LONDON -- If London's leafy parks, palaces, museums and craft beer-serving pubs have enticed you to take a vacation in the city this summer, you'll need a few essential apps to help you make the most out of any trip to the capital.
Whether you want to climb to the top of St Paul's Cathedral to take in the view, marvel at Tate Modern's immense turbine hall, sample some breakfast in the cereal cafe on a stroll through Shoreditch or walk across the world's most famous zebra crossing on Abbey Road, London is a city with so many attractions, it would take several lifetimes to see them.
Here are seven apps to help you cut through the noise, find your way around and generally make your trip a little easier:
1. Citymapper
You probably already have Google Maps on your phone, but Citymapper is all you need to master London's comprehensive and sometimes confusing public transport network. Once you input an address, the app gives you an estimated time for walking, cycling, taxi or public transport. Using the Tube, overground rail and bus, Citymapper usually provides multiple routes and frequently gives a "rain safe" option -- very useful in a city that sees a lot of rain. The app also takes up-to-date information on any travel disruptions, and factors these into route suggestions. If you're taking a London bus, you can even tell it to notify you when you're about to reach your stop.
Details:
Free
2. Santander Cycles (a.k.a. "Boris Bikes")
Until very recently, the self-service cycle scheme were officially named Barclays Cycle Hire, but was rebranded earlier this year to Santander Cycles. Known to Londoners as "Boris Bikes" because of the city's mayor Boris Johnson, you can use the official app to help you find the nearest docking station with available bikes. Or, when you're done with your journey, Santander Cycles will tell you where there's an empty bay to ditch your wheels. Unfortunately, the app doesn't let you reserve a bike, but you can do that at the docking station with hire, starting from £2.
Details:
Free
3. National Trust
Want to take a day trip to escape the city, find the perfect garden to kick back in for a few hours or visit a Tudor house in East London? This app will help you find that perfect place. The National Trust conserves places of historic interest or natural beauty in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its app features 400 properties and locations, as well as an up-to-date calendar of current events, which you can search by location. It's a great way to find a hidden gem that you might not spot in a guide book.
Details:
Free
4. YPlan
YPlan is one of the easiest ways to get a bird's-eye view of what's happening across London. Whether you're looking for a comedy club, a secret supper club, a West End musical or a late-night museum opening, Yplan will tell you what's on. You can filter by price or event type, and view in a list, or use the map function. In addition, the app hosts flash sales, making it an easy place to pick up discounted tickets.
Details:
Free
5. Uber or another taxi app
Uber has around 15,000 drivers signed up in London. It hugely disrupted the cab industry, here, often providing a cheaper alternative to the city's traditional black cabs. If you don't use Uber or want to stick with black cabs, you can use Hailo to book and pay for one. Or, you can try the newest app on the block, Maaxi, which lets you share a black cab with other people.
Details:
Click here for a review of London's main taxi apps.
6. OpenTable UK (formerly Toptable)
UK app Toptable, bought by OpenTable, does the same thing as its U.S. counterpart. You can use the online restaurant-reservation service to book a table at hundreds of restaurants across London (the app has 4,300 bookable restaurants across the UK).
Search for a table using the map or in a list, and once you select a restaurant, any available sittings will appear. Results can be filtered by price, rating and distance. Other food app options for London include Yelp and Urbanspoon, as well as the newly released paid app Where to Eat in London 2015, which is curated by London food blogger Chris Pople. He reviews 100 of the city's best restaurants, taking in high-end to low-end and everything in between.
Details:
Free
7. London's Best Coffee
If you're obsessed with coffee and on a mission to avoid the big chains that dominate parts of London, you're going to need this app, which has been listing the city's best independent cafes and roasteries since 2010. London's Best Coffee app, which even details the machines used in each establishment, rates places out of five, and gives up-to-date news on tastings and special offers.
Details:
£2.29