Everyday September 2026

5 apps for a weekend in a city you don't know

Two days in a city you don’t know mostly go on three things: getting around, getting online, and finding the places worth the detour. These five cover that — and the part everyone forgets: the meal that was the best thing about the trip, pinned to the street it was on, so it is still findable in three months.

The apps for a weekend in a city you don't know are Citymapper, YumPal, Airalo, Atlas Obscura and Wanderlog. I built YumPal; the other 4 are other developers’ apps.

MiaAppLog— an iOS developer who reviews other people’s apps
Published September 2026 · apps and prices last checked 6 October 2026

Four stars is my score for how well an app answers this moment. An app I built gets four and a half — that is a rule, not a comparison. The App Store’s own average is on each card beside it.

1. 

   Citymapper

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Navigation · App Store 4.9 (109,152)

   Compares every way across the city in real time: transit, walking, cycling.

   Official site ↗More lists with Citymapper

   
2. 

   YumPal Editor’s pick

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · Free · Food & Drink · App Store 5.0 (8)

   Photograph the meal worth remembering; it's pinned to the place you ate it.

   App Store ↗More lists with YumPal

   
3. 

   Airalo

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Travel · App Store 4.6 (101,459)

   An eSIM for 200+ destinations, so you're online the moment you arrive.

   Official site ↗More lists with Airalo

   
4. 

   Atlas Obscura

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Navigation · App Store 4.8 (9,822)

   A map of unusual places nearby, each with its backstory and tips.

   More lists with Atlas Obscura

   
5. 

   Wanderlog

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Travel · App Store 4.9 (35,697)

   Flights, hotels and places to visit on one map, planned with friends.

   Official site ↗More lists with Wanderlog

   

YumPal is one of mine — everything else on this list is someone else’s app. How that works.