You'll be able to use WiFi with your iPhone in Europe, just not the phone itself or data. (Assume you mean "Verizon Wireless?") In fact, you can still use Skype via WiFi to make calls I believe (I don't have an iPhone).

You could even buy a Skype US phone number for $18 for three months, then forward your US Verizon phone number to that Skype phone number. Then it would "ring" on Skype on your iPhone when you are on WiFi with it, and you'd be able to listen to your messages with Skype. The only other charge you pay is whatever Verizon charges per minute to forward your calls, if anything.

<< just not the phone itself or data >>

Andrew - I know I can't use the phone component, but isn't using the internet using data?

I use my iPhone in Paris when connected to WiFii only and have push notifications turned off. I have not gotten any charges as a result. I don't make.calls, text or check voice mail.

If there has been any data usage, it hasn't resulted in any charges outside what I usually see. I use AT&T.

There have been several threads regarding this in past. You may want to search for them for more detailed info.

Thanks denisea. So you were able to use Google maps with wifi? With your ATT phone, you would need a sim card to be able to make calls, I think.

It depends on which iPhone model you have.

iPhone 4 from Verizon - can't use wireless portion in GSM country such as France.

iPhone 4S from Verizon - you can use it in GSM mode in France either using Verizon SIM in roaming mode if your usage is very low or have Verizon unlock the phone to be able to take a French SIM. I think you must be Verizon customer with iPhone 4S for at least 2 months.

CPG - read this very informative, step by step on how to use phone wifi:

http://www.udeyjohnson.net/1/post/2011/07/how-to-use-your-iphone-in-paris.html?

Isn't using the Internet using data?

Not if you're using it via wifi only. If you're using your data plan, there will be a 3G next to Verizon in the top left of your phone. If you're using wifi you'll see the wifi symbol there.

As Greg said, if your iPhone is a 4S, you can indeed use it in Paris. Just call Verizon to set it up. Otherwise, you can use the phone over wifi just like you would an iPod touch. I think the GPS will work. Mine did even with data roaming turned off.

This is all quite interesting, but I'm always slightly confused.

Deb - that is an interesting article. I might try skype at home and see if it works with 3G disabled.

jent103 - I know the difference between 3G and wifi. I meant getting data using wifi as opposed to getting data using 3G. My phone uses wifi automatically at home and work. My iPad is ATT and I don't have an unlimited data plan. I actually turn off 3G at home and just use my wifi.

I have an iPhone 4. But I should be able to use wifi from what I'm hearing. Yes?

The terminology has always been a little confusing to mre, since both ways you're getting data from the Internet, but using 3G to do it is done by buying a "data plan." Anyway, yes, you'll be able to use the wifi on your phone.

you can always use wifi to connect to the internet. jent103 is right about the terminology, and it is confusing. But mostly when people say "data" they are referring to cellular data.

just in case someone with an AT&T iphone is reading this...AT&T iphones are "locked" which means you cannot simply buy another sim card to use it in Europe. At&t wants you to buy an international phone and data plan from them at exhorbitant rates.

Of course, there are ways to unlock the phone, you just aren't supposed to do it, and AT&T won't do it for you.

AT&T ipads are unlocked however. For an iPad you can, indeed, get a sim card for international use.

DebitNM - thanks for that article. I assume the same instructions regarding Skype overseas apply to Androids as well?

I asked the author of the article, he believes it works for Android as well [which is what I have, an Incredible 2 Global phone].

When we were in Paris last fall I just made sure that data roaming was turned off on my iPhone 4. But the WiFi worked fine in our WiFi-equipped apartment and in various public WiFi hotspots. We used skype over WiFi on the iPhone as well as from our netbook.

But what was very cool, and was initially quite a surprise when we discovered it by accident, was that the CityMaps2Go app was able to locate us on maps using the GPS alone. Apparently there is some GPS info being transmitted even when the phone is not roaming. This GPS is not quite as precise as the mapping you get using cell towers in the US, of course, but it's still quite good. We downloaded maps for the Loire Valley as well as Paris, and it worked just as well there. We are planning to use the maps in Italy this fall.

I had gotten the app and the maps simply because I thought it would be handy to have offline maps to look at rather than pulling out paper maps. But i was incredibly helpful to see our location showing up on the maps!

ContraBecky, I was using the Paris2Go app (which I highly recommend!) and that's when I realized the same thing. I love those "2Go" apps - I used the Rome version last year too.

Now that you mention it, last year in Italy, we used Google maps on our iPad which did not have 3G enabled. If we downloaded the maps while in the hotel using wifi, we were able to use it while driving. The satellite still picked us up and you could follow us (the moving blue dot) on the map as we got lost!

