Is it best to purchase a city map before leaving for my trip or can you find good ones (in English) once you get to your destination.

Thanks,

Lucci

Good maps are available at news stands on virtually every street corner.

I start studying my maps before my trips, so I always buy one well in advance.

Just my opinion, but I cannot fathom how you can travel to a city without having a map ahead of time. How do you choose your hotel? To me, location is the most important thing, and how can you know that without a map? I, too, study my map extensively before going so that I have an idea where things are. I highly recommend the Streetwise maps for both Florence and Rome.

I'd say buy one when you get there. For preparation use one of the online maps (Google, Map24 etc.).

Eric

Personally, I would recommend the Streetwise series of maps. Small enough to fit in your back pocket. And they are laminated, so if you do have some rain, they won't fall apart like the ones you would get at your hotel. I got mine at Barnes & Noble.

Tom

www.pbase.com/trsw

I purchase city maps before AND after (in local language) I get to the destination for a practical reason - availability.

I buy good enough maps to locate places of interest including where I will stay supplemented by online resources, such as www.mappy.com, to find small streets not listed in tourist grade maps.

Then once I get to the destination, I get maps that list all the streets, preferable in book form. In case of Italy, I liked Istituto Geografico DeAgostini Maps of Rome and Florence.

I wish each city publishes a city plan book like "Paris Pratique Par Arrondissement" which lists all the streets in a compact staple bound (not spiral bound) book form.

TRSW - I loved your photos, especially the ones of Diablo!

A few travel books actually have good maps included. We used the DK Eyewitness guide to Rome and it has a map section in the back. It is broken up into different sections which makes it a little awkward to use but it does have a lot of detail and a street index

At some point before we went on our trip my husband bought a Rome popout map which is easy to carry and shows the major streets and tourist sites but is not at all helpful for locating specific streets, restaurants, shops etc. The city tourist map is somewhat similar.

I looked at three maps yesterday at Borders..
Streetwise and two others..sorry I didn't writed down the names. All were different. One was a foldout with major streets,sights and hotels. Type was large-a plus for me. Other two were laminated.

Thanks for your input.

Lucci

We use Streetwise and get them many months in advance. It makes a world of difference to know the city before you arrive.

In Rome, any green kiosk is a tourist info booth and they have great center maps, and cost nothing. They also have wonder suggested tours, arranged by artist (Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini, Borromini, Rafael) with maps --- it makes Rome become a scavenger hunt!

I am not sure how you would get a map in English of the streets of Florence or Rome. All the street names are in Italian -- on the street signs (if you can find them) and on the maps. Am I missing something here?

I would add that a big map that you have to unfold is not handy when you are standing in the street looking for something. Be sure that any map you buy includes a key to streets to tell you where on the map(s) to look for it. Sometimes it is called a Gazetteer and sometimes an Index.

When looking for good small guidebooks, that is a criterion for choosing one -- does it have pocket-sized maps in it? One that I just got is "City Secrets - Rome". I don't know if there is one for Florence -- I have a 25-year-old little guidebook that was published by American Express that is so useful I take it with me every time I go. The hotel and restaurant section is outdated but the sights and streets have not changed. So I treasure it.

Charnee

Send an email to your hotel in advance and ask them to mail you a selection of maps. I do this before every trip and it sure helps in planning. Asking for several maps will hopefully get you different ones; there are some nicer ones than others.

Loving maps, tomorrow I will e-mail my hotel(s) as well as purchase one. I leave this coming Friday ((9-14) and I think it's important to me to have a sense of where I am going.

Can't wait! Now, what do I wear on the airplane!

Lucci

lamenated maps are the way to go.

i love maps and look at them all the time.

That's why I love the StreetWise series. Laminated, easy to fold and pocket size.

I use a combination of maps for planning, but for getting around town, I use maps by Pocket Pilot. These are laminated maps that fold into a 3 X 3 inch square (roughtly 8 X 20 unfolded). Perfect for a shirt pocket or back pocket. Both Borders and Barnes & Noble carry them. I use them in conjunction with a small clip on compass.

Arrival Guides has reasonable maps of the city centres that can be printed out. Also google maps and mappy are good for online maps.

www.arrivalguides.com

Lucci, I see that you have already bought the Streetwise maps. They are the best as they are lightweight and easy to use not to mention not too bulky which is handy when walking around. As others have mentioned they are laminated.