GPS/International Drivers License
 

Will be in Lyon/French Alps in mid-May and am considering getting a GPS. Have driven in Europe many times but was wondering if the GPS is worthwhile; especially with respect to being in mountainous territory for a part of the time. Also, sometimes have obtained an International Drivers License; sometimes not. Doesn't seem to make any difference. Does anyone have any thoughts on either?

An IDP ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...Driving_Permit ) will not matter when you pick up your hire car, but then the office clerk will not have to pay your fine if you find you have trouble with the Police.

You don't need an IDP in France. It is a legal requirement in some countries, like Italy, but not in France.
It can make life easier if you have one, should you be involved in an accident or get stopped by the police, but is not essential. Get one from the AAA/CAA.

As to a GPS. They are fine for getting you from a to b, and for in towns, to find your hotel, but if you want to wander around, or find a more scenic route from a- b then a map is the way to go. If you decide on a GPS take maps too.

IDP isn't needed for France

As for GPS, the roads are well signposted and in the mountains you don't have much choice anyway. Invest in a decent road atlas instead

I like to travel with a GPS both at home and in Europe. They are not a complete substitute for a good map plus online mapping tools like maps.google.com. I purchased Europe maps for my US GPS on ebay.

I don't like to rely on GPS blindly for directions but they are great for telling you where you are and how far to your destination.

I use a GPS whenever I drive in Europe and I also take maps.

I am not convinced that a GPS is any more of an advantage in mountainous terrain than an up-to-date map is and in that terrain there may be even fewer road choices.

I am sure the signposts Alan refers to are wonderful but they have never precluded someone from getting lost and if you have a GPS with European maps loaded why not use it?

We use a GPS in Europe and love it. But normally it will get you from point A to B in the most direct way. Sometimes the most direct way is wandering through the countryside.
This is where the map comes in.
If you want to wander between point A and B set the GPS to smaller distance from your destination using the map to name off the beaten path towns along the way.
My GPS will only give one stop between two towns. But the newer ones can be set to make more than one stop and this is how you would get your meandering route.

France does not require the international driver's permit (it's not a license).

I'm a map freak and don't like to rely on GPS, but if you think it would help, go for it. I can't see why it would be any more useful in mountainous territory, though.

Especially in France, American GPS have severe limitations. One of the most important points is that you find many places with the same name, e.g. St. Cirq: 9 times, St. Pierre: 50 times. My Garmin is not good in dealing with this problem. In fact, may Garmin cannot find many towns at all.

On the other side, the yellow Michelin maps (1:200'000) are excellent. You can either buy these maps separately or as a road atlas that covers France completely.

As far as I know Garmin is the only American GPS co. TomTom and Navigon are European co's.

Magellan is part of Mio, which isn't an American GPS co but rather Asian (Taiwan based?). In addition to Magellan they also market units under the Mio and Navman brands.

So per Echnaton's advice that American GPS have severe limitations in France, the one to avoid in France would be Garmin.

My son uses a Garmin GPS, and has no problems with it here in Europe. He also uses it for sailing, though obviously then it can't give him directions :).

Whilst I would rather you all buy a TomTom (it's Dutch!) I'm sure if you buy the right software for a Garmin it is as good.

I used a Garmin in France and Spain and it worked great. Maybe the other's would have been better, but it never got me lost. (It did freak out on the new road in Spain, but considering it had opend a week before I expect any of them would have had the same issue)

Do update... I have one friend who was MAD his didn't do a good job, but then it came out his software and maps were about 4 years old..... Things change, roads become one way, cities decide to have "ped zones" etc.

As for the IDL. After being in an accident I won't leave home without one. Made everything much easier.

Many people evaluating GPS devices seem to view them only as a substitute for good maps. We have been using Garmin GPS devices for years, the most recent trip being last fall in Australia. We have also taken one to Europe where it was invaluable. Why? Because any good GPS has a wide offering of POIs (Points of Interest) which allow one to find fuel, lunch, and lodging, to mention only a few kinds of things.

We would not dream of relying solely on a GPS and always carry appropriate maps for support and confirmation.

BigBlue