iPHone App for Map

You can purchase one of the GPS navigation apps that are available for Europe... TomTom, Navigon, etc.

They are pricey (Navigon was $70 for the North American pack), but the maps are all downloaded to your phone and they work without a data plan and provide GPS navigation from where you are, where you want to go, etc. Needless to say, they are not guaranteed to have 100% of the points of interest as they are not connected to the net, but they cover most of what I have ever wanted to do.

check out OffMaps. Download your maps in advance while connected to internet, then they are available when off line.

As suggested the Lonely Planet off line maps are very good. You can also search the app store for off-line maps in those selected cities.

Another great app is Motion-X GPS. It allows you to download offline maps of the places you are going to visit before leaving. They can be quite big and do take a while to download though.

It's a bit late to respond to OP but ma help others traveling to Europe or elsewhere. Check out Best Travel Offline Maps app for iPhone: http://bit.ly/AqhyOa
For $2.99, you can download unlimited number of maps for cities around the world. It does't have routing capabilities though. But you can search for points of interest and locate yourself on the map.

@David, I just downloaded the App that you mentioned. It looks good, and I'll be anxious to try it on my next trip to Europe. Cheers!

David, Thanks so much. Obviously I don't need it for my trip to Amsterdam, Germany, and Austria anymore, but my wife and I are headed to Paris in March and this will be a great resource. And better yet, it is good for domestic trips as well. Thanks for updating everyone! :) Happy Travels.

Another choice for other cities appear to be the Paris2Go, Roma2Go, London2Go, and the Time Out apps. I'm also looking through the London Museum Finder app and the (London) Tube Map apps.

I have some very basic questions which are conspicuously not addressed on the website. Anyone who has bought this - can you tell me: - Do the maps show up full screen on an iPad, or just "iPhone screen size"? - can the maps be zoomed? If so, do they redraw "crisp" (with greater details?) or just become fuzzy when zoomed in?
- is there a list of available maps? They show San Francisco, which would be great if I needed a map of San Francisco (I don't, and San Francisco is very well documented about a dozen different ways on my iPad already). How about Zagreb? Ljubljana? Zadar? I like the concept, but the website and their spot in the iTunes store is very short on details...

- Do the maps show up full screen on an iPad, or just "iPhone screen size"? The app is made for iPhone only, although it "works" on iPad, it will be iPhone screen size like you mentioned. - can the maps be zoomed? If so, do they redraw "crisp" (with greater details?) or just become fuzzy when zoomed in? Yes, the maps can be zoomed in and out and they look pretty good on my 3GS. They don't have searchable street addresses but there are a number of predefined places (POIs) for tourist interest and some utilities, cafes etc. - is there a list of available maps? They show San Francisco, which would be great if I needed a map of San Francisco (I don't, and San Francisco is very well documented about a dozen different ways on my iPad already). How about Zagreb? Ljubljana? Zadar? Yes on Zagreb and Ljubljana. No on Zadar. Full list is at http://besttravelapp.org/#maplist. it's a pretty long list (apparently 5000 maps now). SUpport is also pretty responsive and usually fulfill new map requests in less than a day. So you may want to send an email to [email protected] for Zadar.

Do you know what a "screen shot" is? It's a "photo" of whatever is on your iPod/iPhone/iPad at that moment. You get it by pushing the power button and the home button at the same time. It takes a photo of the screen and saves it in your "photos" app that comes with the device. With that feature, you can use the "Maps" app that comes with the device (basically Google Maps) to get absolutely any map you want. in any level of detail you want. You can use "directions" to get any route you want with VERY accurate instructions. You can also use the "Satellite view" to get an aerial view of anything. All of this comes with the device - is designed to work flawlessly with the device - and is free. Just plan ahead and consider what maps you will need when you are in a location with free wifi. Once the "photos" are saved, you no longer need to have any wifi or 3g to see them. Provided you occasionally have wifi access, it is data-free. I did about 200 screen shots while sitting on my living room couch one day in 2010 for our 5-week trip to 10 countries in central Europe. I didn't have any other map with me at all and it worked perfectly, down to the correct wording on the signs for which exit to take. Edit; I answered without even looking at who was asking the question.... :)

Randy, Nice way to save some money even before you start your trip. But, How do you locate yourself on the screenshots? How do you search for places on the saved screenshots? How long did it take for you to create those 200 screenshots?
Was the time you lost worth the $2.99 you saved? How much time would you lose on your trip if you forgot one small detail that you needed (assuming you know everything that you need ahead of time)? However, I like your approach for a different purpose. I am thinking of asking my daughter to do the screenshots thing to keep her engaged and excited about the trip the next time we are taking her away from her friends for two weeks.

First I have to say it is fascinating to me that this post is getting so much traffic since it was from my trip in 2010. But I am thankful since it was just in time for our trip this year. @Randy - I should have known you would have an answer. Of course, when I first posted this, we hadn't gotten to know each other yet... Also, the one advantage I see with this app over the screenshot is the POIs. When you download one of the maps on this app, it comes with hundreds (maybe thousands) of POIs built in. It doesn't show them all at once, but you can add them to your map. This helped us find our hotel pretty flawlessly yesterday. Since we chose a hotel not in the RS book, having our RS guide with us did not help. The only downside is that this map does appear to have a metro feature so we had to look at a hardcopy map to figure out which metro stop, then look at a metro map to figure out the line, then look at the app to figure out how to get from the stop to the hotel. But it worked! @David - Your thoughts about forgetting a map are certainly valid. Of course, if you are ever near wifi, you can always get another map. Also, for my purposes, Randy's answer was on the money. Since I don't use data while I'm over here (I'm in Paris while I write this), I can't know where I am on the map regardless - because that would require 3G.

