Phone Google Maps?

We've had GPS twice in France, it was better than nothing but not without its issues. We typically rent from autoeurope and there there is the option of renting GPS from them for a cost lower than what the rental car office will rent it to you. HOWEVER, on our last trip (Spain) we used my phone app, maps.me. You download maps from home or when you have wifi and then it works offline just like GPS. I have never used google maps for GPS. Maps.me was recommended to me by someone that prefers it over google maps. Maps.me, provides voice instructions which I think I may have heard, google does not.

I would NOT rely on offline Google Maps, however:
- some folks on here know of better offline options, and will hopefully chip in (I remember some posts)
- if you can get data in France, then online Google Maps is very good, and so is Waze. You do lose network reception every once in a while, but it's not that bad in Normandy.
- you need to have a phone stand.

So, if GPS rental is too expensive, then you can rely on one of the options above. Also, in my experience many rental cars have built in GPS even when you don't book and pay for it.

Turn-by-turn directions are the main advantage of GPS. Google's offline maps don't provide those because, well, they're offline, just like paper maps but without the unfolding. Turn-by-turn GPS would be very helpful driving in areas like Normandy, supplemented by some type of map so you know when the voice is sending you on a bizarre route (also to overcome the mispronunciations English-speaking GPS voices cometimes commit). Set it for kilometers so the voice matches up with the road signs.

Maps.me, provides turn by turn instructions. It really is quite wonderful, people should check it out. For us, it was more accurate than the GPS which was specifically set up for Europe

Turn-by-turn directions are the main advantage of GPS. Google's offline maps don't provide those because, well, they're offline, just like paper maps but without the unfolding.

Google Maps "offline" actually does offer turn-by-turn directions - at least it did when I drove with my phone in Slovenia a few years ago, with the phone in Airplane Mode.

Try it at home to see how it works. Go into Google Maps, set the "offline area" to the area where you are now using it, download that area (on WiFi). Then put the phone in airplane mode (first). Then try navigating somewhere with it. Go for a drive, see how it works. It will work the same way in France, except everything will be in km not US units. It's not the same as "regular" Google Maps (it has a slightly different look/feel) and has no traffic info, but it works.

Unless you have a locked phone (AT&T?), I would buy a French SIM card so you have mobile data anyway - you can keep the phone in airplane mode most of the time to save data if you want, but the mobile data will offer things like traffic info and be useful otherwise.

The last two years we have driven in France we have used google maps and and it works great. Plus many rental cars have apple CarPlay or the android version. So you have access to a big screen. Don’t waste your money on a gps unit. FYI we have T-Mobile

I have a GPS that works well. I use Google maps for offline use for those off the wall places not in my GPS. On my phone, Google maps does provide voice turn by turn directions, not from my iPad. On my recent trip to Wales, the rental had a built in GPS that we used from time to time since its maps were newer than the ones on my GPS.

another vote for maps.me.

The maps are updated regularly, often by local authorities, so at the highest magnification the even give location of park benches, water fountains, as well as turn by turn instructions. It's true the instructions arent as detailed as dedicated GPS, but they will get you 99% of the places you need to get to with no fuss

We left our GPS home and used Google Maps on iPhone with SIM card data. It was so helpful as we often had to change our planned routes in Sicily.

We use GoogleMaps which works very well. Like Richard, we have TMobile which means we don’t need to buy a SIM card. Love TMobile. You will love driving around Normandy on the two-lane roads, very easy, and so much fun exploring that way.

I have T-Mobile and use google maps. I have maps.me on my phone, but haven't used it. I do have the app on my phone and just opened it up to check it out. I shows this message--"maps.me" Needs To Be Updated. This app needs to be updated by the developer to work on this version of iOS.

I have an iPhone 8s Plus and my operating system is up to date. I don't know what the problem is, but I'll stick with google maps for now.

Surely "this ap needs to be updated" just means you have an old version on your phone?

I always use Maps.me when I travel abroad. Works just fine for me with GPS on. No need to use the internet connection at all, just make sure to download the map of the region you're going to in advance. I forgot when I used Google Maps last time.

@Simon, I regularly update my apps and I have the most up to date operating system, so 🤷🏻‍♀️.

@Andrea I use Maps.Me on Android, maybe IOS App is not updated that often, who knows. But that's still a great app to consider

Andrea, I updated maps.me, a month or so ago. I don't have any problems with it or with it asking me to update for my IOS. My son and his wife have the newest iphones and they are driving around Scotland right now using maps.me. If your maps.me is troublesome, I would uninstall it and then reinstall.

I was going to include some questions regarding this subject when I post about driving in Provence in a few weeks. We rented a car through AutoEurope and were planning to add a GPS if necessary when we get the car at Avignon train station. I just put the Maps.me on my iPhone 7 so I will try to experiment with that before we leave. I have tried to figure out how to download maps on Googlemap app and I couldn't find a way to do it so hopefully Maps.me is more obvious. I am pretty good at technology so I am a little frustrated about that but I will follow some of the posters on this thread instructions. I think I saw on another post to allow a lot more time than some of the map apps tell you when driving on all the country roads.

dpalmier, practice with maps.me before you leave on your trip. Unlike you, I am only moderately tec savvy, and I love it. If you still decide you want GPS, it's better to order one from Autoeurope before you leave home (leaving enough time for mailing). They will send you one set up for France and it's cheaper than renting from the company in France. Their customer service is good, too. I only rented for the beginning portion of the trip. Because it was another 2 weeks before we got home, the GPS wasn't returned when they anticipated. I called them and the extra charge was taken off.

We used the Waze app in southern Italy with good results. However we used data instead of offline. We had problems with the voice on the app which seldom worked, but the written instructions got us to where we wanted to go. We got lost getting out of and back into Naples but without major problems; added to our adventure. We found it easier to use Waze than Google Maps. Prior to the trip, I looked at Google Maps, Maps.me and Rome2Rio to get familiar with the route. That helped to relieve some of the anxiety of driving in Italy. I'll add that neither of us are tech savvy.

Thanks Jules. I did investigate having the GPS sent beforehand but decided against it in case we get lucky and there is one in the car or I can manage with paper maps/ Googlemap or Maps.me. I think the main time that we will need it is when we are going to all the Luberon villages. The other three days in Provence besides that see more straightforward in terms of where we are going. Of course I am saying that as someone who has never been there, sometimes on the ground in the midst of it is much different!!! We shall see and you will all see my trip report after!

@jules m, thanks for the suggestion. I uninstalled the app and reinstalled it. It seems to be fine now. The next time I drive I will use it to see how it works. I usually use google maps or Waze, but it's always good to have choices.

We rent wireless from Hippocketwifi.com........internet service 24-7 wherever you are. We used to take a European GPS with us but the pronunciations of streets, etc never seemed to match what we saw.....so now I map our destinations on my Apple maps app and back that up with my ViaMichelin app (it even shows you toll roads, their cost, locations of gas stations).......with the 2 of these always working we drove through 4 Eastern Europe countries in May and had no trouble at all. Hippocketwifi is a game changer....wireless service wherever you are, regardless if you are in the countryside or not.......I got tired of depending on services that were just not there, even though people swore to me that it was available......ever tried to use “free hotel wireless” when it was only workable in a corner of your hotel lobby?????

I've used both in France and highly preferred the GPS.