Real maps or online app?

Michelin maps are among the world's best. For any driving in Europe, it's hard to beat that.

Electronica is great, and I use it as much as anyone, but one should always have a good, paper map along regardless of whatever other gizmos you may bring (I typically bring a GPS from home, a phone and a tablet, all loaded for navigation). But I always have a good paper map at hand, folded and ready for the day's drive.

A paper map will still function perfectly when your gizmo is stolen (happened to me in Spain) or when it runs out of juice and it's special power cord breaks off (happened to me in Italy) or when it unexpectedly switches to a foreign language that I can't read (happened to me in Lithuania), or if it just sends me off on a needless 6-hour detour which would cause me to miss the ferry I needed that leaves in an hour (happened to me in Japan). If nothing else, a paper map makes a good sanity-check to cross-reference when you phone tells you to drive into the ocean or something equally crazy.

Electronic nav apps and devices are wonderful and useful. But all devices can and do fail, and at inconvenient times. Don't put too much faith in them. Maps are cheap insurance.

All Google Map, iPhone Map & Waze all work here. We’ve been using for a week as well as GPS in car

There is particular pleasure in apprehending the place where you are. Its relationship to other places. Geographical knowledge has a practical side too, in terms of planning and changing plans in response to circumstances.

If you do not know what I am talking about, then you do not know maps, and you should probably stick to an app.

Every time I bring printed maps I hardly ever use them. As long as you have a good data plan you should be fine. ViaMichelin is great. The best thing to do is lock in your destination while you are on Wi-Fi. Then you should be good.

I'm with Adam, I always want a paper map no matter what else I have. GPS is also helpful if you have that available, with talking directions in English. (Plus you can get much entertainment from its mispronunciation of French names.)

I also basically agree with Adam. I've always relied on real maps--I like seeing a wider picture. But we do use an app here at home and have found them very helpful, so I thought maybe one might also be helpful in France. I think I will get the Michelin maps for the area and perhaps will try an app as well. It sounds like having the paper backup is a good idea in any event.

. I think I will get the Michelin maps for the area and perhaps will try an app as well. It sounds like having the paper backup is a good idea in any event.

My Michelin map of France arrived two days ago. along with my SD card of France for our Garmin. We did Garmin plus paper map in Italy and it worked out great.

To me, one advantage of using our Garmin is the ability to plug in and save major addresses before we leave home. In Italy, as soon as we picked up our rental car, I hooked up the Garmin and pulled up the address of our agriturismo. The Garmin took us right to the address! We also like to listen to the Garmin try to pronounce Italian names.

The paper maps allow us to look for alternate, off the beaten paths routes to our destinations.

Have a great time! We leave in in 3 weeks (gasp!) for Loches, then London.

Any suggestion for navigation maps for an iPhone? I'm not sure we would want to pay for unlimited WiFi, though, so maybe it isn't practical unless we can download the information to use off line.

I use Google Maps and save the area I need as an “offline map”. (Downloading Ireland at this moment.) Before I download it, I “save” the places I am going to make it easier to navigate to them. Google Maps operates by satellite so you don’t need data once you have download. It will give you voice directions for driving even without data. I just make sure each night when I have WiFi that I am ready for the next day.