Need a GPS unit for England this June. Renting car to see the countryside as well as staying in London for 5 days. I am more than electronically challenged. Could someone please tell me a make and model # of a GPS unit that has worked well for you? Is there anything that will work well both in a rental car and while sightseeing in London? If not, my priority would obviously be what works well in a car. Thanks.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Nancy, I just downloaded, on my smartphone, some maps/major sites aps for London,(recce) that do not require data. (I will keep my data shut off, or buy a small "data travel package" to minimize the horrible charges that can happen.) Usually standalone GPS's, that are made for a car, won't work too well in areas with tall buildings, so we use maps or aps for downtown siteseeing. The two major GPS manufacturers (TOMTOM and Garmin) make excellent GPS's, with fairly large screens that work quite well. You just have to buy an EU map package. They also sell aps that can be used on smart phones. We love our TOM TOM GPS, and have used it all over the EU, and for cross country trips in the US. Buy something now and learn how to use it at home. Costco has great prices, and some of the big box major electronic stores will have a department that can answer your questions.
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1266 posts
Nancy , Last summer I picked up a Garmin 1370 GPS from Amazon for about $125. It met our needs quite well. I even used it walking around Dublin.
Posted by
Texas
518 posts
Garmin is a great brand. I like mine better than the ones built into our vehicles. Many of the models have a tiny little micro SD chip slot. If it has that feature, you can buy a micro chip with European maps. There are ones for all of Europe and also for specific countries, regions, etc. You just pop that little card into the slot, and you're set. Be sure the little card is actually produced by Garmin to be sure it works. If I remember right, my card was less than $100.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Garmin and TomTom are the two highest rated brands. I have both and would give TomTom a little better overall grade. I wouldn't choose a brand other than those two. Look for one with U.S. and European maps. Free updates are a nice feature but I don't think any include Europe (other than an initial update). Buy it now and get used to using it. They are generally easy to figure out but knowing how to use the units features can really help.
Posted by
Monein, Pyrenees, France
425 posts
You can get a UK & Europe satnav at PCWORLD shops in the UK for as little as £50.
Posted by
Orlando
105 posts
We use our Garmin Nuvi a lot in Europe. Just be aware it can take you down some almost non-navigable single lane roads
Posted by
Portland
3643 posts
Ditto to what Suzanne said. However, people have suggested that if we set the Garmin to give us the fastest, as opposed to most direct route, we won't be led onto those barely paved cow paths. Lessons learned: get very familiar with whatever gps you buy BEFORE your trip, keeping in mind the problems you can read about on this site. Secondly don't relinquish your common sense to the imagined infallibility of the hi-tech machine. Lots of people, including me, can tell you tales about gps failures. Have a good map as backup, possibly even print out viamichelin routes. If the gps directions start to seem weird, recheck against the lo-tech alternatives. All that being said, the Garmin served us well in many situations; and we wouldn't think of not using it.