TomTom One XL map of France

We have a TomTom, and I'm assuming the maps are the same for all the different models. The maps will get you from point A to point B, with you occassionally questioning whether there is any way this could be right. They will completely underestimate the amount of time it will take you to get there. And you may occassionally find that the street it wants you to take goes one-way in the wrong direction. But - I could say the same for the GPS built in to my Puegeot (French) car. Whatever you do, don't buy the maps until right before you go. You'd be surprised at how many little changes (ie changing the direction of a one-way street, closing a road that used to go off a round about) can and do happen that will make your navigation much more difficult if your maps are outdated. You'll have to judge whether it's worth the $60. If yoúre going anywhere rural, I wouldn't go without a GPS.

Thank you Dina - that's excellent info! Have you used viamichelin.com, in order to map out going from point A to point B? Are their time estimates more accurate than TomTom in your experience?

The maps to add-on to GPS are in that price range. It's why some just bite the bullet and buy a GPS with Europe maps preloaded. Or you can save money, go with paper maps, and just get lost more. (I know, people who don't use GPS and get lost a lot say it's "fun" to get lost).

I agree, getting lost can be fun - some of our best stories are our "getting lost" ones... I like paper maps; but I do almost all of the driving in France and hubby is hopeless at reading maps. I have a great photo of me driving with an open map over the steering wheel - my strong-hearted friend took it from the back seat :-P Paper maps aren't very good at showing points of interest that you may be passing by... which is why I wanted to try using our GPS next time. Has anyone used this particular map for France? Was it worth the $60??

We've used a western European TomTom for several years and have a separate one for the US. We've rarely had a problem, even in very remote areas. Furthermore, we must drive faster than Dina because we find the timing accurate. Last summer a new TomTom was in our leased vehicle--even better--we didn't have to deal with an update. ViaMichelin is accurate, as well.

We have used Via Michelin and find it very useful for getting information on how much the toll roads will cost. It's very helpful in determining whether or not they're worth the cost (answer is almost always "yes" although they can certain add up!) The hard part with relying on it exclusively is that roads are not always well marked and you may know you need to turn right on "rue d'Arbre Sec" but can't for the life of you figure out which of the two streets in close proximity is that one. That's why I really like having a GPS. The general rule of thumb that I've seen on these boards is to add 20% to the travel time and I find that to be pretty good. When we first enter the destination in the TomTom it will give us an estimate, but as we drive it always changes that so in the end we do end up arriving when it says we will LOL.

I agree, getting lost can be annoying but it can be exactly what makes you discover places or people you would have hated not to discover... and, may I add, a GPS is no guarantee you won't get lost!

We bought our TT with maps of N Amer and the EU already preloaded. We have used it for a cross country US trip, and used it in France, Portugal, Italy, Sardinia, Germany, etc. We love it, but no GPS in infallible. We always take a general Michelin county map to do overviews of our routes. We have found the estimated times to be right-on-the-money. Many people buy their SD map chips on EBay, and then sell them when they get home. This can be a cheap and easy way to go from country to country. Many of the newer GPS come with "lifetime" maps.

Bets - you probably do drive faster than me. We are very conscientious of staying within the speed limit. The number of speed cameras is increasing and although you can have several tickets before you're in jeopardy of losing your license, we won't risk it. We also are foreigners on temporary (renewable) visas and know someone who had a huge, expensive legal battle fighting potential deportation over driving violations. I also think a lot of people don't know the speed limits. It's not always marked because as one of my husband's colleagues was so quick to point out: You should be able to tell by the markings on the roads. It's amazing how often it changes from 90 to 70, a quick down to 50 or even 30 as you go through a town and then a minute later it's up to 90 again as you drive through more rural areas with spread out villages. I have a feeling a lot of tourists miss those changes. And I would hope everyone driving in France knows the speed limits decrease in rain (ping 10 to 20 km/h depending on the initial speed limit) - not to mention the yellow diamonds and the funky priority to the right rule which is frustrating at times, especially since there's nothing like it in the US that I've ever seen.

Dina You've said a mouthful there. I'm convinced that a lot of tourists take the "its all the same, I've been driving for X years and I'll be ok" philosophy, as well as the "I'm American so I can break the law - ride trains with no ticket, park illegally, speed, pass into pedestrian or ZTL areas - with impunity, nobody will arrest, fine, prosecute me; anyway I'll be home before they come after me" philosophy. Really it doesn't help. How would they feel if a French/German/English man ran a light or hit a pedestrian or car in their hometown and said, I'm a tourist so you can't touch me? European driving, whether in Europe or the UK, is different. I'm not speaking about the left/right side of the road. I'm speaking about narrow roads, taking turns using the laybys to pass, the national signage (similar but different in each country), parking restrictions; and the European preference for writing on the road to signs. Really its not so tough to be prepared. An hour or two studying signage and speed limit rules for each country will make drivers safer and better ambassadors. >>> End of rant, now stepping off soapbox, taking a deep breath - = - I'm glad I got that off my shoulders -=- memo to self, don't go off so quickly next time, put band-aid on hot buttons.... ah, that feels better .... <<< BTW, machine gun fire not aimed at Bets. I've never met her and don't know her driving. Its a general blast at inconsiderate folk...

I found Dina's post truly enlightening -- thank you!! BTW - what are "yellow diamonds"? Dina's post was right on the money, as far as sharing info that not many of us may know about (like me) and I'm grateful. I was aware that speed cameras were proliferating and it's valuable to know to keep an eagle eye on these frequent speed limit changes. Nigel, to use a French expression:"tu n'y es pas allé avec le dos de la cuillère!" ... ouf.

Bets piping up. I thoroughly agree about the importance of having knowledge of the driving laws before setting out in each country. When in France, my French husband does most of the driving. Even after thirty some years, it still doesn't come naturally to me. I limit myself to local shopping trips On the other hand, in the States my husband still gets confused, looks for traffic lights near the curb instead of in the middle of intersections, and drives the wrong way in parking lots, so I do most of the driving. Somehow this sprang from our time matching the TomTom's in France. BTW, we do find the ViaMichelin faster than what we actually do.

Bets - I should have made it clear in my post that my second paragraph wasn't aimed at you at all. Sorry if it came across as aimed at you. Part of it is just my frustration with driving in France. Like Nigel says, you do think "I've been driving for X years, it shouldn't be this hard!!" Diane - the yellow diamonds are a variation of yield signs, for lack of a better way to describe it. If you are driving on a road and you see a yellow diamond, you have the priority and can just drive away. But if you see a yellow diamond with a black stripe through it, you don't have the priority. Any car coming from the right has the priority, and you have to stop and let them in. Which means if you get to an intersection, even if you don't have a stop sign, the car coming from the street on your right gets to go. Some places have started putting up actual yield signs. I find that sometimes people can be very, uh, passionate about the whole priority thing. I remember shortly after moving here I was given a ride by a French woman. We were going through a one lane tunnel and oncoming traffic had the priority. She made it about 3/4 of the way through when a man came from the opposite direction, came to the start of the tunnel and started honking at her. She had to go in reverse and drive back through to give him his priority! He couldn't wait the 8 seconds it would have taken her to finish getting through. It really does take nerves of steel to drive here.