Navigating

I use google maps on my iPhone.

Paper maps are for planning.

When it comes to driving, I've tried navigating in Europe using Google Maps once and GPS in my rental car once, and I greatly prefer GPS in my rental car. Google maps kept telling me things like "turn left" when there were three different streets available for a left turn (DAMMIT, WHICH LEFT?!?!?!), but the GPS would draw me a picture and put an arrow showing me which left it was.

Using Google Maps, I was going round and round in one small town, the streets getting narrower and narrower. What a nightmare. "Hey, haven't we been here before, like 20 minutes ago?"

"Turn left" just isn't enough information sometimes.

Driving - google maps. I will download the map and directions ahead of time, both to save data and in case I’m in an area with no cell service. If I’m going really far off the beaten path, away from towns and gas stations then I’ll have a paper map too. I always have a car charger as well as a portable charger so running out of phone battery isn’t an issue.

*Sometimes I don’t use the directions, preferring to just use the google map to plot my own route this is important. Google maps is...a map. If you don’t trust its directions you can still use it as a map, with GPS.

Walking - if I need to get point A to B quickly I’ll do the same as above. Google maps walking directions. However, I prefer to just open my downloaded map (CityMaps2Go) and see my blue dot - where I am - and my destination and just find my way there. I will check in with the map to see that I’m heading the right way occasionally but just kind of wander towards my destination. More fun, and a good way to explore the town. I set up my map ahead of my trip with points of interest marked so I can, for example, make a detour to a shop/restaurant/sight I see that I’m near.

DEFINITELY no paper maps for walking in cities/towns. Pulling them out is a hassle and looks very conspicuous. I will use Rick Steves guidebook maps in the kindle version.

Electronic maps are great but zoom out! It’s really helpful to get the overview of the whole route before zooming into street by street. I call it a “mental map” and its knowing broadly where things are in relation to each other.

Also use common sense - don’t be one of those people who drive into a swamp because google guided them incorrectly. If the step by step directions are wrong you can still use the map as a map, with the added feature of real time GPS.

We don't drive in Europe (so far) but for walking about we still use good 'ol paper maps. I get a good one before we leave and highlight the location of the hotel, and of attractions on the must-do list if their locations aren't particularly easy to see or are unmarked. If for some reason it gets lost, paper maps are easily replaced.

We also prefer them to a screen because they give us the bigger picture of where we're at without lot of scrolling, changing image size or other messing around.

GPS (personal), then Google maps for offline use, then paper maps. We’re in Wales right now and the rental car has one in it that we are not paying for, so we use it occasionally. Locally, I get a map from our lodging and use it. If there are places I don’t want to miss, I’ll make my own custom map.

Thanks for the input! We usually do a combo of google map, maps from the hotel, and gps. I’m going to check out that maps to go app though.

I too use Maps2Go App. I especially like it because I can pin sites to it (especially my hotel, train stations and major attractions) before I leave home. This gives me a 'lay of the land' before I arrive. I can plan a route from the train to the hotel easily.

I also sometimes make notes about sites before I leave...might note why I saved a restaurant. I also have made notes about a place after I was there too. For future reference.

I have found that some smaller sites (especially restaurants) are not accurately 'placed' on the map. You will also find multiple names for the same site, especially large/popular sites.

I also have some trouble remembering how to change the icon I use for each type of site (wich I sometimes find handy).

Even with those short comings, it is still the handiest map I've found for naviagting while walking. AND it works without wifi or cellular service. (Off GPS? Magic? I don't understand it, but I don't care. It works!)

We use google maps in the car --- I am the navigator while my husband drives. In the states sometimes, when there is some tricky highway thing, I ask him if he prefers "the lady" to direct him, but in Italy I seem to always do better. We generally use our phones when walking or taking a bus or a train. I also like to use Google street view to see what my destination looks like. Sometimes, I print up a very small map when I'm walking somewhere by myself, just so I don't have to keep my phone in my hand.

I use Google Maps, on and off line, as well as Waze. For normal driving I prefer Waze because it warns of slow traffic, obstructions, police presence, accidents and traffic cams. I use Google primarily for walking directions. Try both while you’re still home and see which you prefer.

Bring a hands-free mount with you for the phone. Most of my recent rentals had a USB connection that played the turn by turn directions (and my playlists) on the car sound system and kept my phone charged at 100%.

We used Google Maps on my iPhone which had an Italian SIM Card in it. It was very successful in Sicily last year, even in remote mountain areas. We left our Garmin GPS with Europe maps home this trip and much preferred using Google Maps. Great results.

Waze, Google Nav, and my son in the passenger seat... Perfecto!!!