Go to Settings. Turn Airplane mode to ON. Keep it ON until you return to US.

Connect the Wifi per instructions for pay/secure wifi or simply connect to free/unsecure wifi. You will then have internet access but no chance at phone calls, e-mails, or text/MMS charges.

for some reason, the link I posted isn't working today. I have the details in a word document if anyone is interested; I will be happy to email it to you. Contact me using same name at gmail dot com

apersuader65 - how can you have internet access and not have email access?

We were in Paris at the end of February/early March and I spent quite a bit of time checking with my provider, Verizon AND Apple to confirm that for my IPhone 4S 1. would be able to use a local SIM card while there 2. should I decide not to do that I could still access WIFI any place it was accessible (Starbucks, McDonalds, public parks, cafes, etc.) That didn't work out so wonderfully--

When I went to buy a local SIM card at the airport, no shop in the CDG terminal has the mini-SIM required for the 4S; the tobacco shop near our apt. had one but the owner wasn't at all sure that it would work; when we went to the Apple store in Opera, they gave us completely incorrect information: no local SIM card would work because the IPHONE 4 (NOT 4S) was on a different system ---CDMA I think-- for Asia, S. AMerica, rest of world--or is it the GSM for that part of the world? Anyway, the information is completely incorrect for the 4S which works on both systems. Without a local SIM card, it was mostly impossible to connect to wifi in cafes, museums, most places--except Starbucks, McDonalds, etc. (American chain fast food places).

Verizon had also NOT activated my phone despite a very long conversation with their International dept., they HAD unlocked it so that I was able to access wifi in the fast food chains--and in our apt. once we figured out what network the apt. was using--but without it being activated, I could not have used a local SIM card. I

Long story long--trying to work out the phone took up an awful lot of time both before leaving and while there--all needlessly. Right hand didn't know what left was doing--and none of this may apply to you, Centralparkgirl, if you don't have a iPhone 4S because the iPhone 4 will only work as noted above by Greg. It's all terribly confusing!

Well, I guess I will rent a phone as planned for phone calls, use my iPad with wifi and see what happens with my iPhone 4. I will report back. I have one more source to try at Apple, but I think the best info comes from people who've gone to Europe and tried.

You will be fine...I have been able to use everything on WiFi with my iPhone (AT&T service). I don't make calls, so don't get it unlocked and don't buy a SIM card...just email, Fodors and apps on WiFI.

What does the CityMaps2Go app do different from using Google maps? It sounds like both work without 3G or WiFi (when already downloaded)
We want to be able to use the maps on an iTouch or iPad.

If ATT is your provider you will be fine (although their fees are high); if Verizon is your provider, unless you have the IPad 3, you will only be able to use it with wifi as noted above--and the same with your iPhone 4--IF your provider is Verizon. Renting a phone is probably the easiest for phone calls.

blh - the 2Go apps are all usable completely offline. I didn't realize you could do that on Maps, so that may be no different. The apps do have points of interest (museums, for example) already stored on the map, which is helpful.

What I find most helpful are the city-specific versions (Paris2Go, Rome2Go...). In addition to having the offline map, they have metro/subway/tube maps where applicable, and Wikipedia information on lots of attractions, all available offline. I was recently in Paris and used Paris2Go all the time.

520 - I'm surprised you had so much trouble connecting to wifi. That was not at all my experience with my 4S - no trouble at all connecting to my hotel wifi, for example, or one cafe where the code was on the bottom of my receipt. I'm sorry you had that frustration.

CPK, I bought a phone from Mobal for $49 a few years ago. It has its own phone number, which I only give to people to reach me in emergencies (it is a UK number, however so will be a toll call for them from the US). If you're not expecting to actually use it a lot, it works out well. Incoming texts are free, and calls get charged to my credit card. As I've never had need to use it other than to call a driver in Paris once, the piece of mind that folks at home can reach me in an emergency is worth the minimal fee which I've now amortized over 4 trips to Europe.

iphones can be programmed to automatically download e-mail via the cellular networks and place them in your "mail" icon. If your phone is in Airplane mode, you have NO access to cellular networks, hence no mail in your mail icon. You can still go to your e-mail server via the internet, but they won't load into your phone's message center. For example, to retrieve gmails, you must go to google, log in using your user id and password, and then have access to email vs. just opening your mail icon and looking at them.

