Innovative API Solutions for Unforgettable Urban Journeys

Gary Rivera

Last updated: 24.02.2025

The Smart Tourism Lead pilot focuses on creating location-based mobile services for tourists. The ultimate goal is to create a European-wide market for tourism applications based on Open Data made available by public or private entities. Implemented in Lisbon, the services guide tourists to experience the city in a new way, suggesting interesting attractions, thematic walks, or other nearby services.

The main output of the Tourism pilot is the final API to access Points of Interest (POI), Routes and Events information that, once deployed, will allow effortless transfer of applications among cities using CitySDK.

The Lead Pilot API for Lisbon was published in early 2013 and several client apps for different use cases and different languages were produced to validate the API. In Lisbon, CitySDK will build up on existing open data initiatives, such as the Open Data Lx, which gives access nowadays to more than 300 POIs with relevant interest for tourism applications. For more information on CitySDK APIs, visit the Developer’s site.

The Lead pilot is coordinated by Lisbon Municipality, Instituto Superior Tecnico Portugal – the biggest engineer school in Lisbon – and Alfamicro – a Portuguese SME based in Cascais. The Smart Tourism interface has been replicated in Amsterdam, Helsinki, Lamia and Rome during the summer of 2013.

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Further information on Smart Tourism pilot:

Nuno Xavier
Lisbon Municipality

Valter Ferreira
Lisbon Municipality

André Oliveira
ISA

Ricardo Pereira
IST

Alvaro Oliveira
Alfamicro

Jean Barroca
Alfamicro

Exemplary apps for tourism in Europe

When developing tourism services and platforms for Lisbon, developers focus primarily on the most successful apps already implemented in European capitals:

Apps for Paris:

Citymapper Paris — The best app for navigating Paris, including metro, bus, bike and walking routes.
Le Fooding — An app for finding restaurants and cafes with local recommendations.
Vélib' — Bicycle hire in Paris.
Paris Museum Pass — E-tickets and guide to museums in the city.
Duck The Line — Buy queue-free tickets to the Louvre, Versailles and other attractions.

Rome Apps:

Rome2Rio — An app for planning routes taking into account different modes of transport (train, bus, taxi, walking).
Rick Steves Audio Europe — Audio guides to Rome to help you get to know the city from a historical perspective.
Eat Italy — A selection of restaurants with authentic Roman cuisine.

Apps for London:

Citymapper London — A great app for travelling around London with maps and up-to-date public transport information.
London Pass — Travel app offering tickets to popular attractions in the city, including discounts and queue-free passes.
Time Out London — Local recommendations for restaurants, events, cultural and entertainment activities in London.

Apps for other European capitals:

GuidePal — Travel app with recommendations for attractions and events in Barcelona.
Visit Berlin is suitable for planning trips around Berlin, with maps, events and sightseeing information.
Czech Travel is for exploring the Czech Republic, including itineraries in and around Prague.
I Amsterdam — The official travel app for travellers to Amsterdam, with information on attractions, museums and events.
Time Travel Vienna is an audio guide to Vienna that helps travellers learn about the city's history and culture.
Visit Stockholm offers information about Stockholm's main attractions and upcoming events.

Gary Rivera Author at CitySDK

Gary specializes in covering the fast-moving world of mobile technology. He keeps readers informed about the innovations shaping the future of mobile tech.

Robert Maillet Editor at CitySDK

Robert ensures high-quality, accurate, and engaging content in mobile technology. He refines articles, reviews, and analyses to inform readers about the latest smartphone trends, apps, and innovations. Their expertise guarantees clear, reliable, and well-structured content for tech enthusiasts.