skatterfly

Hi folks,
I just learned about Viamichelin, and looked at it for a few of our drives on our next trip to France in May/June 2015. But it seems consistently that the times on Viamichelin are 30 min-1 hour longer on almost every drive we'll be planning. What's the feeling about which is more accurate? Thanks!
Skatterfly

bilboburgler

Generally Google needs 30% time added to make it like the real world

Viamichelin is more like real world

StuDudley

Agree with bilboburgler.

We spend 2 months driving around in Europe every year. I over-plan, and use viamichelin extensively. It are VERY accurate. Just add some time for drives of more than 3 hrs to allot for pottie breaks, backups at toll booths, lunch, gas, and the unavoidable "road deviation". I tried Google a bit and didn't find it to be as accurate.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

"it is" very accurate

macanimals

I use viamichelin for most of my european drive planning and find it to be well within my needed estimates. I always allow for extra time like any driving situation and almost always have some sort of GPS system while driving.
I do think it is a tremendous resource in making plans for a driving tour.

janisj

IME google is almost always overly optimistic (to say the least)

kja

I agree -- viamichelin is surprisingly accurate, while google maps typically underestimates.

Christina

I use www.mappy.fr in France, see how it compares. I never use Google maps, just don't like it.

I just compared 3: mappy, Michelin and Google for Le Havre to Aix en Provence.

Mappy said 8:54 and 194 euro cost (part toll, part gas)
Michelin said 9:27 and 183 euro cost
Google said 8:38 and gives no info on tolls/cost (they warn there will be tolls by route A6 shown, just don't detail them)

They all had about the same distance, also about 950 km, so they appear to have been estimating the same route.

Why would you use Google? It seems inferior in a couple ways. Although it does have that feature where you can easily move the route around, I do like that.

Google seems too optimistic to me. For 950 km, a 8:38 travel time means an avg of about 113 km per hour the entire trip. Doesn't seem likely.

janisj

For Christina's itinerary . . . Via Michelin calculates 9:37 | Toll 75.30 € | Petrol 108.15 € (and gives real time traffic impact variables)

In most cases IME Via Michelin is the easiest/most accurate.

nytraveler

We use viamichelin and find it fairly accurate - once you add to their time pit and meal stops.

Caveat: We like driving fast cars fast and may well drive significantly faster than you do. Also, we usually don't do more than 3 or 4 hours driving per day - so we can have a nice stop for sightseeing and a pleasant lunch.

Michael

viamichelin also takes into account the seasons. A scenic trip between Nice and Chamonix will be different according to viamichelin because of pass closures in the winter.

Michael

<i>We like driving fast cars fast and may well drive significantly faster than you do</i>

There's been a serious crackdown on speeding in France. I would stick to the speed limits.

Paragkash

Viamichelin also tells you that it has been 2 hours and you have been driving for a long time. it tells you where to take a break.
It also has a feature that tells you places of tourist interest and a discovery route.

skatterfly

Thanks for the information, everyone. I had never even heard of Viamichelin (the website) until today. When we traveled to the Loire Valley 2 years ago, it was our only destination and a place we had been to before... so the few times I needed a map I just used Google on my phone. But this trip we're planning for 2015 will have quite a bit more driving, covering larger distances and visiting new places.

Typically, I don't like an itinerary that includes more than 3 or 4 hours of travel (train or driving) but it's how this trip is shaping up. One of our drives (Loire to Burgundy) will push into the 5-hour range (if Viamichelin is the one to be believed... Google said 4 hours)... but we'll just have to stop half way between for lunch and a stroll. If it were just me and the hubs, we would find a hotel along the way for one night to break up the long drive. But with the kids, we'll suck it up and go straight to our next rental.

I'll definitely check out viamichelin for ideas.
And obey the speed limit signs.

Thanks!
-skatterfly

StuDudley

>>We like driving fast cars fast and may well drive significantly faster than you do<<

>There's been a serious crackdown on speeding in France. I would stick to the speed limits.<<

Yep - we received 2 speeding tickets this year, one last year.

Stu Dudley

FrenchMystiqueTours

Give up on google maps. As other have noted it always underestimates times. Viamichelin is the way to go. The times it gives are very accurate when you consider they don't include stops nor bad weather/traffic. And the times don't assume you are doing the top speed limit. I never drive the top speed limit and viamichelin is always within 10-15 minutes of my actual time for any drive in the 4 to 5 hour range.

You should also get Michelin maps for any region where you will be driving. If you'll be covering a lot of territory then you might want the Michelin Atlas of France (get the one of the 1:150,000 scale). My only problem with the Atlas is the size of the page as I like to be able to open a map to get a large perspective of a whole region. Then there's also the annoying thing about the binding splitting a map and flipping back and forth through adjacent pages. Here's my standard advice about Michelin maps:

Get your hands on the Michelin maps. You want the ones of the scale 1:200,000 (regional maps) or 1:150,000 (departmental maps, more detailed, cover slightly less area) for whatever regions you visit. A nice feature of the 1:150,000 maps is they show the starred attractions in the corresponding Michelin Green guidebooks. 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. With the departmental maps also look for towns/sites/attractions that have been give one or more Michelin stars. 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.

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 (Regional maps):

http://tinyurl.com/4bt96ev

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

http://tinyurl.com/6mt4n64

You could also buy them here but then you can't do research beforehand. The maps can be bought in many places such as bookstores, news stands, magazine stores, larger supermarkets, department stores, hypermarkets and in the full service rest areas on the autoroutes, just to name a few. If you're going to be traveling all over France you may find it easier to buy the Michelin Atlas, which covers all of France.