If you are spending a good bit of time in an area you will want the map that is the most detailed. I think there may be an entire Michelin atlas that for this trip might be good. Sorry--I can only speak for the Michelin maps of Provence and Normandy we used.

Gretchen,
Thank you for your relpy.
Loveyblue

You can get all the maps you want, cheaply, at Abe Books.

www.abebooks.com

Since someone at Fodor's recommended this website, I've used them almost exclusively.

Most maps are not brand new, but roads don't change much.

Yes, it's the yellow ones you'll want, as they are by far the most detailed. I don't know the numbers for the ones you'll need, but if you've done your research you should be good to go. I'd also recommend when you get there to pick up an IGN map of the whole country. I love maps myself (and totally agree with your husband about GPS), and I like to toggle between the detailed ones and a full-country map. You should be able to find one at any book store, kiosk, supermarket. The cost about 5 euros and are waterproof and flexible, so you never get that moment when the maps is bent and folding all wrong.

As an aside, I hope you're taking the car back to Switzerland at the end of the etrip - picking up in one country and dropping off in another is very costly.

Yes, it's the yellow ones you'll want, as they are by far the most detailed. I don't know the numbers for the ones you'll need, but if you've done your research you should be good to go. I'd also recommend when you get there to pick up an IGN map of the whole country. I love maps myself (and totally agree with your husband about GPS), and I like to toggle between the detailed ones and a full-country map. You should be able to find one at any book store, kiosk, supermarket. The cost about 5 euros and are waterproof and flexible, so you never get that moment when the maps is bent and folding all wrong.

As an aside, I hope you're taking the car back to Switzerland at the end of the etrip - picking up in one country and dropping off in another is very costly.

I hate to disagree with St. Cirq, but even for small road driving, if you are planning on covering the ground from Basel to Alsace, to Reims, you'll find those little maps very difficult to manage - a map book of France will be a lot easier as you can see what you are leaving and how it links up with where you are going. and if you're going to be on the motorways for a bit, the map book will be much easier to follow.

if you're going to spend a while in a particular area, you can always get a yellow map as well.

Another map lover here. Gretchen's idea to buy the atlas is a good one because then you have all of France in one book and I think the atlas is of the scale 1:200,000, which corresponds to the regional map size. If you want the map that covers less area but is a larger scale you'll want the departmental maps of the scale 1:150,000. These will also showed the starred attractions in the corresponding Michelin Green Guides. These are the yellow maps you referenced.

You can buy the Michelin maps from their website and here is a link to the page that shows you the 1:200,000 scale maps of France:

http://tinyurl.com/4bt96ev

And here is a link to the page that shows you the 1:150,000 scale maps of France:

http://tinyurl.com/6mt4n64

If you decide on the departmental maps then for Reims and environs you'll want map 306 (Aisne, Ardennes, Marne).

The other regions have a few departments each and sometimes your explorations can lead you outside of your specified department. To figure out what maps will be most useful for you google a map of the departments of France and see where you're most likely to visit and then buy the corresponding Michelin departmental maps.

I always have the atlas with me, too, annhig (the mini one - the regular-size one is too big for me). Problem is, I always seem to be headed to someplace where the pages of the atlas intersect, and it gets hard to read. I love the yellow maps, but I study them ahead of time, or pull them out during lunch or café stops...don't actually use them IN the car (it's almost impossible to do that).

Rastaguytoday - Never heard of Abebooks.com - Thanks for the tip.
St Cirq - Yes, we both have a love for maps. Funny how we can just pour over them.
Yes, we will return car to Basel and then train to Paris for a few days. We just can't seem to go anywhere close and not think that we need just a "little bit of Paris time".
Anhig - Yes, we have a book map...just looking for more detail. We will use both as you suggest.

Thanks
Loveyblue

Any favorite hotels or restaurants in the area?

The co-pilot reads the map and gives instructions to the driver. Then the co-pilot and driver argue about whose fault it is that they made a wrong turn.

Use a GPS. Been there, got lost more than once, using maps. Details are hard to read on a map. What FrenchMystiqueTours said. Gps tells you when to turn, etc. We now use maps as a backup. When you are in a town, the Michelin maps do not work. They do not list local streets, etc. GPS does and can get you out of town, down one way streets, etc. a lot faster than gustimating.

My wife and I have driven over most of France, autoroute and N roads. We used the yellow Michelin regional maps and one red country map. I offer Zorro's tips for successful driving in France:

1. Know the larger cities in the direction you are traveling, even if you are not going to those cities. Directions are given by city, NOT by route number. For example, the road to Aix may say "Avignon" not Aix. You have to know that if you continue in the direction of Avignon, you will (or won't) get to Aix.

