I wanted to get some thoughts on two different maps/atlases that I'm looking at for an upcoming France trip. I'm hovering between AA Atlas and the old reliable Michelin atlas. (http://amzn.to/15aLLrf vs vs. http://amzn.to/15aLzZ7) Normally I'm a diehard Michelin guy, but the France guide is massive and heavy; the AA Atlas is lighter and smaller but lacks some of the detail - particularly those small awesome roads that take you off the beaten path. Has anyone had good experience using the AA guide to navigate in Normandy/Brittany, the Dordogne and Provence? I'm really trying to steer clear of using the large fold out regional maps if at all possible.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
For driving, Michelin 1:200 000 or 1:150 00 series. (It depends on what you'll be doing.) For cycling, IGN 1:100 000 series. Don't know about walking. Just take the maps for the regions you need. Fold them to the size you prefer.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
784 posts
Definitely regional maps. Atlases have too much bulk and too many maps you don't need, and the place you are most interested in is usually lost in the binding. AAA maps don't have enough detail off the main highways. You want regional and/or departmental maps that show lots of detail for the N and D routes.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32805 posts
I have used, and still use, an older version of the Michelin atlas. I hate it. I absolutely hate it. It is heavy enough to use as a boat anchor (the damn thing would undoubtedly float back to the surface just to be obstinate), it has way too much detail so that finding what you want to find is nigh on impossible, and the problem is that France is so dense and big that there are just so many pages. Nevertheless, I still use it. I use it in conjunction with my faithful Garmin GPS and I am happy. The atlas is great for sense checking the GPS. As a consequence of its hugeness it does have all the detail and is useful for planning or getting back on the path after wandering, and finding things not noticed elsewhere. I also keep an AA glovebox sized atlas handy for the big roads. I've never been to the Dordogne (on my list about 5 years out) but I managed fine in both Normandy and Brittany, and all over Provence with the combo outlined above. It was my car though, and I only had to throw it in at home. Would you want to haul such a big atlas in luggage? Dunno. With a good GPS and city maps you could probably manage with something much lighter. But you are driving from Switzerland?
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10207 posts
Like Nigel, we use the big Michelin atlas, along with the GPS, to keep us on the right track. It's either that or the regional maps to find the tiny road that gets you where you want to go. As long as you don't have to fly that doorstop back and forth over the Atlantic in carry-on luggage....
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
We used the orange Michelin regional maps for planning an overall route and the AA atlas for driving. Both have a scale of about four miles to the inch. Our AA atlas is a large format - about 14 by 18 inches - but it isn't heavy. I like these maps and atlas because they show lots of local attractions - minor castles and abbeys, neolithic stones, etc. (We discovered that, if we got lost in the Brittany countryside, we could just drive to the nearest church spire. The churches were always at the center of the village and all the roads came together at the church. This didn't work in Normandy, because their church spires are missing, casualties of WW2, I believe.)