Using GPS in France?

It would be well worth it. Would not travel without it. Do take a good map however.

It's worth it but.....you said France map. If all of europe is only a bit more, I'd spring for the whole deal.......there's always a next time.

Buy "all of Europe" on EBay, and sell it when you get back. (make sure you get the most recent version)Do the same thing next time, and you can continue to get free upgrades.

I prefer to use my TOMTOM, which came with all of the EU.

And yes, you'll love your Garmin in France. Also stop in a gas station and buy a Michelin map of France; it is a good choice for an overview.

We got a Nuvi with Euro maps for Ireland, Italy, Austria and Germany. I can't vouch for France, but it worked fantastically well for those countries - even down to the teeniest tiniest overgrown sheep-only roads in Ireland. Was well worth the investment.

Thanks for the advice, all.

Since I'm leaving in 2 days and headed to Germany and Austria first, I can't use ebay or any of those sites; I'm going to have to download it.

If you don't want to bother with all that, the rental companies have up-to-date portable GPS for just a few extra bucks a day. We used ours throughout Provence and without GPS, I'd likely still be in a roundabout somewhere out of Aix looking for the Hotel Cezanne! Have a blast.

Before my next visit to Europe, I will download the Lifetime European maps on my Nuvi.

Also, I am one that will never leave home without the Garmin.

My daughter and I took a five week trip around the US last summer and was very impressed the Garmin. It save us a lot of time on many occasions. We also used it to find Starbucks, etc.

Craig - FYI one thing: The Map file when I downloaded it last summer was over a gig and their site wasn't all that fast. Took several hours to download - even with very fast high speed we have here, and several more hours to install.

Sounds like time is of the essence, so just wanted to let you know! =) Chris

Craig,

A GPS unit is a good idea for driving in France or anywhere else in Europe, however remember that they're not infallible. As someone else suggested, it's a really good idea to have a Michelin or other good quality map for "backup".

GPS units tend to require the destination using local spelling to be entered very accurately. There have been cases in the past where people entered a slightly incorrect name (only a few letters different), and found themselves several hundred kilometres from where they wanted to be. Also, setting the unit for "fastest route" vs. "most direct route" can sometimes have a bearing on how well it works.

I've been travelling with a Garmin Nüvi for the past several years, and wouldn't ever travel without it. However, I'm constantly "double checking" the directions it's providing using road signs or a map. I've found that even using the GPS around home (where I know all the routes thoroughly), it often provides goofy and convoluted routing instructions.

To provide a recent example, I was recently holidaying in the Palm Desert and Yuma areas. The GPS worked flawlessly in Palm Desert, however I had nothing but trouble with it in Yuma. The data base for that area seems to be seriously flawed! I updated both the North American and European maps in the last year or so, but that didn't seem to help. For example, in trying to find a Hotel, the stupid GPS unit was directing me into a lettuce field (where there wasn't even a road!). I finally had to resort to the Cellphone and call the Hotel for directions, but that wasn't the only case where I had difficulties with the GPS in that area.

I'd definitely recommend travelling with a GPS unit, as they can really be helpful. However, don't trust it completely.

Happy travels!

Hey Ken, maybe your gps thought you were hungry. If you had left it alone it may have also taken you to a tomato field thinking you had a little bread and bacon with you. A gold ol' BLT would have hit the spot. I just think you underestimated the intelligence of you GPS. :)

Lane,

It didn't seem to work even when I was hungry! One night I was trying to find a local Italian restaurant and the goofy machine was directing me to a Motel (NO, the GPS wasn't "assuming" that I was tired).

When I finally did locate the restaurant, I asked them if they had been in that location for awhile. Apparently they've been at the same spot for years, so that should have been reflected in the data base.