2. Bring red felt tip pens and yellow highlighter to mark the appropriate portions of the map.

3. At the roundabouts (rond-points), the navigator should say "two o'clock" or "nine o'clock" not "go there."

4. For the smaller towns, you can follow the signs for "Centre Ville" which means the middle of town. To leave, look for the signs which say "Tout les Directions" (all directions).

5. Consult the maps BEFORE you start out each day and verify frequently that you are going in the right direction.

6. If time permits, the N roads are the most picturesque.

7. Pay careful attention to the type of fuel your car uses and do not put diesel ("gazoil") in a non-diesel car or vice versa. This can be quite expensive as well as frustrating when your car won't budge and it takes 1.5 days to get a replacement. Didn't happen to us, but I have friends....

I never use a GPS and only use the maps but I live here and am familiar with how French roads are laid out and what clues to look for regarding road signs and such, even when in cities/towns/villages where the maps won't show the local roads. However, I recommend GPS for those who don't live here, don't like maps or find them confusing and especially when you are in towns and the maps won't show the local roads.

The atlas does have maps of the cities in the back of the book but they'll only show sections of the cities (usually the downtowns only) and still won't show all the roads nor will they necessarily name all the roads shown.

The best option is to have both GPS and maps, as jkbritt noted. Each has their pluses and minuses.

Color of Michelin maps:

- Yellow 500 series, scale 1/200,000
- Various shades of orange 300 series maps - usually 2 departments per map, scale 1/150,000
- Green 100 series maps for specific areas (Cote d'Azur (2 maps), Provence, Paris region, Strasbourg area, etc) scale 1/100,000 to 1/160,000

I use the 300 series, and highlight in one color of magic-marker all the scenic routes I want to take (based on Michelin Green Guide recommendations). I highlight in another color the towns I want to visit. I highlight in another color the towns that have restaurants I want to "check out". I highlight in another color the towns that have morning farmer's markets, and also indicated in pen the day of the market. As stated previously, the "star" ratings given by the Michelin guide are indicated. This way, it is very easy to determine "efficient" day-trips. I can't do that on a GPS (to my knowledge).

I use the Michelin Red Guide to see me through cities - with one-way streets indicated, locations of restaurants, parking lots, museums, etc.

I sometimes use a GPS (if equipped on the rental car) to determine exactly where I am on a road and what critical junctions are coming up shortly. The GPS does not speak to me. I want to determine the route myself - not the GPS. Once in Provence, my cousin visited us and had a GPS. We've stayed in 1 gite there for a total of 8 weeks so we're pretty familiar with the territory. We used his GPS just-for-fun to direct us to a restaurant that was about 30 mins away in Gigondas - one we've dined at 3 times previously and visited Gigondas many, many times. The GPS told us to take the slow mountain roads over and through the Dentelles mountains - instead of the longer but much fast road around the Dentelles.

I use the IGN maps to find walking routes near where we are staying - scale 1/25,000

Stu Dudley

Good tips zorrosf. I'll make one minor point and that is that when time allows the designated scenic roads (highlighted in green) on the Michelin maps are the most picturesque but these are most commonly the D (departmental) and C (communal) roads (colored yellow and white on the Michelin maps) and sometimes the N (national) roads.

Several years ago, I rented a car in Paris and then tried to exit the city using a city map with my lady friend, now wife, navigating. That was almost the end of our relationship! Since then, my wife and I have made 5 trips to Europe, mostly France and have used a Garmin with a European map chip, supplemented by a 'book map' of France. This has worked quite well, although the GPS system does at times send you in some unusual directions, ie a very secondary road through vineyards in Alsace, and this is were a traditional map helps out. In general, I use the GPS about 95% of the time. And for us, it is not always about the quickest way to get from point A to B.

I see we are all cross posting. More good tips from Stu. But you mixed up yellow and orange for the maps. Orange is for 1:200,000 and yellow is for 1:150,000.

I generally have no plan when I'm vacationing in France other than wandering around and determine where I'll go by looking at the Michelin map once I arrive in a region. I use tourist office websites sometimes to find things to see/do but almost never a guidebook. Here are my tips about using Michelin maps to wander around.

The Michelin maps have icons for all kinds of historically/touristically interesting things such as châteaux, ruins, churches, abbeys, scenic view points, caves, Roman sites, megaliths, designated scenic roads and many other things. Usually when I'm exploring various regions in France I just look at the map and I am able to plan interesting and scenic drives just reading the map. For instance, I usually look for a designated scenic road, which are highlighted in green, and I especially look for towns with the historic church and/or château icon. I also try to make sure the route goes through as many small villages as possible. Usually putting all these things together I find interesting and scenic drives without even knowing where I am going and with no assistance from a guide book. Often these places are never mentioned in guidebooks and remain completely unknown to many tourists.

