GPS in Europe

Yes, but you probably will not need to do so for your travels this year. You can keep the Garmin unit up to date for years by purchasing the lifetime renewal package for U.S, and European maps. The cost for both is around $150 and one-time renewals are less, but the lifetime renewal package is a good deal if you plan to keep the unit for a while. The 275T is a great unit; it has kept me from getting lost several times in trips in this country as well as in Germany, and relatives had the same experience in Italy.

I think you can update either by cable to computer or by getting the card from Garmin. When you order the card, the decision tree leads you through which unit you have, so they'll send you the right thing.

There are advantages to each method, but I've unremembered what they are -- I elected the card for some reason.

Tatyana, If you check the Garmin web site you will see that they offer updates on new mini SD cards, so yes, you can update your Garmin at any time.

What many people do is buy the updates on EBay, and sell them when they get back. Buy an Italy update one year, sell it when you get back, and buy a France update the next year, the re-sell it when you are done.

I can't do that with my old TOMTOM 920, but some of the new ones have "lifetime" free updates.

You need to be careful with the "lifetime updates", which sometimes can only be two years.

Thank you so much for your advise. This is very helpful.

Before you buy, check out the Garmin Nuvi 1350 for $129. It has a 4.3" screen, lane assist, speaks street name and eco route.

Here is the link. I agree to buy the lifetime updates....although I believe it is around $100 for US and about the same for Europe.

Comes with Preloaded City Navigator® NT for North America Vehicle suction cup mount.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11533538&cm_mmc=JuneMVM-_-Focus-_-2-_-GarminNuvi

Confirmed $149 for Benelux - France

Hi JB,
I checked this deal, it is a great price ($129).
But nüvi® 1350 doesn't come with preloaded map for Europe. So I need to buy it separately for about $150, right? It comes to $280.
With the nüvi® 275T (which is $200 at Amazon.com right now) I get a preloaded map for Europe.
What do you think?

I didn't think I'd need GPS for our upcoming trip to France because I've always done pretty well over there with maps, but last trip, I did miss a turn and ended up getting hit by a motorcycle. So, I thought...hmmm, if I'd had a GPS... So, I bought the Garmin 275T preloaded with US & Europe maps and have been playing with it around home. I realized it does have it's limitations, however, when it was trying to get me to turn left off of our Viaduct, which is limited access with no left turns. I guess it didn't recognize that I was not on a surface street. So now I know that it can be a useful tool, but I'll still need a map and my own common sense to navigate wherever I go.

At least on the Viaduct, it can see you, Carolyn- imagine what it would do with a tunnel! The Garmins that end in 70s are those that include the Europe maps, right? Mine included one free update on-line. I updated it once right before I left.

I gave it to my dad when we got back, and he just tried to update it on-line, and said even though he wanted to pay for an update, he wasn't able to do so. I don't know what is up with that.

Tatyana, We have a 275T and used in France last year. It was our new best friend. We would have been lost without it. It goes everywhere we go. Didn't want to have it stolen.

You don't need an SD card. Both US and Europe maps are internal.

I also have the lifetime map update. Just updated recently. The update takes a long time.

One of the things we really like about the 275T is that it is small. It fits easily in your pocket so you can take it with you on walking tours. You don't need the big screen when driving.

When we travel, we take a camera bean bag for pictures, but also use it on the car dash to hold the 275T. We didn't want to pack the dash holder which works really well.

You are also able to subscribe to a service that helps you identify speed cameras.

Traffic alerts come free.

Like in earlier posts, you have to use common sense, so configure it so that it stays on the main roads (fastest times) instead of the shortest distance, which can take you thru very small roads.

You will love it.

Sound like the 275T preloaded is the best buy.

Enjoy your trip.

Many of us chooses a nick name for our GPS's. Mine is Gertrude or Gertie for short.

Guys, thank you SO much for all your advice. I appreciate your input. Ordered the 275T yesterday, can't wait to get it. Need to decide on a name.

i realize this is too late but we just returned from france using the garmin nuvi that i bought in the us before we left. not good. last year we used hertz neverlost (magellan) but realized it was too expensive so we bought the garmin. the garmin maps were poor and our routes were very complicated. the magellan was much better but still not perfect.

i hear that tom tom has the best maps for europe as the company is based in belgium. i'm throwing away my garmin and buying a tom tom for next year.

As an alternative to anyone reading this thread, a bunch of cell phones have GPS these days. (Isn't a Nuvi a phone, too?) If you purchase a (relatively) cheap prepaid SIM where you are going and get the data plan, you may have access to Google Maps on your phone. For example, I have an Android phone that gives me turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps. I have not tried it outside the U.S. yet, but I believe it should work the same.

Anyway, it is just a thought, especially if you plan to travel with a cell, like to pack light, and welcome killing two birds with one stone.

A question would be: whether the GPS's that come with the cell phones have Europe maps. Does anyone know?

Speed camera files for Garmin work really well and are really easy to install; just remember that if travelling in Germany the speed camera POI file must be turned off.

I didn't have any of the issues with a Garmin Nuvi GPS in France that someone else posted about. Along the Normandy coast some of what it considered to be a road was a bit sketchy, but we were in an adventurous mood anyway.

The problem with maps on a cellphone GPS is that I'd be afraid that they'd be using the phone data plan to download the maps from the Internet. Data use can become very expensive overseas very quickly if you don't have a good plan for it.

Kent asked: "A question would be: whether the GPS's that come with the cell phones have Europe maps. Does anyone know?"

A Garmin Nuvi may have preloaded maps, but most cell phones get it through the data plan. You can preload maps on most smartphones, but I'm not sure they tie in with the GPS. If not, they lose some appeal.

But my experience with data plans overseas is that they are very, very reasonable. It is not like the situation in the U.S. where plans can be pricey.

I bought the Garmin Nuvi 775 with the European maps and used it this May in Italy; it was amazing, even let us know when cameras were on the roads....we called her Molly...
J

I am back from France, and I have to tell you, Garmin 275T didn't work in Paris for us, however worked well outside of Paris - we traveled to Alsace and Normandy, and it was really helpful there. Go figure...

Tatyana: GPS units don't work well in Paris, because you're not supposed to drive there.:)

Well if you are supposed to walk in Paris, why can't you use your GPS as a walking navigation?