Geesh....Can't read my maps ????

I have the same maps as a backup to my GPS which is invaluable.Use a magnifying glass for your maps or the 8.5 x 11 inch magnifying page available at Staples or Office Depot.
Mike

Use PDF maps on a tablet. That way you can zoom in zoom out with your finger tips.
Also I use google maps and just take several screens shots after I've mapped out where in the region I'm trying to go.

Thats what is bad about the internet; it put all the Rand McNally shops out of business so no one can go to stores anymore to look at the product to determine if it is going to work or not.

I was trying to avoid the use of GPS and phone devices, and stick with
paper maps. And the fold up regional maps seem like they may be a bit
cumbersome to use in a car

"to use in a car"

That is your first mistake - using a car. That's what we do in the US; this is Europe. The train engineer or bus driver knows the way to the next town. He won't get lost.

I swear by the IGN maps at either 1/25,000 or 1/50,000. I find them much more readable/usable than the Michelin maps. Hard to find in the U.S., and their web site isn't English-friendly. But worth the effort to find and order them ahead of time.

My 53yo eyes have been needing reading glasses for some time now, but I was able to see my Michelin regional maps with my readers. On our most recent trip, where we got to some great small towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast in inland in the French Basque country, I used a combination of paper maps, GPS and maps (offline) on my phone. I was testing my GPS and my phone maps, to see which I liked best - I definitely didn't need both. But the paper maps had features that the other options didn't, such as showing particularly scenic routes. And in terms of folding up paper regional maps, before you start, fold it to the part of the map that you need to refer to. Enjoy!

Jazz+Travels, if you're going to put your maps on a tablet...why not just use a phone as GPS? You're 90% of the way there. Just use Google Maps offline on your phone as a GPS and make it even easier.

But if you somehow don't want to use electronics to navigate, use the paper map and a magnifying glass, I guess.

We have the same problem although the maps in the green books are easier to read than large maps. For us we cope by having GPS and the magnifying ap on the phone. With the phone ap you can magnify labels, menus, maps etc.

And most of France cannot be easily visited except by car (or bike) Trains are mostly spoke and hub from Paris and buses are not designed for tourists but for local workers and school kids. For Burgundy, Provence, Normandy, the Dordogne etc a car is necessary to really see and experience what the areas have to offer.

We still use Michelin regional and local maps in France. I drive and my wife does the navigating. Her eyesight is better than mine. I did bring some downloaded maps on my phone on our recent trip, but never got the hand of using it, or GPS. And yes, you do really need a car in most of France. We've made a couple of trips w/o a car, and while they were far from disastrous, there was a lot of wasted time.

Don't feel guilty for needing a magnifying glass, nor a car!! there are plenty of places in France that are much more accessible with your own wheels.

We take a magnifer for all Michelin maps. We also download the Google map for which ever country we're going to onto our iPad or tablet. We find that satellite will then show you where you are as you travel, even withour wifi.

If you are driving get a GPS. If you want back up take a cell phone. If you want to study ahead of time look at Google Maps. It makes things tremendously easier that with all the other stresses of driving, navigation doesn't need to be one of them.

I used maps for quite awhile and didn't feel like I needed a GPS - until a trip to Italy. The signage is so bad that, even even you know you want a particular road going west and it will be in the next mile, you can't figure out which exit turns east and which turns west. We lost probably 20 minutes every time we took the wrong exit on the autostrade. With maps you need a navigator, which can lead to tensions on both the driver and navigator's part.

After that I always packed a GPS, for at least ten years - until last fall. Last fall, I shrunk my packing to use my smart phone as a GPS. It worked well except when I tried using it in bike mode. I like Copilot better than Google Maps because it gives the speed limit, gives a little better verbal directions and has alerts. Copilot cost $30 for the Western Europe maps, Google Maps is free. Both navigate without data, but you need to use data when searching for a destination. After the destination was set, I turned off data.

That is your first mistake - using a car. That's what we do in the US; this is Europe. The train engineer or bus driver knows the way to the next town. He won't get lost.

Rented a car only in France on trips to Europe as transport to and from sites we wanted to visit wasn't really feasible.

Took maps, printed directions, ended up using phone GPS as it worked fine.

My eyes are 30 years older than yours, but I have had good luck with the 1:200,000 Michelin road atlas. And if you have an iPhone, tap the home button three times for the magnifier.