We hope to rent a GPS with our car rental, but also want a good detailed map as our backup - or for if no GPS ends up being available. What have people liked? Thanks.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Martin bring your own GPS. It will take you at least three days to learn how to use a rental GPS...if you can get it to speak English. We always take a small Michelin fold out map of the country that we are visiting. If you want added security, buy a Michelin Italy Road Atlas. It is not too big, and covers everything in finite detail. The only disadvantage is that you have to flip pages to try and figure out where you are going. It works well with the Michelin Italy fold out map. Go to your local bookstore and do some browsing.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
45 posts
Thanks Steve. I don't have a GPS now, and don't really need one since my Iphone does it all for me here in Seattle. What kind did you take to Italy?
Posted by
Caruthers, CA, USA
244 posts
Martin, I bought a Garmin 275T at Fry's in LA for $130. Lists for $250. Fry's was closing them out. They sold used on ebay for $137 at the same time. I plan to see mine on ebay when I get back. The advantage is I'll be able to use it and get familiar when I'm at home. Also I'll be able to store points of interest.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2332 posts
I used the Michelin Toscana 1/200,000 ("Local 358") map last year and liked it very much.
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
This is the map in my glove: http://amzn.to/e5qRAu
Posted by
America's Vancouver and the First
111 posts
We used Michelin #563 Italie Centre. It is a big map that also covers Umbria - we went there as well as Tuscany and Lazio. It got quite a workout and was absolutely essential in addition to our GPS loaded with European maps.
Posted by
Henderson, NV
14 posts
If you have a smart phone you can download Ndrive Italy .. it is in English and is easy to learn.
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
425 posts
I would not recommend buying a GPS just for this trip. I get a GPS with a rental car every time I rent in Europe. And they are easy use. If you need to, have someone with the rental agency help you. However, the best piece of advise I can give is to absolutely know how to use it before leaving the lot! You don't want to be zipping down the road trying to program the thing. Trust me on that, I've been there! Oh, and I have a Borch map of Tuscany that looks pretty good. It's a 1:400,000 plastic map that you can write on and wipe off.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10711 posts
I have the same map that Kay has. I didn't need it much except for planning, as I used my GPS to get from place to place. I always carry a map back up anyway.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
45 posts
Diana - Ndrive Italy looks like its about $60. Did you buy it and use it? If so, how well did it actually work?
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga
211 posts
Michelin Toscana
Very good. Get it at most gas stations on the autostradas.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Martin, we took our TomTom GPS with us. We have used it in Germany, Austria, Portugal, France, Italy( and Sardinia), and for a cross country US trips. Our model has built in US and EU maps. TT and Garmin are both fantastic products. You can get some for less than $200 with the built in maps. The GPS text-to-speech function( speaking the names of the streets roads, etc) for your next turn is invaluable. Saves looking at the map for each turn.