For getting around on local transit, the Transit app was great for navigating Rome’s Metro and bus system. The ATAF was decidedly less useful, but it got the job done for navigating Florence’s bus system which isn’t covered by the Transit app. https://transitapp.com
Back to travel tools: I mentioned this before, but for navigating by car, the Google Maps app, specifically its ability to download map data for offline use, has been really useful.
Train change in Lugano.
✅ Pretzel ?
Not as good as in the Hofbräuhaus, but a whole lot better than what you get in the States.
In Switzerland, I’m using the excellent SBB app of the Swiss Rail System. I really can’t overstate what a great app this is for travel. Trip planning, ticket purchase, and status updates are a breeze. If I ever meet whoever built this app, I’ll buy them a beer.
For train travel, Trenitalia has finally made its iPhone app available in the U.S., so I used that for checking train status. But the Trenitalia app cant be used to purchase tickets without an Italian Tax ID number, so I used the Trainline app for easy purchasing.
Just entered Switzerland! ?????
(Incidentally, we found a good heuristic for judging what will be a good restaurant in Italy is their wine list. We haven’t gone wrong yet with any restaurant that serves their house wine in pitchers by the liter. ?)
For planning where to go, what to do and what to see, Rick Steves’ guidebooks have been indispensable. This time, I brought Kindle versions, which allowed me to follow his self-guided museum tours and city walks on my iPhone without lugging around a book.