Using your Smartphone to make your trip easier

Traveling with your smartphone allows you to save your pictures and share them with family, keep in touch with home, and have access to great traveling Apps. 

 

To Use your phone without surprise roaming fees :

  • Procure an International plan with your telephone service provider - this is the best option - plan for 50MB of data per day
  • or buy a prepaid SIM card upon arrival in France - your phone must be unlocked for European SIM cards for this
  • Laura, Emilie & Clélia will walk you through finding the best option for you

The team will provide how tos for the most used travel apps:

  • We will provide explanations and short videos : easy & user friendly
  • We recommend you start using WAZE (or Google Maps) GPS at home before the trip as this is the best navigation tool in France

Get Familiar with our list of Free Recommended Apps:

This is a list of applications we find very useful while traveling. Based on the type of "app user" you are, we will glady make a short-list which fits YOUR needs.

 

 

 

Your France Just For You App

The Best GPS in France

  • Waze: if you use only 1 App, this is THE App to get for your French trip
  • Google Maps

Great Tools for your trip

  • Citymapper
  • Gas Now
  • Google Translate
  • The Fork
  • Tiqets (last minute tickets)
  • Uber
  • The French Weather Forecast : France Weather app
  • XE currency converter
  • Flush: to find the nearest public restrooms
  • TouchNote: to mail real postcards from your cellphone - about $3 a postcard - it takes about 5 working days to be delivered

Keep in touch

  • Whatsapp
  • Facebook
  • Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo
  • Instagram
  • Skype
  • Viber

 This way, you can use you own smartphone in France, the same way you use it at home !

FAQ

Yes. Google Maps covers France in detail, including driving directions, public‑transport routes, walking paths, and live traffic updates on major roads. 

Before you leave your accommodation’s Wi‑Fi, download the region of France you're in for offline use since cell coverage can be patchy in the countryside and inside stone villages.

Absolutely; in fact, it's our preferred GPS navigation app. Waze is popular with French drivers because it crowdsources real‑time traffic, road‑work alerts, and speed‑camera warnings.

Just be aware that France restricts precise speed‑camera locations; the app will instead show “danger zones.” Keep a car charger handy—Waze can drain your phone battery quickly.

For most travelers, a combination works best:

  • Google Maps for reliable routing, offline maps, and walking directions in towns.
  • Waze for live traffic on longer drives and alerts about accidents or slowdowns.

Tip: We preload every France Just For You itinerary into our MyFrance travel app with one‑tap links to each stop, so your chosen nav app opens with the exact GPS coordinates—no typing required.

Our Travelers’ Reviews

Valerie
Emilie deserves every 5 (actually I give her 10!) star review since we never dreamed our 2 week trip through the Loire, Normandy and Paris could be so perfect. One of the many steps above and beyond was arranging a full-day private tour in Normandy since my husband's uncle (who is still alive) was there on D-Day. Our guide, Noémie, knew in advance …
Debbie
Emilie is amazing. Going to Normandy has always been a dream of my husbands and luckily for us we found Emilie to plan our trip. Our hotel in Paris for the start of our trip was located perfectly. Within walking distance of so much for our first two days before we picked up the rental car she had arranged for us. Then onto Normandy and the Loire …
Elle
Laura and Emilie planned such a professional, authentic and fantastic trip that it has become one of my favorite vacations! Excursions, accommodations, and suggested activities were flawless -- such that the only difficult decision for us was what to select from scrumptious French cuisine. I was hesitant at first to trust an unknown online trip …

Our Travelers’ Photos

Julie, Mary-Jo, Ben & Kevin
From the US
In the Loire Valley
The Loo Family
From Malaysia
At the breakfast table in the Loire Valley
Jane & Ron
From Canada
Visiting the Opéra Garnier, in Paris
Tonia
from Canada
Cycling in the Loire Valley
The Khaw Family
From Malaysia
With their guide Raphaelle in Paris with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background.
Anna & Trea - From the US - in a castle in Provence
Anna & Trea
From the US
In a Castle in Provence
Bill & Leslie
from the US
Visiting a wine cellar in the Loire Valley
John & Becky
from the US
In the Arcachon Bassin
David & Lindsay
From the US
Celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in France
Christina
from the US
in a lavender field in Provence
Ginette, Craig, Bev & Dan
from the US
Visiting a winery in Provence
Carol & Mike
from the US
In Pont du Gard roman bridge in Provence

Last Blog Articles