using Garmin in italy

You need to download European road maps into the Garmin before you go - from here.

We also input addresses of our hotels beforehand, though nothing quite matches being there to see if even those are right. We had an incorrect address for our hotel in Soprabolzano, for instance, that Garmin could not match and we could not locate the actual address - until we were in the area.

But Garmin is so effective navigating in city centers especially, we pannicked when I forgot to charge it overnight once. We could not use it when leaving Soprabolzano or on the drive to Brasso del Grappa that day. Until I brilliantly thought to ask at the restaurant where we had lunch if I could charge it while we ate.

But this is why you should have a backup plan, such as having a Michelin map with you just in case. As it was, we ended up missing our turnoff from the toll road and that resulted in a detour of twenty kilometers and extra toll fees. Just like old times. I really, really hate those types of old times.

So be sure to charge your Garmin nightly after each use, so remember to bring a converter plug with you.

Make sure that you update your software and maps before you leave. It is so easy to get around with a GPS, however, sometimes if you drive too fast, it makes it difficult for the GPS to keep up with your position and you might miss an exit or turn. Take a good map as a backup. I have found that using a GPS in Rome, for instance, is a futile effort as the buildings are too tall and streets too narrow to get "line of sight" with the satellite and therefore difficult to capture and keep a signal. Garmin is pre-ordering for their newest models which are much thinner and have glass hi-def screens like an iPhone.

Those who have taken their Garmins with them to Italy have been pleased and many say they will not go to Europe again without one. I use a TomTom and feel the same way. The advantage of using your own is you will not have a learning curve to deal with as you would a rental upon arrival. Still a good idea to have a good paper map too.

Got to totally agree with Lane.

Bring your own (mine is a TOM TOM also), and make sure that you get a Michelin map of Italy. We took our Michelin Map 8 1/2 x 11 "book" with us again for our trip a couple of weeks ago, and could not have done it without the maps.

Even though we had just updated our GPS, it was not infallable; and many times we had to rely on the maps to plot our routes; the GPS would pick routes that took us on roads that were suitable for tractors; not cars. In many cases we found it better to plot routes from one town to the next,then to the next, etc., which then ensured that we were on the best roads.

I will be taking my Garmin to Italy as well. I also bought a Michelin map (from this website - it arrived yesterday) of Central Italy. Our driving in Italy will be confined to Tuscany. I think using the two systems in tandem will make the driving easier.

I took my Garmin to Ireland and did not take a driving map with me. I did have an idea how to get from place to place and only ended up on a couple of really small one lane roads. As long as it doesn't take me too much time, or too far out of the way, I don't mind little detours. It allows for seeing some interesting things sometimes.

We just returned from Italy and used our own Garmin to navigate around Mantove, Bergamo, Bolzano, and Brasso Del Grappa during the time we had a car.

Without a doubt, it was invaluable navigating inside the towns themselves, but out on the highways, Garmin can be somewhat "creative" in the routes. As suggested, have a good road map as well, but definitely bring the Garmin or a Tom Tom for the city driving.

So, having read all the above posts about driving with a GPS in Europe, and the added advice to take a map as well, I am curious. How does that work? Do you plot the journey on the GPS and then double check against a map? Or do you confirm every voice instruction on the device with a map? You can tell we have never used a GPS, just Michelin maps and good map-reading and navigating skills. I was under the impression that with a GPS everything was a piece of cake.

Yep, plot and then check the GPS route against the Michelin map. We "usually" only found this necessary for routes using minor roads, but your "Navigator" and spotter should also check the routes suggested for the freeways also.

You can plug your trip into your GPS before you leave home, but we never do this, and usually just check the routes as we drive down the road.

The moral of the story is to buy your own GPS unit, and practice with it at home. You will quickly learn its limitations.

Do you need to add or do anything to the GPS we use here in the US? We use both a Garmin and a Tom Tom in California with great success!

Christine....1st thing first, check to see if your GPS came pre-loaded with maps of EU. Our TOMTOM did, and we have used it all over the EU.

If it did not come with EU maps, check with each manufacturer to see what the cost will be to load them. I updated ALL of the EU maps in my TOMTOM on the internet, and I think it cost $119. The TOMTOM does not hold its maps in an SD chip, and downloads them directly to the unit.

