Best Apps for Europe and UK

If you are planning museums, check out the apps for them. For instance, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Mauritshuis in Den Haag have very good apps for use in the museum and also very good WIFI. When I visited the Van Gogh Museum last spring they did not have their own app. In London, although not a museum, Westminster Abbey has it's audio tour on an app. Much better to download this one at home.

I also have the TFL (Transport for London) app but there are others that work as well or better. I don't have data, just check the app via WIFI before I set out in the AM. Since Emma lives in London I'd probably go with her recommendation.

You can find a short list (probably not brand new or cutting edge) at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/apps-for-travelers.

In general for travel, my favorite planning app is Tripit for organization. I have Tripit Pro which has a few extra perks but you can certainly get along with the free one. Rick Steves "Audio Europe" app for walking and museum tours for the Netherlands (I think?), England and Scotland. There might be some for Norway. Everybody has their own favorite map apps and I use City Maps. For transportation I do use the Tube Maps for London, Metro for Paris, Berlin and San Francisco. They are called just that; Metro and Tube. The one I use for San Francisco is also called Metro. They are made by a company called Zuti.

GPSMycity is another that has maps, articles, and designed walks for many places in Europe and around the world.

Website with list of apps recommended for Norway.

Another vote for CityMapper, which will make getting around so much easier in many locales.

And Trainline for looking for and purchasing train tickets (do be aware that I think they have a small surcharge on tickets bought from devices with a US ISP address).

Otherwise, national rail company apps for each country (or private providers if relevant).

Thanks everyone for these excellent suggestions and links - all very helpful!!

Garrison