You are on a business trip and want to go by cab? Not sure how much it will cost? Use Taxometer, a mobile taxicab fare calculator. It will calculate the costs for (at this time) over 200 cities in 20 countries worldwide, including major cities in the US, Australia and Europe and show you the way the driver should go. Once you have decided to spend the money, you can call the next available dispatch center. As a pro, the App comes with a “drunken mode” – just shake your iPhone and you get the cost to your home address and a big button to call a cab! Taxometer costs € 2.99 in Europe and $3.99 in the US.

A similar app for Germany is called Taxiruf and helps you to find and connect to the next available taxi dispatch centre – even in the middle of nowhere. Taxibutton promises to locate the next available cab, however you need to register first and it does not work outside the big cities yet. On the pro side, it is also available for android phones.

For travelling by public transport in Germany, the most advisable App for iPhone users is Haltestellen. Whether you are looking for buses, underground/metro or trains, it displays up to date timetable information, including delays. In particular, with Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains, the App often knows better about a delay than the DB employees. Just enter the name of a city, station, tram or bus stop, and the App  will list the departures or arrivals within the next hour and calculates the connection to your destination. The App can even locate the nearest bus stop or station – and it’s free.