The constant technological advances influence diverse aspects of our lives. The use of mobile applications on our day to day, allow us to access information immediately, thanks to the capability of our mobile phones we have tools and mediums of communication that ease our tasks.
We update and add characteristics to our devices, installing mobile apps with diverse functionalities. The citizens and visitors of Barcelona or Sevilla can benefit from what these apps can offer, easing their day to day or their vacations. Therefore, here at Sweet Accommodations, we have made a review of our favourite travel mobile apps.
So if you are soon traveling to Barcelona or Sevilla get your phone out and start downloading these travel mobile apps. In order to make your experience more enjoyable we have organized the apps in 3 categories:
1. Before traveling
2. During your travel experience
3. After your travel experience
Let’s start with travel mobile apps for preparing your trip.
1. Mobile Apps for Before traveling
Skyscanner
If you are looking for cheap flights Skyscanner is the answer. This is a free – yes FREE – travel app that provides online comparisons for cheap flights, hotels, and even car rentals both domestic and international. And most importantly, it is secure.
In addition, you don’t actually pay them when you make bookings. You pay directly to the airlines, hotels, or car rental companies. So in simpler terms, it’s a search app that routes you directly to suppliers. Sounds great, right?
Packpoint
Your trip starts when you are packing your bags. How many times have you felt frustrated not knowing what to put in your luggage? Download Packpoint and forget this dilemma. This luggage list organizer helps you sort out your luggage in terms of duration and type of travel, your planned activities, and the weather forecast at your destination. Better impossible!
Still, having issues packing for your travel? We are sure this travel packing checklist from our friends at coworker.com will definitely help you out.
WeatherPro
Every person has its own favorite weather app. We like WeatherPro. Besides information on climate, it tells us UV rays index and water temperature, ideal for our beach trips. This app is also ideal for planning your trip, especially at the moment of packing your bags.
LoungeBuddy
Do you have a long waiting time at the airport on your next trip? Do you not have access to the VIP rooms at the airport? With this travel mobile app you will have immediate access to 170 VIP rooms in airports around the world through a prepaid system. Make the best of your waiting time enjoying in VIP style.
In the air
Why is App in the Air, the premiere “personal travel assistant”? It keeps real-time information on your upcoming flights including gate change alerts, flight delays, cancellation alerts, border controls, and more. It also keeps track of your flight itineraries and boarding passes. Borders are beginning to open, travelers are flying again. Thankfully, App in the Air has just released an update adding in COVID Health Tools onto your bookings! This delivers the latest COVID Health news and tools straight to your booking screen. This is by far one of the most reliable travel mobile apps you should download.
Wanderlog
This mobile app and website is the easiest way to plan your trip. Wanderlog trip planner is free and allows you to build, organize and map out your travel itinerary. In it, you will find travel itineraries from the best travel blogs and publications in the world, including content created by Sweet Accommodations. Save your favorites with one click, export the places automatically to google maps, add your flight and hotel reservations and even collaborate with your travel buddies! You will never have to switch from app to app during your travels. Use Wanderlog to plan your trip and have it all at hand.
2. Mobile apps for during your travel experience
Travel mobile apps for Transport and Mobility
Google Maps
The first one on our list is a mobile app that many of us are familiarized with. Google Maps allows us to navigate the map of Barcelona and Sevilla with updated information about public transport, schedules, and time of travel.
We can also find bars and restaurants around the area, together with their customer reviews, as a general guide it is one of the most complete ones for mobile phones.
The #SweetTeam uses this tool quite a bit to explain our guests how to arrive at any place in Barcelona or Sevilla.
[You have to begin with the basics, learn to say hello in 21 languages]
Maps.me
If you are going to be traveling without internet data then this map application is for you.
Maps.me let you download every map so that you may access them without an internet connection. Every traveler knows the importance of having a map always at hand.
Orux Maps
If you prefer open air activities and traveling then you must download this app. Trekking, mountain biking, water sports, a route plotter with GPS, and much more. Orux maps let you download the maps as well!
[To discover Barcelona by bike you should visit our special article which includes a downloadable city bike lane map – Click here]
TMB App
The TMP App is the official mobile application for Metropolitan Barcelona Transportation. In it, you can find information about the metro and bus lines of the catalan capital city, ideal to plan our travels around Barcelona.
If you register you can enjoy personalized information.
Metro de Barcelona
Of all the apps to travel in the city, Metro Barcelona is the easiest to use, since it only shows the metro map of Barcelona. It offers a value that no other app offers, to show the metro lines in this unique perspective is of great help to move around the city.
Renfe Cercanias
Another of the Barcelona travel mobile apps for public transport is Renfe Cercanias. This mobile application shows you the schedules of every train from Renfe Cercania de Barcelona. Ideal for when you are planning a trip outside the city, be it mountains or beach. A great resource.
[For beaches we recommend Canet de Mar and for mountains, Siurana]
Wesmartpark
An excellent option to look for parking in Barcelona is the application Wesmartpark. In it you can find the cheapest available parking spots, reserve them, and pay directly from the phone. This mobile app is also available in Madrid.
[Do you want to know where to park for free in Barcelona? Do not miss our advice! – Click here]
Amb Taxi Barcelona
The Barcelona Taxi app, created by the local government and the Metropolitan Authority of Transport, which calculates the time, distance, and approximate price of a taxi service in the condal city. It takes into consideration your starting point, destination, and time of travel.
For the visitors of Barcelona that are not familiarized with the taxi prices, this app is of great help to decide their mode of transport.
Hailo
Hailo is another Barcelona Taxi app that has a different function. This service, which works in several cities around the world, connects users with taxi drivers in real time. When you solicit a taxi you can see the approximate pick-up time and the price of the service. You also have the option of paying through the mobile app.