Your Garmin may use SD cards, that you can buy on EBay, and then re-sell when you get home. The advantage is that you can always buy the latest one each time you travel, and sell it when you get back.

We did not have to worry about charging our TOM TOM each nite because we kept it pluged in to a standard 12 volt cigarette lighter charger as we drove down the road. The cigarette lighter charger which works in any car in the US, or in the EU. This also works for cell phones.

We did not have any problems with tall buidings with our TOMTOM, because it has a feature that keeps the unit running and "guestimating" its position even when it goes thru a tunnel, or a very large building blocks the satelites.

I do what Steve (Oregon) does and plug mine into the car. No need to remember to charge at night.

For our trip to Ireland I bought a chip from someone I connected with on this helpline. After using it, I sold it to someone else I connected with on this board.

For our upcoming trip where we will drive in both Italy and Germany (2 separate rentals), I know someone with a chip and he is loaning it to me.

I think it is much better to bring a GPS that you know how to use, than try to figure out a new one.

we had a Garmin on our last trip to Italy with Italy map loaded,worked great.I also like to follow with a Michelin map as co-pilot and if we want to explore smaller roads.the female voice non-accent of Italian street names is very funny and entertaining at times. In Urbino, a hilly hill town, she said we had arrived- it was a gas station. we realized the hill was so steep that the satelite was reading the point 'down' and our hotel was up the hill a bit, reading it and the gas station as being in the same place. lot's of fun ! best for finding rental car return offices.

A Garmin (or equivalent) is a must if you are going to drive in Italy. Make certain that you learn to use it before you go, and update the software and maps also before you leave. The only trouble that I found was finding a signal in the city. The buildings (i.e. in Rome) are tall and close together so it is hard to get "line of sight" with the satellite. The GPS will shine most on the open road.

I agree that you definitely still need a good map, and I also recommend asking your hotel for directions to their location. We took our Garmin in April and had a horrible time trying to find our hotel in Sorrento. We of course had a highway map, but didn't have a detailed map of Sorrento (other than Rick's map in Italy 2010, which just didn't cut it). Some of the directions were just plain inaccurate; for example, when driving on a road that acted as an overpass with a crossroad running underneath it, the Garmin wanted us to turn right onto the road far below. We did eventually get to the hotel, after we figured out where the GPS wanted us to go and then pieced together how to actually get there. We also found it helpful for me watch the GPS and call out how far away we were from the next turn...so when it says 'turn left in 300 meters', and there was no clear intersection or set of traffic lights that we were approaching, I would keep reading out the distances as we approached 200 meters, 100, 50, etc. so my husband could figure out where to turn. Other than the driving in Sorrento, we found the GPS was great...as long as you use your common sense and ignored it when it tried to shave 10 minutes off your distance by taking you off the autostrada and through the centre of some little towns.

I bought a Garmin a couple of months back and have been pretty pleased with it. It also comes in handy in the pedestrian mode,finding sights and transportation and as a unit converter. The only things I would say watch out for: It likes to take you on the shortest routes which often means small,narrow streets which may cut a couple of kilometers off the route but can be a bit nerve wracking at times. I usually just follow signs if I can and let the unit recalculate.The other thing is the traffic advisories. Don't trust them! On our drive from Cinque Terre to Cesena it wanted to take me off of the autostrada from the other side of Parma all the way to the exit for Cesena which was about a two hour drive. Never hit a bit of bad traffic going our way.

Ron

How about a cell phone GPS like on a droid?

I will echo what others have said. We had our Garmin with European/Italy maps. However, your adventures will be much more accurate with a hard-copy Michelin map. Don't leave home without it! The road names - IF they are posted near the road - will often be signed with the "local" name. This is often different from what the GPS tells you. Keep that in mind. The GPS will occasionally try to take you in a direction that won't be the best way and it's great to have a detailed map to confirm. Also, I would print out google maps for any of the small towns you plan to visit so that you have a slightly better idea where you are as you approach the town.

Definitely use your Garmin. We used mine for the 1st time last summer and it was extremely useful, but not infallible. I used it last month in the Castelli Romani area and will use it when we return in August.

Buon viaggio,

RB

We just returned from Italy and our garmin worked fine but we usually used a detailed map. note, however, to bring an charger as at least our car charger did not fit the cigarette lighter socket in our rental car (a Lancia)