10 Apps to Download Before Your Christmas Markets Trip
You’ve got your packing list ready, but are you prepared to hit the ground running in Europe with the proper apps and technology? Make your trip as seamless as possible with these apps to download before your Christmas market trip. From currency helpers to communications tools, each of these apps will help make your trip smoother from touchdown to the markets to time you return home.
Currency Converter
That Danish souvenir might seem like a good deal in Krone, but it might be more than you’re expected to pay in USD or AUD! We’ve used My Currency Converter app worldwide; it works flawlessly every time and doesn’t require data! It especially came in handy while going to the Christmas markets in Budapest, where the Hungarian Forint was very different from the Euro or USD!
While not commonly used by Americans, the rest of the world uses WhatsApp. As a messaging and phone app, Whatsapp allows you to communicate with Airbnb or tour hosts, call restaurants to make reservations, meet up with friends, or keep in touch even after your trip. When we say everyone else uses it, we mean EVERYONE else uses it, so download it soon and start getting used to it!
Ridesharing Apps
If you’re not renting a car in Europe, it’s easy to get around with rideshare in the most famous Christmas market destinations! There are many ridesharing apps across the continent, but Lyft, Uber, and Bolt are what we’ve found that works in most European countries.
Trainline
While we love a road trip or a Christmas market cruise, the easiest way to travel through Europe is by train. You can purchase train tickets quickly and easily through the Trainline app. You can track train times, buy tickets, and select seats within the app. As a bonus, you never have to worry about validating paper tickets in countries like Italy, as the ticket and QR code are right on your phone.
Your Airline’s App
We’ve found that we’ll often receive app updates about flights or gate changes before we get notifications by text, email, or announcements throughout the airport. Additionally, you can find extra in-flight entertainment on your airline’s app that will help pass the time on the long overseas flight. Do you want to know our in-flight go-to items to ensure the flight goes smoothly? Check out our long-flight life savers here!
Surfshark VPN
Protect your personal data online while you travel and use foreign wifi connections. Using public wifi is always risky and could lead to potential hackers stealing your private information. Often, international phone plans or sim cards come with more limited data than you’re used to, so you’ll most likely find yourself connecting to public wifi more. Don’t let your guard down just because you’re on vacation! Surfshark is super affordable and worth every penny with its identity theft protection.
In addition to protecting yourself online, you can also use it to still watch all of your favorite shows on your streaming platform of choice. It’s always nice to warm up and wind down with your favorite cozy show after a long, cold day of market hopping!
Toilet Finder App
You’re going to be spending a lot of time out and about hopping from Market to market and after all that mulled wine and cider, you’re surely going to need a toilet, and fast! Like most places in the world, toilets inside of shops and restaurants are for paying customers only. However, European shops and restaurants are not required to have toilets accessible to customers.
So what do you do when you’re wandering the streets and ya gotta go? Check the Flush Toilet Finder & Map: It’s free and has over 200,000 public toilets in its database. What’s not free? Many of the toilets on the app aren’t, unfortunately. Make sure to keep some change on you as public use toilets can cost anywhere from approximately 50 cents to 2 dollars.
Google Maps
Google Maps is the perfect app for planning and taking trips to Europe. Save places such as restaurant recommendations or must-visit attractions to your list in advance. Use the map for directions and location scouting while you’re on vacation. We’ve found that Google Maps typically works better than Apple Maps in Europe, but we use both frequently.
Google Translate
Need to convey a message to someone at a booth who doesn’t speak your language? Download the Google Translate app, type your message, and the app will read the translation allowed in the selected language. Our favorite hack is using the Google Translate app to translate menus we can’t read. All you have to do is take a photo through the app, which will translate the text on the screen into your language! It’s nearly flawless and so helpful. It can also give you pronunciations of words if you’re unclear on how to say common Christmas market words like “gluhwein!”
Google (for Google Lens) or ChatGPT
If you’re not a fan of a guided tour yet are curious about the monuments, icons, or foods around you, use the camera within your Google app to visually search your surroundings. “Who’s this statue of?” or “What is this food called” can be quickly found out through one quick Google Lens search.
Want a more robust answer? Use the photo or video function in a new ChatGPT chat to ask what you’re looking at or to translate the text or menus for you.