Uber
This taxi app is present in almost all of the world and is super reliable when you need to connect with taxi drivers in real time. Unfortunately, as of now it is not working in Barcelona yet you may use it in Sevilla with no problem. We highly recommend it because the service in Uber is cheaper than a regular taxi on the street.
Bla Bla Car
In the transport mobile applications category, Bla Bla Car connects drivers with passengers to share ride and expenses. This app also works in several cities around the world, it is a great resource for those that want a comfortable and low-cost way to travel from city to city.
Travel mobile apps – Guides, information, restaurants, activities and more
Bus Turistic
The service of Barcelona Bus Turistic has its own travel mobile app to complement your stroll around the city and take the most advantage of it. This touristic Barcelona app has information about the main attractions around the city.
Time Out Barcelona
Time Out Barcelona has an extensive list of restaurants, bars, concerts, associations, leisure, and entertainment activities in Barcelona. This mobile app is very well organized and designed, separating information by price, location, and types of places or food. Users can verify opening hours, exact location, and contact details for the several listings.
TripAdvisor
Like in many other cities, TripAdvisor has its own mobile app that shows a complete guide, with full information and user reviews for Barcelona and Sevilla. One of the characteristics that we like the most about this app is the list of suggested itineraries. Touristic routes to visit the most emblematic places at your own rhythm whenever you want to.
[What is an itinerary we highly suggest at Sweet Accommodations for Barcelona? You should definitely visit the arquitectural works of Antoni Gaudi – Click here for the full list]
Field trip
Is it true that when you travel you plan to visit the most emblematic places possible? Have you ever realized that you had walked nearby one of them but never noticed? The application Field Trip will let you know of the places that you cannot miss on your next vacation. Once you introduce your places of interest it will alert you when you are nearby, and it will also give you a description of the spot!
[Asking yourself what to see in Barcelona on your 3-day visit? – Click here for the answer]
Wikiloc
This app is ideal for all travelers who love to hike and take adventures away from the main path. Wikiloc is a web and app that offers navigatable routes created and uploaded by its members. You may search for routes by location and filter them by activities such as mountain biking, hiking, cycling, running, walking, trail bike, and many many more. The #SweetTeam absolutely loves this app and uses it often to rediscover amazing hikes in Barcelona or Sevilla and its surrounding areas.
Fever
This is one of the best mobile apps for entertainment. In Fever you will find all kinds of plans: restaurants, discotheques, sporting events, etc. You can sign up with one click, and if the event is paid you can do so from your phone, and upon arriving at the establishment you will show your online ticket to get in. Very easy to use and with a great variety of activities.
[Do you feel like discovering Barcelona’s nightlife? – Click here for our list of favorite bars and clubs in the city]
Meetup
Meetup is the perfect community to make genuine connections and meet new people while attending events and activities in the city. This community is a great mix of locals and visitors, sharing experiences in a variety of events ranging from sports, adventures, hikes, learning, language exchanging, social events, etc. If you want to meet new people while you are traveling this is definitely a great option, especially for those traveling solo in Barcelona or Sevilla.
VizEat
If one of the things you enjoy the most of your travel is trying authentic food, then we recommend you this app. Are you a person willing to try different experiences? Would you like to eat and share a table in a host’s house? Participate in a meal through VizEat, try local food, and get to know the culture eating with locals.
Vivino
Have you ever gone to a restaurant wanting to enjoy your meal with good wine only to find yourself with a completely unknown wine selection? With the Vivino app you are joining the largest community of wine lovers. You can search wines by name, see their ranking, wine lover’s reviews, and average price. You can also find a wine by taking a picture of its label. Learn about the best wine and food combinations and save your favorite wines. This is the ideal app for people that enjoy a good wine but don’t have the best memory to remember their favorite ones.
[You like beer more than wine? Click here to discover the best breweries for artisan beer in Barcelona]
Google Translate
If you are going to travel to a place where you do not know the language the Google Translate app is for you. Yes, the translation might not be perfect but it will allow you to communicate and understand others. We can tell you firsthand because we sometimes receive guests that do not speak any of our languages and with Google Translate we can explain to them the necessary to have a comfortable stay. A very valuable tip is that you can download languages to use without an internet connection.
Echo 112
One of the things that worry us the most when we travel is security, especially when we travel with family and children. Although we should always travel with a positive mentality, it is always more than useful to be prepared for any emergency. In case of emergency, you will only have to go into Echo 112 app, its technology will automatically detect the country you are in and call the correct emergency number. If there is no data connection, all the information will be sent via sms.
3. Travel mobile apps for after your experience
Splitwise
This app is ideal for when you travel with a group of friends and when you are sharing expenses. With Splitwise you create a travel group, you can call it Barcelona for example, and add the participants to the group. Every time you add an expense you will choose the person that has paid for it and how you want to split it. It is not necessary that all the group members have this app, although it is ideal so that everyone can keep track and verify their balance. Download Splitwise and forget writing down the expenses on paper complicating yourself with the final balances after your trip.
PS Express
Most of us travelers like to capture the best moments of our trip in photographs. You might want to print them later or show them to your loved ones, so you must make sure they are the best quality possible. If you want to edit your mobile photos with a high-quality app then we recommend you PS Express. It is the mini version of the famous Photoshop software and with it you will have plenty of editing options in the palm of your hands.
This is a selection that has been very useful to us as travelers. We hope you download your favorite apps and use them well on your next trips.
Remember, if you are coming to Barcelona or Sevilla get in touch with us, stay in the best accommodations in the city center, Sweet Accommodations, and experience #TheSweetLife.
We know that the mobile app world is huge so maybe we are missing some great apps that can make a difference.
