These travel apps will help you explore Berlin like a pro

While there are countless travel apps on the market, the majority of them aren't worth your data space. If you're heading to Berlin, we've done the research for you to find apps that can help you navigate public transportation, rent budget-friendly cars and explore the city like a local.

*All apps are free on iOS & Android unless otherwise noted. 

For trip planning: Going Local Berlin. VisitBerlin, the city's official tourism board, created this app full of locally curated travel tips, restaurant recommendations, upcoming events, and interactive neighborhood tours and videos. Search by borough or check out a map populated with attraction icons to zoom in and learn more about suggested stops. When you find an experience you like, you can save it to your favorites for later exploration.

For walking around: Kamino. This app lists free, self-guided walking tours crafted by locals and travel experts. You can search for Berlin-themed routes to have the stops pop up on a real-time map with interesting information, photos, the distance and time it will take to walk the tour, and information about the author. You can save routes as favorites, share them on Facebook, add your own photos to a route, and even create your own walking tours for other users.

For getting from A to B: BVG FahrInfo Plus Berlin. Berlin is huge, and you'll undoubtedly be making use of public transit. The local transport association created this app to shows routes and directions for the U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains, tram, bus, ferry, and regional trains, with the ability to purchase tickets right in the app. Moreover, offline maps show stops, stations and Car2Go vehicles.

For driving around: Car2Go. This carsharing service allows users to find, book and pay for available cars throughout the city. Car2Go aims to be extremely affordable by eliminating subscriptions and monthly fees, offering relatively cheap insurance policies and rental rates of 0,29 € per minute or 14,90 € per hour (though there are discounts for longer rentals and time parked between drives).

For networking and making friends: Meetup. Whether you're looking to network or simply want to meet locals and likeminded individuals, Meetup is a great resource. The app has communities all over the world, though its Berlin hub is particularly active. You can search based on topics of interest to find groups like "International Activities," "Tech," "Social Activities" and "Sunday Coffee Meeting," then join, introduce yourself and attend the group's organized events, many of which are free.

Jessica Festa is the founder on the solo and offbeat travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and the online responsible tourism and culture magazine, Epicure & Culture. She's constantly searching for local experiences beyond the guidebook. You can follow her travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.