I read that you like Viamichelin for travel planning. I am finding that viamichelin has very different times (always longer) than google for the same destinations, with matching mileage. is viamichelin definitely more accurate? I find google great here in US, I checked viamichelin for a local drive and it was off by at least 45 minutes (longer) for a 1:15 hour drive. trying to figure out accurate drive times for France, Switzerland, and Sweden. Thanks for your help.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I have read opinions on this Forum that Google Maps underestimates and also that ViaMichelin overestimates. If you have a deadline to get somewhere, the longer estimate is the safer bet. Neither one is really accounting for traffic delays, nor, of course, for sightseeing or rest stops.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
thank you.
Posted by
California 🦋
5293 posts
You can also check this website for travel times between destinations: http://www.rome2rio.com
Posted by
Beverly Hills, MI
813 posts
I have used both. I find Google maps easier to use but that is purely personal preference. In comparing the times, Google seems to generally be 5-10% faster depending on the amount of two lane roads involved. The Michelin algorithm seems to allow for more time loss due to traffic as opposed to just plugging in the speed limits for the calculation. Over the years I have made a sizable spread sheet of driving times and have gotten in the habit of using an asterisk to indicate the source. I have found Michelin to be slightly optimistic time-wise but I don't worry that much about it since I only use their times as a rough guide for planning. They are all just estimates anyhow, you never know when you will get stuck behind a farm tractor on a two-lane, etc. Remember, you will be traveling in the world of speed cameras and that can lead to very unpleasant things coming to you in the mail after you get home from your trip.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7161 posts
And I have found that Rome2Rio also underestimates drive times just as Googlemaps does. I prefer to add a cushion to the times I get on either of these sites. Viamichelin does over estimate a bit but I'd rather have that than the other way and I like their cost estimates for gas and tolls.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
The problem is that ViaMichelin is not updating its maps. In some countries, maps are up-to-date as of 2011 :(
I believe they are going to shut down the whole map thing, they can't compete with Google and they cannot compete with navigation devices any longer.