Unveiled last month by the Netherlands' Tourism Board, the Amsterdam Mobile Guide iPhone app may one of the most stylish ways for a lost traveler to get around the city.

Loaded with up-to-date sight-seeing info, handy Google Maps and all the photos you'll need to spot your next stop, the only thing that might keep travelers from tossing their paper guidebooks is expensive international data transfer rates. (AT&T has tips and packages on this. You want to be careful. You could come home to a $300  phone bill).

A great  feature on the Amsterdam Mobile Guide, of course, is that it's organized to help travelers narrow down their choices. Rather than standing on street corner scrolling through hundreds of activities, restaurants, and bars you don't want, the Mobile Guide groups To-Do List items by, for example, Gay and Lesbian, Nightlife, Architecture, and so on.

On that note, another handy feature of this iPhone app is that you can also organize your trip hotspots by how long you are staying with  itinerary suggestions. Another bonus is the “Near Me” option, which lists bars, attractions, and other destinations within a .5 kilometer radius of your location.

The “Getting Around” option gives the lowdown on how transport works in Amsterdam. Bike rentals, tourism and public transport office addresses are cited and mapped with easy-to-follow directions. An ideal addition would be tram, bus and metro maps and time schedules—maybe they’ll add this in the future.


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