Is taking a gps worth it?

Joey, Using a GPS in "pedestrian mode" for getting around cities can be helpful at times, but not essential. As you already own a GPS, it could be useful to pack it along. However, be sure to verify that your GPS unit is equipped with European Maps (not all of them are). Cheers!

I would say leave it if you won't be driving. Most towns will have some type of tourist map marking the sights. I never really found it useful walking around and just another thing to wiegh down the backpack. Just my opinion though. Have a good trip!

Yes, if you're going to Italy bring a GPS. Read the response I just posted to Dee's question (too long to type again).

If you're not driving then a GPS is just an expensive device you need to lug around and worry about losing or getting stolen. Maps, guidebooks, and locals are plenty fine for getting directions when you're not behind the wheel.

A GPS is great for driving, but I wouldn't bother with it if you will not have a car. As others have said, it is just one more thing to carry and worry about. Most likely you would have to buy European maps for it, which aren't cheap. A paper map will work fine for walking around.

I would only take it if you are sure you have European city maps loaded. Many gps models do not include them or are expensive to purchase and using a gps made for driving doesn't always work best in "pedestrian mode". We always take our Garmin Nuvi 770 when we are driving in Europe, but if we are not actually renting a car, it's just another piece of equipment to lug around and keep charged!

If you are not driving then you will not need a GPS. If you are driving, then most definitely you will. Just make certain that you have European maps installed and up-to-date. If walking, it is pretty much useless in the city as it is difficult sometimes to get a signal as the close-in buildings limit line-of-sight with the satellite.

Hi Joey. Agree with others; leave it at home. We tried ours in pedestrian modejust for fun while in Rome but had a hard time getting it to work & get a signal but we used it for driving & it worked great. Pedestrian mode just doesn't work very well. Get yourself a good map (like Rick Steves') for walking around the major cities.

We always take ours if we are driving. I wouldn't bother to take it if I were only doing train travel. It is an expensive device to carry around when a weightless paper map (or a phone with a gps app) will do the same job. You don't have to charge a paper map too...

We don't take a GPS. I brought mine once and it was useless.
Much more fun going old style anyway with a big, high detail paper map and a small compass. Nice thing about a paper map is it has everything around you to look at. And something interesting might be right near where you are that the GPS will not tell you about, as its window of view is rather small.

Sorry, I read it that you would be driving. If not, you really don't need a GPS. As long as you can find Tourist Information from the train station, you will be able to find everything you need.

Although you are not planning to drive ('using the train the whole time'), for other readers of this post who might be renting a car, there is another option; namely, renting a GPS unit when you rent a car. We rented a Tom Tom from National at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam last March for 10 euros per day. No hassle with having to bring our Garmin, charger, frictionless mounting pad, buying European map downloads, fear of theft, etc. So, for 7 days, it cost us about $100 U.S. and worked just fine for the 1,500 miles we drove that week. I would also agree with the others who felt that while on foot, the excellent maps available at TIs, in guide books, etc. can get you by. As an aside, I have bought some of Garmin's pedestrian downloads for several U.S. cities at $9.99 a pop, and found that I hardly used the GPS to get around on foot. Now, for driving, that's another story and I wouldn't leave home without my Garmin!