As for the Paris municipal "free" wifi, it is usually named Orange on the list of available servers. Simply select it, go to any webpage, when it comes up you'll get an icon that will tell you to select your paris wifi pass good for 2 hours. After 2 hours, you'll need to reselect a new pass.

apersuader65 - When I used my iPad in Italy using wifi only (no 3G), I got my gmail as I normally do through my mail icon. I never logged into gmail to get it. It worked the same way as 3G.

I used my iphone3s last year in Paris and had to go to the internet first. I also had my data on manual push, and never pushed it, so it may have picked it up that way, but I was concerned about getting slammed with data costs and wasn't willing to risk a large amount of data getting billed to me. We were out of town for 13 days and I recieved a total of 421 e-mails during those days. My bill would have been huge.

apersuader, I think the manual push is your answer. I have mine set to fetch every 15 minutes, but kept data roaming turned off on my trip unless I was actively using it. Once I got in wifi range, it picked up emails just as usual.

I figured it would work with no costs using the internet, but I knew I would have a TON of emails sitting in my box as I had numerous things going on at work via e-mail and I didn't want to risk a $100+ data usage bill to try. I'll note that for next year's trip!

In Italy, I believe my iPad was set to cellular data off, push on, fetch every 15 minutes. I had total access whenever there was wifi.

Similar to my original question, if my iPad had been Verizon, using the above settings, could I have Internet access in Europe?

Wifi is completely different than the cellular networks. It doesn't require it to be unlocked or any of the other requirements for cellular use. Wifi is wifi. If you have it, you can use it. What I didn't know was that the Wifi would work directly with the rest of the apple system and load e-mails onto the phone as normal. That'll be great for next year's trip.

Question from a new iPad owner:

How do you download the Google maps on the iPad with wifi for later use (while driving)?


Thanks!!

You click on the Maps app that is already on your home screen.
Click on Directions (upper left on screen)
Fill in two locations (upper right on screen) *
Hit search on keyboard.
You will then get a map with a blue route.
On bottom of screen, there are 3 icons - car, bus and walking.
Click on the one that you want, then click on start.
It will show you one or more suggested routes.
On blue strip (on bottom), you may see three little horizontal lines arranged vertically. If you click on them, you will get step by step directions.

* In between, is a 'switch' icon. You can reverse the direction if you choose.

Using two fingers, you can expand and contract the map to see more or less detail.

Another nice feature, is that when you key in an address, 'recents' will pop up. I have pre-entered addresses (my hotels, restaurants, etc.) It saves a lot of time

eks - try this in NY before you go so that you're familiar and comfortable with this.

Do you have Apple One-to-One? It was very helpful to me to get up to speed before going to Italy when my ipad was new.
You probably know this already, but the Notes app is very useful in cutting down on carrying paper notes. I had all hotel and restaurant reservation info in there. You can also email notes to yourself. And if you're carrying your ipad around, it's great to make notes of what you're eating.

The Notes app icon looks like a yellow legal pad.

Also, when on the road, the last map loaded using wifi was available. I could not load new maps outdoors if there was not wifi available.

One last thing, when I say click, I really mean tap. I get so confused. One day in the Apple store, I tapped on a Mac screen! It so easy to get used to tapping.

Thanks so much for taking time to write all that out! I've seen the maps and played around with them but did not go beyond that. I will sit with it near the computer later and try to follow your steps. I will take it to Italy in September and am quite excited. I have to upgrade the system on my home computer so I can have iCloud.

One-on-One is not available, or so I was told, with a new iPad purchase, only for computers. But I have taken one of the group beginner workshops (Getting Started with iPad; I actually took this twice!) ) and signed up for the second part to be held this week.

But wait, CPG....can you use these maps offline? How do you download them so you can see them while driving?


Or when you talked about downloading them, did you mean this app:

http://ulmon.com/

Does this mean that for $1.99 you get ALL their maps, or just the maps for one city?

I think you are thinking of an atlas or book of maps. I'm referring to the tool called Maps on your home screen. When you have wifi access, you download a map using the steps above. The iPad remembers the last things you were doing, unless you close or clear something. I'm talking about one map and it can be large (too large to fit on your screen at one time). So after you've downloaded a map that shows, for example, the route between Florence and Siena, and you hit your home button, the map will be there the next time you go into the Maps app.

Very helpful: get a copy of the iPad users guide - free - bookmark one in Safari and get a PDF in iBooks. You can use the PDF if you don't have Internet access and need to look something up.

Oh, I see. I think I understand. Not an app but the maps that come built in with the iPad. The map will be there not because I downloaded it but because the iPad sort of freezes the last page I looked at.