The yellow maps(LOCAL)3xx series are 1:150 000 -1 inch=2.37 miles
The orange maps (REGIONAL)5xx series are 1:200 000 -1inch=3.16 miles

Yes you do need 3xx series for local driving. I actually use a combination of yellow and orange.From the information you gave, you will need 306,315, and 320.These are not continuous so you will probably need 307,313 and maybe 314 and 321 connecting.It depends on the driving route and local driving you are planning.
There is also one ZOOM series which I would recommend 131 Black Forest,Alsace which I recommend as a replacement for 315. This also shows Places of Interest(star attractions) and nature trails on the actual map. I buy my maps from Amazon which helps me in planning.

>>Stu. But you mixed up yellow and orange for the maps. Orange is for 1:200,000 and yellow is for 1:150,000. <<

Actually, I don't own any 500 series maps. I have a few old 200 series ones that were replaced by the 500 series. The 200 ones were yellow - so I assumed the 500 ones were also yellow also - plus someone mentioned that the 500 series were yellow on a prior post. I have about 90% of the various 300 series maps, and over the years they have been changing shades of yellow & orange - plus yellow & orange on the same map.

Good point about the icons. When we are driving around, we always consult the maps for "scenic" view points and Chateaux. Michelin must love thick forests where all you see are tree trunks, because that's all you CAN see on many (but certainly not most) of the green-shaded roads. Driving along rivers, there is often foliage on these "green" roads and you can't even see the river.

Stu Dudley

Having said this I used Lady Garmin on my last two trips. She guided me to bike path only in the Dordogne, a cemetery in Gordes,a one way street in Siena, and a get off the motorway in Italy when the accident was in the on coming direction. But she helped me find my hotels while I was walking in the old cities of Salzburg and Dubrovnik. Also found me gas stations in cities-Munich and Avignon. I programed her from home for hotels like a gite in Sarlat foothills and Kevins B&B in the Luberon. It was great when she told me you have arrived at Le Mas Perreal.

Stu - Excellent point about Michelin's love of designating any road that goes through a forest or along a river as scenic. I might add that there are many roads I consider scenic which Michelin does not. Overall I think they do a pretty good job though.

<<Use a GPS. Been there, got lost more than once, using maps. Details are hard to read on a map. What FrenchMystiqueTours said. Gps tells you when to turn, etc. We now use maps as a backup. When you are in a town, the Michelin maps do not work. They do not list local streets, etc. GPS does and can get you out of town, down one way streets, etc. a lot faster than gustimating.>>

The only time I have ever been seriously lost in France was the one time I rented a car that came with a GPS. It was absolutely useless, and I ended up in a farmer's barnyard driveway.

Michelin maps almost always have major city maps included on them, on the side folds. They are excellent. And you can always get a detailed city map ahead of time anyway. I wonder how many of those people who got whopping fines in the ZTLs in Italy were using GPs - I'd bet a lot of them.

Anyway, use what you want, but I use maps. And it's a rare day when I get lost or don't know exactly where I am.

For our first two trips to France, we used the Michelin road atlas. DH drove and I navigated, and yes, we are still happily married. We found it detailed enough, and we like to get off the major roads. For our next two trips, we also had a GPS. They are useful for navigating through larger towns and finding parking. But, as others have said, they are not infallible. We are still using our battered map book. We like to still plan our trips from A to B ourselves as we often want to detour. The maps have so much information - green scenic roads, chateaux etc. The GPS is an aid we use sometimes.

Besides, you could do worse than be lost in France!!! Well, I think so anyway.

I have the Michelin "France" Atlas - spiral bound, 1:200. I am kind of disappointed with it. As StCirq says, in several places the area I want to look at is split between two or more pages - you can't just fold it to cover the area you want, you have to keep flipping back and forth and don't get a good 'picture' of what you want to look at. It's also not detailed enough for some areas.

I found that the online Michelin maps are giving me more what I want. You can print out an area, then zoom in on a more detailed area, then zoom in again on a specific town. Then since I'm only printing one side I'm making notes on the back. So I'm kind of putting together my own 'atlas'. I think this might only work if you have an apple computer though, you need to do 'screen shots' before you print.

Also when the atlas I purchased came and I realized how heavy it was I knew there was no way I was going to take the whole thing with me, so I would have to be tearing out pages.

I have not used GPS in Europe (actually I have managed to get around quite well with just cheap or free local maps so I don't why I'm going to so much work for my upcoming trip other than I enjoy playing with maps) - but - I know GPS is constantly sending people past my house up a dirt road that is unpassable most of the year and then they have to stop and ask me how to get where they are going. God know what happens to them if someone isn't around to help them.

Problem is, I always seem to be headed to someplace where the pages of the atlas intersect, and it gets hard to read.>>

ain't that the truth.

and not just in France.

I agree about the Michelin Red guide - they are excellent in cities and large towns.

We have the advantage that if we are in France, we will always have driven there, so there are no limits [within reason] on what we can carry with us. I realise that if you are flying, the situation may be somewhat different.