Best map of Bavaria & Austia

I was at my local Barnes & Noble recently and they had the most astonishing collection of Michelin paper maps (scale of 1:200,000 > 1:2,400,000) - highly detailed road maps - for many European countries. I was looking for something else, so didn't notice if they had one covering Bavaria. Below is a link to the British Michelin online map shop where you can see and order the Michelin maps of Germany by section/map number. But if B&N in Louisville is nearby and they have the one you want, you could go in and look at it before you buy it. Also, try travel book and gear stores in your area, and Amazon carries Michelin maps as well. http://www.michelinonline.co.uk/travel/reg.htm And ViaMichelin is an online mapping service (like MapQuest or Google Maps) where you could do some detailed route planning as well. The 'Route' capability offers a fantastic range of filtering options. http://viamichelin.com/ Amazon shows that the Michelin road map of Austria (country) is map #730. But there are several regional maps for Austria that are more detailed scale, so one of those might better suit your need. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/2067171720/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1369373816&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Most map books will only list the Autobahn (A) and secondary route (B) numbers. Is this all you're looking for? Although the tertiary routes usually have an assigned number, they aren't listed on most maps, and you will rarely, if ever, see the route number displayed on a road sign. Most Ferienstraßen (of which the Alpenstraße is an example) are usually marked by brown sign posts. I would recommend either a Michelin map book of Germany/Austria, or an ADAC regional atlas. You can probably buy the former in the US, but the latter is only available in Germany. Any petrol station will sell the regional maps and atlases. As noted above, the Michelin book will only annotate the Autobahn and secondary route numbers, but they will color scenic routes green. I'm pretty sure the Alpenstraße is shown in such a manner. Finally, in case you've never driven in Europe before... unlike in the US, where you navigate by route number and geographic direction on the major roads(ie, I95 south), in Europe, you mostly navigate by the names of cities in towns in your direction of travel. For example, from Frankfurt Int'l airport, if you're headed towards, let's say, Baden-Baden, you wouldn't look for a sign that shows A5 south, you would look for A5 with the names of cities to the south. Basel, Stuttgart, Darmstadt,etc.

The last para. of the above reply is sometimes also true in the U.S. The route number is not always listed on signs. It typically is on major thruways, interstates, freeways, and highways where the lanes split off, but there are thousands of secondary and tertiary roads that are not signed with route numbers.

FWIW, the Deutsche Alpenstrasse is very well-marked. You won't get lost. There aren't a huge number of options for driving in that area, anyway. You will be fine navigating with any decent map of Germany. (I just used the one that came with my rental car the last time I drove it). As others have noted, the signage will be oriented to the NAMES of the approaching towns rather than a particular route number. Enjoy your trip - its a beautiful area.

I've relied on AAA maps through Germany, France and Italy and found they were pretty good for route numbers. AAA maps are also free for members and about $6 for non-members.

Much thanks to all who replied. I now know where to get the maps and information I need for my drive. THANKS AGAIN! Bob