Amsterdam best offline apps that gives you walking directions?

The best off-line tool for finding your way in a city is still the good old paper map. Look where you are. Look where you want to go to. And you'll see the dozens of ways how to get there.

I use the Ulmon offline maps on my phone. While it doesn't list out walking directions a green dot does show where you are so you can see if you are moving in the correct direction. I use a map on my tablet or else paper map for initial planning, but when out and about rely on my phone.

We have not been to Amsterdam (this April) but we use mapsme in other European cities and it works well

Yes paper map is always good to have on hand but want to make sure I am going in the correct direction. Renee I am going in July to Amsterdam. I would love to hear about your trip when you get back. I am planning now because you have to buy tickets for everything in advance.

Out of curiosity, why can't you/won't you just buy a SIM for your phone so you can use Google Maps etc.? Being able to navigate the trams too with Google Maps is pretty handy in Amsterdam.

I say go with the paper map.....or even better, just wander around and get lost a bit. Unless you go deep into the Jordaan, you will eventually find your way back. Worked for me....that, and asking a couple of nice locals when I got really lost the one time.

Andrew - Taking the tiny SIM card out of my phone and trying to put in is major pain. I would probably break or loose something.

I doubt it would be that hard, LF. Have you looked on YouTube to see how people have done it for your model of phone?

New SIM card kits seem to be coming with SIM removal tools that look like a paperclip with a pointed end. They make removing a SIM pretty easy from any phone.

If you don't want to mess with this once you get to Amsterdam, you can always buy a SIM on eBay before you leave on your trip and set it up in your phone first, so you won't have to mess with it once you get there. I bought a Dutch Vodafone SIM that way (and didn't even visit the Netherlands - EU roaming is mostly free now, so I was able to use it in Slovenia, Italy, and France). If you want to keep your old SIM secure, get a little plastic container of some sort - a pill bottle, whatever is small and would fit your SIM and keep it safe.

Some eschew paper maps, others are befuddled by their electronic counterparts. For me, it is a tossup. There are always workarounds, like getting local SIM cards or using offline map programs, but nothing is a perfect solution.

For more than 60 years of my life, I didn't have the advantage of an electronic map, and good old paper was the answer. I still will not travel to Rome or Paris without my old Lonely Planet city maps (old because the newer ones aren't as detailed) to get me to where I am going. I add an REI combo compass/thermometer that can be attached to a zipper pull on my day pack, and I can navigate wherever I need to go. No one wants to steal the maps from my touristy fingers, either, and the overview a paper map provides makes it easier to plan events and expeditions.

In any event, Amsterdam is an easy city to navigate, and is roughly shaped like a horseshoe.

One thing you may want to consider if you have an iPhone is to turn off your data for most of your apps. Go to Settings, then to Cellular, and then to Cellular Data, which shows you which apps are using cellular data. Just switch off all but the essential apps, like Translate and Google Maps, and you won't break the bank with roaming minutes. Good luck.

I too use the Ulmon CityMaps2Go APP. I use the free version.

I like the ability to save my points of interests, hotels, transit stops, etc before I leave home. I save additional sites as I make decisions as I travel. You can make notes at each saved site. I've found this useful to save journal entries, especially about restaurants.

The map shows a scale of distance which, of course, changes as you zoom the map on your device. It has an icon resporesenting where you are located AND this icon has a directional arrow, so it is very easy to know the direction you are headed as soon as you start walking.

For navigating, I prefer this to a paper map by far. I am directionally challenged. This mapping app saved me a lot of time and gave me confidence as a solo traveler using only public transit and my own feet to move about.

I always also take a small compass (though I have one on my phone as well).