App like a local

Experiencing a city like a savvy local means using technology like them too, says The Club’s resident techspert, Derek Adams. Here are five of his favourite apps for discovering the secret spots of your holiday destination

For hipsters

Looking for a farmer’s market in London or a decent indie restaurant in Washington DC? Not for Tourists: City Guides is like having a clued-up local in your pocket. It’s written by native editors, and you select your neighbourhood to find the nearest venues and attractions, along with enthusiastically written descriptions, web links and map locations. The guides currently cover London and seven US cities, and a Kindle version is available.
iOS, £1.49 per city

For the indecisive

Triposo aggregates web reviews to offer personalised activity suggestions for more than 8,000 destinations. A clever algorithm gathers information from Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Open Street Maps and Flickr – and it can all be downloaded for use offline. Search for everything from self-guided walks to hotel recommendations.
iOS and Android, free

For culture vultures

Indie Guides is an offline ‘alternative city guide’ app providing a handful of off-the-grid places to explore, from small, live-music venues to local eateries and artisan workshops. The app currently features 11 paid-for city guides, including Istanbul, Rotterdam, Rome, Athens and Madrid – plus free tasters for Paris and Montreal.
iOS and Android, £1.49

For film fans

Tastemade City is Vine, Trover, Instagram and TripAdvisor all rolled into one. The app highlights your area’s best restaurants with a randomly arranged smorgasbord of user videos – and even comes with its own video-editing template. Currently, the app is fairly US-focused, but there are also half a dozen other worldwide cities, including Sydney, Sao Paolo, Tokyo and London.
Android and iOS, free

For readers

Described as “a series of blogs for travellers who like to experience cities the local way”, Spotted by Locals has 62 destinations to choose from. The individual entries are engaging, detailed and written with a passion that can only be provided by someone with a deep love for their city.
Android and iOS, £2.99 per city

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This article has been tagged Technology, Travel Tips