Gps with both US and Europe map or alternative

Posted by richard (Des Plaines, IL, US) on 04/27/23 10:17 PM

Going to be picking up a car in Germany and driving it through parts of Italy and France then returning to Germany.

Problem is navigation. Cannot seem to find a GPS in the United States with preloaded US and Europe maps. Question is how to navigate.

Would anyone know if such a GPS is available in the US? Or should I just activate my cell phone for European use and use Google Maps to get around? This I am reluctant to do.

Getting a Gps from a car rental agency limits the range to just the country the Gps has been purchased in. We would need one for the 3 countries mentioned? Or as we travel to Europe frequently one also for future use. (Will be going to Portugal in the Fall)

Puzzled but hopeful.

Many thanks,

Richard and Mary Shaw/Chicago

Posted by joe32F

Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂

04/27/23 10:31 PM

12196 posts

Have you seen this?

https://www.tomtom.com/en_us/navigation/car-gps/

Posted by Dick

Olympia, WA, USA

04/27/23 11:14 PM

6713 posts

Garmin sells an excellent GPS with a North America map, the cheapest is about $150 now. You can download a Europe map for about $100 more. Competitors like TomTom and Magellan should also be checked out. Just buying these would seem like a good investment compared to added rental cost, especially if you'll be driving in Europe again. I haven't checked, but Garmin and other companies might also sell units preloaded with Europe maps, perhaps through their European websites.

I've used GPS in Britain and France. You can choose between miles and kilometres, I'd suggest whichever unit corresponds to what you'll find on road signs (i.e. kilometres in France). You can choose the language you want to hear, though the voice will sometimes mispronounce non-English place names. This can be a source of entertainment as you roll along the highway.

A good road map is also worth bringing as a reality check. Sometimes a GPS unit will send you along slow back roads, or even through bodies of water, because they're a more "direct" route. Hint -- Never let a GPS tell you to submerge your car!

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

04/27/23 11:17 PM

7389 posts

I bought a European map for my Garmin, but now with Google maps my Garmin is only used for backup. If I don’t use it on an upcoming trip I’ll stop carrying it altogether. Maybe you’ll get lucky and the rental car will come with a nav system at no cost. That’s happened to me on a couple recent trips.

I will add that last year in Spain the rental car only had USB C ports, so my USB 2 iPhone cable was useless. I’ve since purchased a lightening to USB C cable for my iPhone.

Posted by Philip

🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️

04/27/23 11:54 PM

3324 posts

I have a Garmin GPS with both US and Europe “lifetime” maps but have not bothered using it since a trip to Spain and Portugal in 2013. I only use my iPhone with Google Maps. Cheaper buying a SIM card for your phone than purchasing a GPS and you don’t have to drag around another device. Two admonitions: bring a cell phone holder for the car so you can easily view the screen and if you will be in remote area where cell service may be spotty, download Google Maps for those areas. When I traveled through Sardinia and Corsica, there were areas with no signal and the phone switched seamlessly between on and off line maps.

Posted by Shoe

Grand Rapids, MI

04/28/23 12:00 AM

768 posts

You don't have to activate a phone plan or get a foreign sim, just use any cell phone (even without a sim) and download an app like maps.me or "here we go" and then download the maps you need ahead of time(free). You can test it out locally by using a phone without a sim. It just uses GPS and the downloaded maps to direct you.