It is time to stop suggesting Via Michelin as a reliable map and driving travel planner tool

I'm sorry to hear that, Andre. Although I don't drive in Europe myself, I have been a frequent recommender of ViaMichelin. It seemed that every time I compared its driving times to Google Maps' times, VMs were higher, so I (being a pessimist) assumed VM was more accurate. If the actual driving directions are out of date, that's a bad thing.

I noticed big discrepancies between VM and Google maps when we were prepping for our trip last month. Some of the routings that VM gave just didn't make sense. We ended up just using Google maps and they were bang on.

This is discouraging news. I'll see how I can check it out without actually driving in Europe.

Would you recommend Google Maps as a better alternative?

I have done some tests on Google Maps of routes I know and found them also be be illogical. Sometimes they send people down narrow country lanes in Britain. The moral of the tale is not to trust any of these route planners. Use them by all means, but also look at the real map. Are they just connecting 2 points with the shortest possible route - even though it may be back roads? Perhaps you really do want to use slow scenic back roads?

I think they use the fastest route, but maybe you have asked it to avoid highways?

It is not easy to find, but after you have created a route, there is an ellipsis ("...") next to your starting point. Press it and select "route configuration" (or something like that - I am translating from Danish).

I just don't trust google maps because they have sent me in complete wrong directions all too often. I also don't trust their driving times which often seem to be too low. If you have connectivity, Waze is the very best of the best because it uses current traffic information and road conditions. I haven't used it (no smartphone) but ALL my friends use it. No one here asks for directions any more, just your address. I know it's also very popular in the SF Bay Area and friends have used it in Europe.

I stopped using Via Michelin several years ago, although I'm not sure why. We have always used printed maps (usually Michelin), and still do. I do use Google Maps, often just for plotting out a route, which I then follow on a printed map. I have often found Google Map's turn by turn directions very poor, and their driving time in France too short (but more accurate in North America, for some reason). As to the Michelin green guides, we have most of them, but rarely use them now. There's just so much more info out there now.

Although I think that Google Maps is a little easier to use, because you can find start and end points on the map with Google, whereas you seem to know the exact address with Michelin, only Michelin gives the estimated cost of fuel (and tolls) between two points, which I think is important if you are comparing car rental with public transportation. Also, Michelin suggests the shortest, fastest, and most scenic routes, and it allows you to chain segments together whereas Google tends to be end point to end point. Google does give you some alternative routes, but they are not always the ones you want.

I have been planning a future trip where, in one town, I am interested in the distance from a potential accommodations to the nearest bus stop. The route includes a foot path between two streets that considerably shorten the distance, but Google Maps doesn't recognize the path, giving me a much longer route because I have to go roundabout on the streets (but then I can't find the route on ViaMichelin at all because I don't know the addresses.

So, use the website that gives you the information you need. The each have strong points, it's not all one way. I use Google Maps for short distances (like from the train station, bus stop, etc to my accommodations), but like ViaMichelin for long distances, including my whole trip.

I appreciate that ViaMichelin highlights especially scenic roads in green, though you usually have to zoom in quite a bit to make the color visible. This can be helpful in deciding between multiple possible day-trips or multiple routes to the same destination.

For navigation, the TomTom apps for your smartphone are the best in my opinion.

Over the last few years I have pretty much stopped using VM because I found it to be increasingly awkward to use with a smaller view of the map. I think the VM driving times are a bit more realistic but any system is just a SWAG anyhow. The Google Maps also have a lot more information on the maps regarding hotels, places to eat and general points of interest, including the locations and dates of all the hotels I have reserved.