ilovetulips

Hi! We are planning a trip next year to Paris and Amsterdam. Which maps do you find are helpful when getting around these two cities? I like maps that are compact and easy to fold. Nothing worse than having a map that unfolds to the size of table and then you can't fold it up again. I will be interested in maps that have the metro stops and or bus stops in them. I have looked at Barnes and Noble, but sometimes it helps when people have firsthand recommendations. Thanks!

hopscotch

For Paris, I love my little Michelin <i>Paris Atlas par arrondissements, #16</i>.

I haven't found an equivalent booklet for Amsterdam so I use one of my big fold out maps. The bus tram metro info center outside the train station has small handy maps of the city, and they're free.

twoflower

Call at the Amsterdam Tourist Info Centre (step out of Central Station and its more or less straight ahead of you). Plenty of giveaway maps there. Paris, also tons of giveaway maps at anywhere you stay.

Gretchen

We have several small books that list all the streets of Paris. One is Paris par Arrondisement (not Michelin) available at Tabacs in Paris. There is another by Michael Middleditch (sp.?) that is very useful because it has the bus lines marked on the streets. These are pocket size and don't open out to a full size map which may be useful in not calling attention to yourself. The first I mentioned is used by Parisians themselves.

ira

Hi tulip,

I like my Streetwise Guide. It fits in a pocket, is laminated, has a street index and a Metro map.

Chatters

Agree w/Ira. The best city street maps series is Streetwise. Compact, easy to fold, laminated, updated metro maps. It should be standard issue with every Paris flight tickets. I have a copy for every major European capital we have visited and it has proved invaluable each time.

wren

Ditto to Ira's suggestion. We love our Streetwise map. It travels well and comes home looking brand new.

DonTopaz

The Streetwise map is re-useable, but I'm afraid that's the only good thing I can say for it. It doesn't show any of the smaller streets, and it doesn't show the street numbers, either. So if I want to go to a shop that's on &quot;2, rue Tres Petite,&quot; I'll never find the street; if the shop is on 84 Blvd Montparnasse, I won't know which end of the Boulevard to get off the metro.

My favorite map for Paris is called L'Indispensible, and it's available in either a pocket version (&quot;Paris Poche&quot or the size of the Streetwise maps. Both versions list and index all the streets and important sites, and they're easy to use. They both also include metro maps, which are unfortunately in very small print.

For Amsterdam, my two favorites are the Falke city maps and the Carto Studio map. Carto Studio is by far the best I've seen for the city center area (bounded roughly by the Jordaan, Vondelpark, Oosterpark, and Artis Zoo) -- it include street numbers, tram lines, and lots of places of interest.

Travelnut

Michael Middleditch does an Amsterdam mapguide, as well. The Mapguides are very good for detailed streets but break the city up into 'districts' so it's a bit difficult to assimilate the city layout as a whole.

The Streetwise are quite good, will not show all the small streets, but detailed enough to get around with.

For Paris I bought a similar laminated folding map that is far superior to the Streetwise in its overall coverage and detail. It is called &quot;City Flash Paris&quot; and is printed by Hallwag International. Has a very legible Metro map, an overview map of Ile de France, a shopping map of Champs E., and a layout of CDG-both terminals.

The very best street map for Paris are the 4x6&quot; booklets sold at the newstands - Paris Pratique par Arrondissement - it fit into my jeans pocket. Again it breaks city up into pieces, but there's a small overview image with that page's area highlighted so you can get the placement.

Travelnut

p.s. I gave away my Michelin Paris #16 because the print/text was too small even with my bifocals. The Paris Pratique is easier on my eyes.

Underhill

We like the mid-sized Plan de Paris. It contains useful addresses and has text large enough to read without a magnifying glass while being small enough to slip into a pocket or purse.

Christina

I think actually looking at the maps in a store and deciding which one suits you best usually works, in terms of convenience, size, visuals, what is marked on them, etc. I also like Streetwise maps and think they are fine for a typical tourist just staying in a place a couple days. I also do like Hallweg maps, but don't know how available they are for those cities (I have them for Central Europe).

It would be nice to have maps with street numbers on them, and Streetwise doesn't, but I still think they are pretty good. They have every street on them I have ever looked up, including very small and obscure ones, so I have never found that they are missing streets, and wouldn't worry about that. I do carry around some version of the Paris par Arrondisement or Pratique, etc (there are several publishers and versions of these), but don't think they are really necessary for a typical tourist only going for a few days. If you want to pick one up when over there, it's fairly easy to do. I don't like Michelin maps at all, myself.

suze

I bought the Michelin Paris Atlas par arrondissements. It was fine for planning but I didn't like it for actually getting around the city (the maps have great detail but usually we were trying to get from one large area to the other, not find a specific street address).

Our favorite for Paris was the free one from our hotel lobby sponsored by Samaritaine department store, yup a large paper one, it is well worn after several trips and folds up easily now!!

For Amsterdam I had a Let's Go 2002 guidebook, with the maps provided also xerox copied and marked up.

ita

I heartily endorse the &quot;Paris Mapguide&quot; by Michael Middleditch. I have used it on several trips to Paris and it never lets me down. It is also necessary to have a general map of Paris to give an overall view. Usually the one you can pick up at your hotel is adequate. Metro maps are available at any metro station. I don't know about Amsterdam.

ChevyChasen

in paris at the airport information &amp; metro stations ask for 'un plan' svp and you can get a 3x2' map of paris.they also have a similar sized map of metro and a tiny metro map that folds up to a size smaller than a credit card - gratis.

however i usually find smaller sectios of maps (with street numbers) i am interested in interested (e.g. getting from metro to hotel etc) on the internet and print out those sections before leaving.palm-sized, they are easier to manage on a windy day.

when i needed to reference a map of paris or metro i used one of the hundreds in the streets with the ever helpful 'vous ete ici'. in some metro stations some misfits have scratched out this part of the map.some hobby eh.

C

ilovetulips

Thank you so much everyone! I have jotted down your favorite maps and I plan to look for some of them on amazon.com. Since different people have different opinions, maybe I will get 2 different kinds- 1 for myself and one for husband. I have seen streetwise maps, but I can see with not having street numbers it would be kind of difficult in a foreign city. Thanks again for the helpful advice!

Ciel

I like the Middleditch booklet a lot. It seems to have most every street. But my favorite map is the normal sized bus map you can get for free in the Metro stations. We love the buses and this is a no-squint treasure. I framed it when we got back. The tiny one is cute but, well, tiny!