Road atlas-purchase in France or before I go?

Buy it in France. Look for the best scale you can find. 1:100000 is good, detailed and easier to navigate with than let's say 1:400000.

You can also buy Michelin maps in any good book store in the U.S.
I like to buy'em and study the maps prior to leaving. I also use GoogleMaps extensively as I go along.

You can also buy Michelin maps in any good book store in the U.S. I like to buy'em and study the maps prior to leaving.
I also use GoogleMaps extensively on hotel Wifi. I'll often expand the maps with "+++" to see what restaurants and sights are within walking distance of where I'm staying. And I often take notes on how to get from Point A to Point B.

If you wait until you are in France, you'll not only be able to compare different publications, but you'll also be sure to have the latest addition. They are very easy to find.

No experience with the atlas, but: we purchased the Michelin maps of Normandy and Provence prior to departure and enjoyed highlighting the villages we hoped to visit and getting a feel for distances, proximity, etc. Getting your atlas in advance would provide the same advantages. Yes, we know, this is a level of obsession that probably doesn't afflict all travelers. Have a great trip.

Yes rca I am afflicted to that level. Lol. I just do the pre trip obsessing with online maps. But I am old school and like paper in my hands when actually navigating. Love the GPS but find augmenting with maps valuable.

We bought a road atlas there. We were able to find one that wasn't huge, which was a big plus for bringing it home. I use GPS, but can spend hours looking at paper maps. :-)

I bought the big Michelin atlas many years ago, and often use it in the course of planning trips. However, since it's pretty hefty we've never brought it to France, but instead use individual Michelin maps.

another vote for buying the michelin road maps , before you go- if you want to plan your trip, as they are easier to carry and fit into small places in your luggage and hide out of sight, if required. Interestingly I buy them for almost half price from a UK book supplier, ,similar to amazon.

If you like maps or atlasses it is always fun to look around at home in a well equiped bookstore and compare the different publications. I think buying one of the Michelin National maps (red cover) the size you need ( quarter / half / full ) is with guessing about 10$ not a waste of money and as already noted easy to take with you. You can always buy an atlas once on the road in France, but think an english version will be lesser easy to find, however the key info will be at least bilingual if buying the French version.

The well known retail chain in France FNAC sells these atlasses with spiral back online for around 16€ (without shipping costs), but expect in gaz stations and supermarkets in France a few euro’s more. Will be ofcourse the French version, for a good comparison: ISBN 2067211676. Atlasses or maps and the scale you want to use remains a matter of personal preference. Maybe more convenient are the A3 sized atlasses, guess for around the same prize.

I am too fond of old fashioned maps, have a shoe box full of all kinds of maps, but for France like to use the departemental (scale 1:150 000) version as I often make use of back roads and sign posting can often be inadequate there. But for the main roads and a better overview can be good enough to find your way through France with a larger scale like 1:500 000 for Michelin National ¼ Northwest France maps or the 1: 1000 000 scale Michelin National (½) Northern France maps, costing in France around 6€ each.

We bought our atlas before we went and had it shipped to our first location. We wanted to pack super light and not worry about carrying it on with us. If you do it far enough in advance, it isn't that much to ship. Not sure if that would be an option for you or not. Just an idea :)

We do not use a GPS, either in the U.S. or in Europe. We have just never bothered as both of us like paper maps and atlases.

We purchased a laminated Borch (brand name) map at Barnes and Noble. I have three different ones...France, Italy and Germany. We only have these three countries so far. Each cost $12.95. They are fairly large and the ratio is 1:800 000. All the maps show LOTS of little roads. It may not be as complete as the Michelin maps but I like using it. The France map has accompanied us on several trips plus much looking at it for trip planning. It will be going with us on our next trip which is coming up soon.

Have fun planning and driving.

I use both a map and GPS. I study the map before we leave each day and know what the route should be. Then I know when the GPS is throwing me a curve ball. If I'm pressed for time, I stay with the route from the map atlas (which is usually auto routes), but if if I've got the luxury, I pull over and get the Atlas out to figure out what the GPS is suggesting. Sometimes I decide to swing at the curve ball.

You can wait til you get there, but I'm impatient. I usually buy mine here. Studying it helps pass the time on the long flight. Amazon has them. Barnes and Noble usually has them on the rack.

Years ago I bought I bought an atlas that was on sale for about $5. Then just ripped out the pages that I needed for my trip.

But, IME the atlasses are good for general planning, more detailed maps are a huge benefit when you are traveling the back roads.

I would maybe buy the atlas at home and then buy the local maps when you are in France.

We have a Michelin atlas that is so detailed that it practically shows every house and barn. We don't expect such an atlas to be used by everyone, since ours is used for research purposes, but it does illustate that there are all kinds of atlases, and your choice will be best inside the country.