Someone mentioned the 2Go Maps above; are you familiar with that app? It seems to get great reviews on iTunes...and for $1.99, if it gets you maps to al the major cities in Europe, as they claim....

Thank you so much for being so patient with me. I do have the iPad guide; they put it on my bookshelf in the store when I bought the device. (Probably could tell that I would need it!)

It is an app (a program that is designed for a mobile device). You are downloading it. The iPad remembers last download.

What has been explained to me at Apple is that the ipad, iphone, etc. are mobile devices, not computers. You can access Citibank or Open Table, for example, thru Safari. But one might maneuver better with the Citi or OT app because it is specifically designed for a mobile device. Sometimes I like an app better than the traditional website, sometimes not. They are configured differently.

I got an iMac a year and a half ago. I took 'making the transition from pc to Mac' in One-to-One probably a dozen times! That's where the patience comes from. I still go because I don't always 'get it.'

I am going to buy that app for Paris. It sounds great.

The map will be there not because I downloaded it but because the iPad sort of freezes the last page I looked at.

Exactly!

Someone mentioned the 2Go Maps above; are you familiar with that app? It seems to get great reviews on iTunes...and for $1.99, if it gets you maps to al the major cities in Europe, as they claim....

That was me. There are a few different versions. The CityMaps2Go app gives you the option to download just maps for tons of different cities (US too). The more cities you download, the more space it takes on your device, but they're stored there and ready for you to use whenever you need them - no data required. If your device has a GPS (like the iPhone, and I assume the iPad would work this way), it will automatically locate you on the map if you tap the arrow. (If you have an iPod Touch, it doesn't have a GPS, so you have to find yourself.)

The city-specific versions - Paris2Go, London2Go, etc - have the same maps for that city, but also have metro maps and basic information on museums, churches and other attractions. Again, everything is stored on your phone, so no data is required to access it. I think it's worth the extra $2 to have the metro map stored on my phone - it can save time digging around to find one in my bag, and for Paris I actually found the phone version easier to use than my print version. One added plus of the apps is that everyone on the street is looking on their phones, so if the map is on your phone you don't scream "TOURIST!" quite so loudly.

The Maps.app that comes with iPhone and iPad streams maps as needed. That is, as you move around or search for something in a different city, it will download the maps and display it.

It caches or stores a certain amount of map data. But if you move out of the area represented by the cached maps, then it would need to download the map data covering your current location.

That is why it needs a data connection of some kind, either Wifi or 3G/4G.

But there are apps. which will pre download the maps for certain areas. Only downside is the cost and it uses up a lot of the storage on your iPhone or iPad. The CityMaps2Go apps seem to be tourist/pedestrian oriented maps and you can see on the iTunes page how much data they are though as you download more apps. they use more storage on your device.

Another kind of mapping applications are the turn-by-turn apps. like Navigon which are for giving your driving directions (it will speak directions on when to turn and so on). These typically are 1 GB or so, or about 7-8% of the storage on a 16 GB iPhone.

My recommendation is also to check out Metr0 (zero at the end), which lets you download maps of metro systems all over the world. I haven't tried it in Paris but have used it in Madrid. You enter your beginning station and ending station and it will tell you which lines to take and when the next train will be, where to switch, etc. It's free and you download the metro systems you're interested in.

Ok, next question. How are you managing the Notes? Are you writing your own notes on the Note app, and is there a way to send links to one,s Notes?

I want to begin saving Notes for upcoming trips. Thanks!

You use Notes as you would use paper and pen. The first line of Notes becomes the title so create a note with that in mind - Paris 2012, Dinner Res, etc. You can prepare many useful notes before you leave home - hotel contacts including phone #s, airline info, etc.
When you're out on the road, you can jot down anything - meal details, name of a shop you just discovered, etc. You can email a Note which is very helpful. After your trip, you can copy and paste it from the email while on your computer right into Word to have a 'real' document.

I was on an overnight trip with a friend recently. We each paid for different things and wanted to settle up at the end. i kept a Note of what she spent on cabs, etc. I never would have remembered. The uses are endless.

Emailing important notes to yourself is a safety thing imo.

Ok, so you mean that you are actually typing in the info on notes, not pasting links or cutting and pasting restaurants reviews, for example (??)

Is there a way to paste links into the Notes? Like maybe an online review about a restaurant?

Yes.

Press your finger on the web address that you want to save (twice I think). When you release your finger, there will be a choice. Select 'copy.'
Go to Notes (either new or existing note)
Press your finger where you want the link.
When you release, there will be a choice.
Select 'paste.' And there it is.

At another time, when you tap on the link in Notes, you will go directly to that site thru Safari.

