Which GPS in Italy? Garmin or TomTom?

I have a Nuvi 660 and use an SD disk when in Italy. It is better than any unit I have ever used.

Garmin. I use the Garmin Nuvi 660 (got it at Costco when it was on sale) FANTASTIC unit!

You do have to buy the European maps...unless you get the top of the line model that is fully loaded.

Well worth the cost! So easy to use, and loaded with other features.

you will not be sorry if you invest in Garmin's units.

We used the tomtom go 910 model in May and it worked great. It has a 20 gb harddrive with the western European countries already on it. I think this model has been replaced by a newer version but still with U.S., Canada and Europe on the harddrive. Looked at the Garmin and others but by the time I bought the Europe maps to load to them the price was $200-300 more than the tomtom.

If you are going to be driving in just Italy, you can purchase an SD Disk for Italy and Greece for $180.00 USD. I got my disk off Ebay for 125.00 and I will sell it on Ebay when I return. You can't go wrong with a Nuvi. I travel around 40 weeks out of the year in the US, and it is a lifesaver.

L8TR

There is a new Garmin line coming out either now or real soon now. Same prices as the 6xx line but more features. I'd wait for the Garmin 770 if you can.

I went with a handheld myself. A garmin 60SX with the European maps. It won't talk to me but does everything else. Plus it's easier to carry when hiking about. They even have a rebate right now.

We have just returned from two weeks in Italy. Still LOADS of TOURISTS everywhere! We rented a car in Pisa for the Hill Towns for three days only. Because we rented in one location and dropped off in another, we could not rent a GPS with the car. We rented the Garmin GPS from the car rental agency and it was delivered to our home in the US before leaving. We had to pay the full two weeks ($12/day for one country) and shipping ($40) even though only used three days, BUT I would do it over in a heartbeat as it was a lifesaver!!! Highly recommend using GPS. I believe I would consider the cost of the rental, how many countries (software) needed, vs cost of purchase and software and how often it would be used. How much are these devices now? Good luck. Remember, allow MORE time than you think to travel back roads when driving.

Definitely a good idea to do GPS in Italy. Streets are rarely, if ever, labeled. The time you save will be worth the cost.

Thanks for all the great responses. Right now I'm leaning towards the Garmin 370 because it seems smaller and lighter than the TomTom 910 - and I don't really want a GPS with a hard drive - I rather have built in memory. I may hold out another few weeks and see if any new models are going to be introduced for the holidays.