GPS in Italy

Use the one in the car, but first check to see if buying one and taking it with you isn't cheaper than renting one. The phone will require data usage, the cost of which will eat you alive. Plus, most I've seen aren't really suitable for driving.

I'd personally prefer to bring my own for two reasons. To get the best use out of a GPS, you need to know how to use it and what options are available (e.g. find parking, find a restaurant, fastest route, route with no tolls, etc.). A rented GPS may work fine but it might not have features you would like or you may not know how to fully use those features. The attitude in Italy is "oh well". If you reserve a car with a GPS, you may well show up and find there is no car with a GPS available. When you insist you ordered a car with a GPS, you will encounter the "oh well" Italian attitude (most likely accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders). Italy is a great place but can be maddening if you aren't prepared.

Bring your own. They are so cheap now ( a good Garmin or TomTom) that you can't afford not to take one. If you use the rental car one ir will take you 5 days to figure out how to use it. Better to buy your own, and learn how to use it here. Also bring a small fold-out Michelin map of the country , and a compass. We have used our GPS in Europe since 2007, and we never fail to need the services of a good Michelin road map.

Holly, The first question to ask is which Cell network your Android phone is connected to? If you're using a GSM phone, it's NOT a good idea to use functions which require access to the cellular networks in Europe, as the data roaming charges can be horrendous! If you're using a Verizon phone, it likely won't even work in Europe, so the nav system would only be operational in those locations where you have access to Wi-Fi. I always travel with a Garmin Nüvi and prefer that approach, as there are no roaming charges to worry about and I'm familiar with the operation and menus. Cheers!

As others have pointed out, your Android GPS requires data connectivity to function, and it'll be far more expensive to pay for the data than to simply rent or buy a GPS unit. Since you have already booked a GPS with your rental, you should use that. It'll work, be loaded with the right maps, and you'll have recourse to the rental company if anything goes wrong. Mathew

Thank you for your valuable information. My cell service is with Verizon which it appears would not be beneficial to us. I also do own a Garmin Nuvi so I suppose I should update the maps and pack this with me. I will for sure get my hands on that Michelin map that I have read more than once about.
Thanks again for your time.

I just rented a car in Tuscany and also rented the GPS. It worked great(English) and was just like mine at home. No problem-it was great just driving around the region!

hello Joyce,
Glad to hear that the nav system worked well for you in the rented car. Did you rent it from the airport and only drive in Tuscany? We are moving up to Venice and possably CT after our stay in the Chianti region. We are going to do a drop-off of the car and use the trains after we leave tuscany.

Joyce - about the GPS you hired. Do you mind if i ask what the cost was? Did you find it easy to understand from the start or did it take a bit of getting used to? Was it installed in the car, or was it a portable you put in the windscreen? T-i-a

We are renting from Auto Europe when we go over this weekend. Starting at Rome airport and returning at Nice railstation. They offered us a GPS Garmon for $75 for the week. We have one an are taking ours - my husband just looked online and it cost $100 to buy maps for Europe...hmmmm. So I guess we don't have them on ours already.

We are renting from Auto Europe when we go over this weekend. Starting at Rome airport and returning at Nice railstation. They offered us a GPS Garmon for $75 for the week. We have one an are taking ours - my husband just looked online and it cost $100 to buy maps for Europe...hmmmm. So I guess we don't have them on ours already.

It was actually cheaper for us to rent the GPS in Italy, rather than download the maps, so that's what we did. However, I agree that Italy is Italy...and if the car rental company didn't have one available...it would be disastrous. Also, I think it might be better to use a GPS you're familiar with, so I'd say...bring your own. And, yes, make sure you have a good road map! We found driving to be quite a hassle in Tuscany, because finding parking in the hill towns was always difficult. We drove around and around in Volterra... never did get a spot! I think it was because it was a Saturday--market day. And don't try to visit San Gimignano in the morning--wait till the afternoon when the tour buses have gone!

Holly Europe Michelin maps are available on line in the US. Purchase in advance so you don't have to spend time looking for one in Italy. Check out previous posts which recommended purchasing a used (but recent) Europe map of a navigation system. Bobbie

Hey Bobbie thanks for the reply I actually have ordered a Michelin map from Amazon. I want to take advantage of all the very wise tips from fellow travelers.

Avoid using expensive data traffic on your smartphone: buy a GPS OFFLINE APP for your smartphone. I guess Garmin and TomTom sell apps for Androids (they do for iPhones). That way, you have most functions of a normal GPS in your phone, without any need to have it feeding on data (maps are pre-loaded).