You can also copy and paste text in a similar way.

I owe you big time for this! Will try! Thank you so much!

For general notes, I would recommend Evernote, which you can use on multiple iPhones, iPads or whatever and on the Mac too.

You can upload pictures or screenshots and it will index it. For instance, take a pic of a menu and upload it. Later, you can search for some dish that you had and it will find that picture you took, if the menu had the name of the dish you searched on it.

You can copy links to it and if you install Evernote on a Mac (don't know about Windows but probably the same applies), you can select a link and send to Evernote and it will create a new Note with that link in there.

I use Evernote to collect info about all kinds of things, including travel preparation.

However, be aware that you're uploading the notes to a server and their indexing service "sees" everything. So I wouldn't scan your tax returns or bank statements and put them up on Evernote but for just about everything else, it's very useful. Maybe they try to figure out what kind of things you like and what you buy from the notes that you put up there.

It's a completely free service.

I also use Evernote Food which is a specialized app. that lets you remember your meals. I just take photos of the dishes and sometimes put captions on them. It uses the GPS to record where you took those photos and sometimes can find your restaurant based on GPS info. For instance, I had breakfast at this little tapas bar in Sevilla back in February and it found it so I didn't have to enter the name of the place or the address.

Main thing about Evernote is that it syncs the notes you collect across all the computers and devices you may have. With iCloud, the Notes app. can do the same thing. But I don't think its search capabilities, especially with pictures and photos, are as good.

For trip preparation, I use TripIt, another free app and service (though they repeatedly pester you to upgrade to their premium service).

I use it mainly for building itineraries that I print out and take with me. I can log into the web site and upload screenshots (like maps of the areas I will be staying in and visiting) as well as notes from forums like Fodors about restaurants, travel tips, etc.

It will embed Google Maps of the hotels along with weather info automatically. But I don't' use those, just delete them, because I end up printing the itineraries out and you lose the interactive features of the embedded Maps. So I take screenshots of the Maps showing exactly the things I want (from custom Google Maps with pinpoints on the places I'm interested in) and I upload those to TripIt and embed those in my itinerary.

When you get emails of your flight and hotel reservations, you forward them to TripIt and those details will automatically get entered into your itinerary, so you don't have to enter the dates, the prices paid, etc.

You can view the itineraries on your iPhone/iPad but if you've updated your itinerary, you have to have a Wifi or 3G connection in order to download the latest itinerary that you saved (same thing with Evernote).

So when traveling overseas, I just print the itineraries out. The printed ones are better than scrolling through the details on an iPhone screen anyways.

scrb11 - Evernote Food!! How did I miss that?? Thanks so much!

OP - be sure to download the Paris Metro app (which works offline meaning you don't need to be connected to either wifi or cell networks) - it makes using the Metro so easy (and the bus too I think but we didn't take buses)

http://www.metroparisiphone.com/index_en.html

eks - not at all. You probably will have more questions - just ask!
btw - you should put a security code on your ipad (Settings). Remember, your email is open and should you lose your device, anyone can get into your email without your password unless you use a security code. When I'm home, I turn it off, but when I'm out, I set it to 5 minutes. Use it on my phone too. It can be annoying, but the day I'm too lazy to turn it on will surely be the day that I leave it in a cab!

scrb11 - thanks for that suggestion. I will look into it. Lots of capabilities.

Elizabeth_S I just downloaded that app. It looks amazing. I have seen the future!

You can also turn on Find My iPhone under iCloud (in settings).

It will find your iPhone by GPS and if needed, you can erase the data on it so someone else can't view it.

What if you don't realize it's gone for a few hours? I don't want anyone rummaging through my email.

scrb11 - MetrO app is not a zero; it's an O. I just downloaded it. Thank you for the recommendation. I can't wait to use it.

Bottom line: Just spoke to my source at Apple. As many of you have said, wifi is wifi and you can use it for internet access without 3G. It does NOT matter whether your 3G is VW or ATT when using wifi. Thanks for everyone's help.

CPG - a lot of the applications on the Metro App home page require a 3G connection (or maybe wifi) but the really useful one is the trip planner - you plug in the station you are starting from and where you want to end up and it tells you the best route. You don't need to be on either 3G or wifi for that - the information has been downloaded to the handset. It was invaluable trying to navigate the spaghetti metro maps!

Elizabeth - I think I read somewhere that it works while in the metro. If that is true, that will be amazing. Here in NY, we don't have that option while in the subways - at least not yet.

Yes, it is a capital O at the end:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/metro/id320949132?mt=8