome.

Specifically, I realized how many apps I took for granted that didn’t really work outside of Italy, or were only designed for an Italian-speaking audience. Downloading apps that are difficult to understand is exactly the opposite of useful!

So I took the time to list what should be on anyone’s mobile device as you roam the streets of Rome. With a caveat: everything that struck me as being too obvious didn’t end in this post.

For instance, apps like Duolingo or Google Translate: everyone who’s flying to another country will have thought about those, because not speaking the local language is the main concern when we leave for an international holiday.

With that in mind, I tried to address other needs, and hopefully you will enjoy my choices as much as I did trying all these different apps!

Apps for Navigation

Maps.me

Maps.me lets you use the GPS navigation while offline, image by StockSnap sourced from Pixabay

Google Maps has taken a leaf out of this one app when it started offering an offline navigation feature. To be fair, this is Maps.me’s main attribute, and combining that with this program’s limited size makes it a real winner in my book.

Maps.me is particularly useful for those visitors who are not sure about their data allowance and are afraid to run out of Gigabytes as they visit a foreign country.

You can store your preferred map by downloading it while connected to a WiFi, and use it offline as you’re out and about during your trip.

Free of charge. Available for IOS or ANDROID.

Waze

It’s unlikely you’ll ever get to drive when visiting Rome, but for those who feel like they have no other choice, please use Waze and observe its useful alerts and notices like it’s the gospel!

For those who are not used to driving in another country, or in cities (like Rome, indeed) where restricted areas are a thing, it’s the only way to save yourself from the stress of receiving a handful of fines.

Free of charge. Available for IOS or ANDROID.

Apps for Public transport

MyCicero

Atac, the company that runs most of the public transportation network in Rome, relies on this useful app for the sale of its tickets.

These can be paid for with most credit cards as well as PayPal, and you can choose to buy single ride stubs or passes, which will also be usable on city trains run by the Trenitalia company, provided you’re still within Rome’s city limits when you board or get off.

Because public transport is based on an honor system, don’t forget that even if they’re e-tickets, they still need to be validated as soon as you get on the bus, tram or subway. Don’t worry: the app will guide you through a step by step procedure!

My tip: MyCicero also lets you pay for your parking spot – I recommend you explore all of the features this app has to offer.

Free of charge. Available for IOS or ANDROID.

Moovit/Citymapper

Citymapper and Moovit are among Rome’s most downloaded public transport apps, image by Jeshoots-com sourced from Pixabay

I couldn’t pick just the one app for public transport navigation! These two are both excellent. They share their mode of operation (they monitor the GPS data from every public means of transport) and have a similar interface.

The only main difference, as far as I can tell, is that Moovit also allows you to book a taxi, while Citymapper has an option for booking a car sharing vehicle from one of the several companies operating in Rome (My tip: if you’re allowed, as a foreigner, to register to any of such services during your trip, do it! It’s the way many Romans move about).

Both apps are free of charge.

Moovit on IOS, ANDROID

Citymapper on IOS, ANDROID

Free Now

This useful app formerly known as MyTaxi is to Rome what Uber is to… Pretty much anywhere else.

Because of legal liability issues, Uber X and Uber Pop cannot operate in Italy. So what happens is that you can use this app to book a taxi with the same user experience you would have had by using the Uber app: it tells you how far the taxi is, how long is it going to take to get to you, and you can pay through the app by credit card or PayPal without having to use any cash.

Just a heads up: as Free Now is one of several similar apps that you can download during your trip, it will only locate those taxis near you that have partnered with this specific company, not all of those available. Which means sometimes you may have to be a little patient as the app finds a car for you.

Free of charge. Available for IOS or ANDROID.

Apps for Living in Rome

Flush/Toilet Finder

Looking for a public toilet? Let your smartphone help you! Image by Franck V sourced from Unsplash

While you can always count on museums and restaurants to have a toilet for their visitors/customers, you may really need to…Go when you’re not anywhere near them!

That’s where these apps come in: they will locate and direct you towards a public toilet. I recommend trying to tinker with both and see which one you prefer: Flush seems to be missing some locations that instead appear on Toilet Finder.

As a plus, keep in mind that there are always going to be public toilets available in any train station, as well as in the useful P-Stop tourist kiosks that have started appearing in the city center of Rome lately.

Both apps are free of charge.

Flush for IOS, ANDROID

Toilet Finder for IOS, ANDROID

Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go is becoming increasingly popular in Rome, image sourced from Too Good To Go

Particularly useful to those who are being mindful of their budget as they travel, this British-born app locates businesses around you that don’t want to throw away any of the leftover food they have in store. Bakeries, pizzerias, sushi places and so on are getting more and more on board with the app’s concept.

As a registered user, you pay a small sum for a so-called “Mystery box” which is going to contain some of their specialties, be it pizza, sandwiches or doughnuts for your breakfast!

You make a difference in reducing food waste, and at the same time you can eat something that you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise – like Rome’s many types of street food!

My tip: remember to pick up your Mystery box when instructed, or it will get thrown away.

Free of charge. Available for iOS or ANDROID.

The Fork

The Fork app at launch, image sourced from The Fork

When in Rome, many travelers eventually face some disappointment because they think they can be seated in a city restaurant just by… showing up.

It’s a common misconception, one that doesn’t take into account just how many tourists come to Rome every day – some places have months-long waiting lists!

However, this happens, I think, also as a by-product of feeling too self-conscious to call a restaurant to book a table while speaking a different language.

The Fork solves at least the latter issue, letting you book a table through your phone, while also giving you the restaurants’ rating (according to TripAdvisor). It’s an introvert’s paradise!

My tip: note that not every restaurant in the city is on this app (don’t expect to find Michelin-starred eateries, for example).

Free of charge. Available for IOS or ANDROID.

MedinAction

Again, an app for the linguistically self-conscious: unforeseen events can happen to the best of us!

So, if you feel like you’re in need of medical attention, or have a health-related emergency, this app by a popular English-speaking private practice in Rome can be extremely useful.

This holds particularly true if you don’t know how to get to an emergency room or feel overwhelmed at the thought of speaking with an Italian physician.

Do note that while the app is free, a visit with a MedinAction doctor (if required) won’t be.

Free of charge. Available for IOS.

Apps for Tourism

Street Art Roma

This work by famed street artist Blu is available in the app, image by Andrea De Angelis sourced from Pixabay

Popular magazine Artribune has come up with this genius app to help those who are visiting Rome but are looking for something more modern than… the Colosseum. Initially created for locals, it is now also available in English (just make your selection as you first launch the app).

Rome is one of Europe’s street art capital cities, and this extremely useful collection of spots gives the field a certain dignity, complete as it is with a short description of each work and a profile of the artists involved.

Street Art Roma not only shines a light on big name creatives: it also puts on a map more suburban areas of the city, where these works are typically located. That way, you can explore them at your own pace, finding out less touristy hangouts and landmarks in the process.

My tip: try to use a little more caution if you decide to visit street art that is obviously located in the outskirts of the city. While Rome’s not dangerous per se, some areas may be a little more sketchy.

Free of charge. Available for IOS.