For those interested in giving the app a try, it is free for today (May 31) and tomorrow(Jun 1). http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/best-travel-offline-maps/id501782148?mt=8

Thanks, David! I just "bought" the app :-). Anyone: Just to double-check, if I set my new iPhone to off for cellular data, I can still use GPS? It would be helpful to be able to see where I am if I get lost :-). I'm guessing that the phone is able to "see" where you are by checking in with phone towers, which it does anyway if it's on. Can I turn off voice roaming as well, if I don't want to accidentally get a call or text from home while I'm checking my location, or does that have to be on for the phone to check in with the phone towers? I would test this in my hometown, but there's no map for it in the app :-). Does anyone know if compass apps work the same way (without using data)? That would be handy too.

Lexey, I'm not sure if I understand your question. Do you have an iPhone? If so, I don't think there is a way to turn off the phone function without also turning off the data function. In order for GPS functions to work on smartphones, they are pulling data from satellites via phone towers. The phone does not do this if it is in "Airplane Mode," which is why you won't get any errant phone calls or texts. All GPS applications use data (from my understanding) - if you are on a smartphone, that is. Actually, it is my understanding that Map and GPS apps actually use more data than just about anything other kind of app because they are constantly refreshing and adding new information as you move. This is my understanding anyway. All that said, the map is really functionally and easy to use - at least as easy as a paper map. I don't know how directionally challenged you are or aren't, but I didn't have any issues getting lost. Hope your trip goes well!

An iphone tries to locate you in several hieracrhial ways: known wifi spots, cell towers, and satellite. The newer iphones have a separate gps antennae which it will use if it can't work out something with the other two. Thus, the gps will work fine without data. Maps, however, require data; thus the need to either have the map preloaded or turn the data receiver on to obtain it.

Thanks for the correction and clarification, Ed. :)

I don't own an iPhone so you'll have to test it for yourself, but You might want to try MapswithMe, which looks like it will do the job and well. The free version allows for offline maps. There's a pro version for $5 that allows you to do some limited searches offline as well. OffMaps 2 might be an option as well, but I don't know what their free map app is like. oMaps allows you to buy offline maps in app, but that's a little sleezy. You shouldn't be able to use OPENstreetmaps in a CLOSED application. If you have an android device, there are two great options for offline maps. You can precache maps in the official android Google Maps. Click Menu -> Settings -> Labs -> Pre-cache map area and then return to the map. Then click and hold a point on the map and then click on the pin, and then click "pre-cache map area". It will download a 10 square mile radius of that area and you can view the entire area offline for free. MapDroyd allows you to download openstreetmap information, for free, for anywhere in the world. It is not as complete as Google Maps, but it is free and it is very compact and easy to use.

Thanks, Cary and Ed. Ed, your explanation was really helpful because I do have an iPhone 4S. By the way, it is possible (at least on that phone with the latest version of software) to go into Settings to turn off all the capabilities individually: wifi, cellular data (under General>>Network), roaming (data and voice), and location services, as well as the airplane mode setting, which turns off all of those at once. You can even turn off location services for individual applications. I'm a great navigator with paper maps/static electronic maps, and I love them. I've never gotten lost, but it's just that I have found in many European cities that it can be difficult to locate a street sign on occasion or without making what may turn out to be a detour (usually when coming up out of an underground station). And, of course, some streets may change names frequently. These are minor inconveniences with a paper map, so I thought it might be nice to have the minor convenience of being pinpointed on a map without having to try to figure out exactly where I am (for exiting large metro stations or on streets with long blocks, etc.), as long as I don't have to pay for it :-).

I just got back from 2 weeks in Slovenia/Croatia, using this on my iPhone 4S. I did purchase this app, and did download the maps for the cities that were available. Overall, I was fairly satisfied, although its not a perfect solution. I also did what was suggested upthread, using the (Google) "Maps" app before leaving home to take screenshots of those smaller towns where the app didn't offer maps. That proved to be somewhat useful, although obviously limited since there was no way to see my present location on screenshots - still, better than nothing. I found the "bubble" depicting one's current location on the map was reasonably accurate: when zoomed way in, I could actually see the bubble move along the block as I was walking. That was in a city with normal (wide) streets. Trying the same thing in an "old city" neighborhood with tiny streets surrounded by buildings close-in (Dubrovnik) did not work so well. That's to be expected, a GPS can't get a good, consistent lock on satellites down in the maze of little streets. One thing I found did not work well at all: the app's depiction of which direction I was facing. The app shows your location with a "bubble" and a V-shaped "fan" projecting out from the bubble, which (I assume) is supposed to show which direction you're facing (if it's supposed to depict something else, I don't know what). I found this data to be completely useless - and until I learned to ignore the fan and just concentrate on which direction the bubble was moving (which was subtle), I found myself walking in circles and my wife slightly miffed at my "navigation". The POI data was of limited use - it did not include the restaurants we tried to find but thats not a deal-breaker. All in all, I thought it was worth having. Hope that helps.