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
- Will be your best friend while traveling in France
- Is included with your trip
- Read More about 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
- Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo
- Skype
- Viber
This way, you can use you own smartphone in France, the same way you use it at home !
FAQ
Does Google Maps work in France?
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.
Does Waze work in France?
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.
Best navigation app for France?
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.
