Hi everyone,
My Wife & to very young girls (1 & 4) are planning 2 weeks in Italia in May.
Has anyone ever used a navigation system in their car to get around. I own one & am told that for U$100 I can purchase the Italian map & drive worry free.
Youre comments would be much appreciated.
Thanks

Have never used one in Italy - but a friend did and said it was a disaster in towns - due to pedestrian zones, one-way streets, road repairs etc.

I know I'm a luddite but we use the on-line maps printed out for details of town centers and a good Michelin road map for the bulk of the trip.

(Besides which I find those silly machines constantly flashing and gabbling at me very distracting when I'm trying to drive. I study the map and have a route in my head when we start - and have found the GPS in rented cars to be just a pain in the butt.)

A good one will account for the one-way streets and pedestrian zones. I've used one on every trip since 2003 and never looked back.

Paper maps are sooo 16th Century.

I find that sometimes 16th century is the best.

Different strokes for different folks. I loved my GPS during my last trip to Germany & Switzerland. It was "right on." If I came up to a construction site, pedestrian site, one-way site, or a re-route, it would recalculate in seconds and have me on the right track. I have a Garmin StreetPilot and had to pay extra for the European software, but I think it's worth it. Screw the maps, missing street signs/names, etc. Got me from point A to point B with no problems, and my navigator (The wife) got to enjoy the scenery along the route instead of being buried into a map.

Go for it, if you can afford it.

We used a GPS system on our recent trip to Italy. We spent four days inthe country. It helped us get out or Rome and back to Florence.

It was wonderful! It made such a difference in getting places on time for tours and not getting lost. I highly recommend it!

Hi S,

>for U$100 I can purchase the Italian map & drive worry free.<

Uh Huh.

If you are used to using a GPS, it might be worth the investment.

However, I would adjust myself to the Italian way of doing things and not plan to be anywhere at an exact time.

Will your GPS tell you about the truck doing 30 kph on that back road that has a speed limit of 50 kph?

Does it mention the bridge closed for repairs that are a year over scheduled completion?

Does it tell you about the traffic jam on the autostrada?

<i>However, I would adjust myself to the Italian way of doing things and not plan to be anywhere at an exact time.</i>

It's not about getting there at an exact time -- it's about &quot;getting there.&quot; I remember being lost for hours in Munich because I couldn't read a street sign or there was no street sign, construction deviations, etc.

<i>Will your GPS tell you about the truck doing 30 kph on that back road that has a speed limit of 50 kph?</i>

Based on your current speed history, the GPS will continue to recalculate your ETA.

<i>Does it mention the bridge closed for repairs that are a year over scheduled completion?</i>

No, but it will recalculate different directions, and you can reprogram it to a different route.

<i>Does it tell you about the traffic jam on the autostrada?</i>

Yes, some of the more expensive models will, such as the Nuvi 660. If you get into a traffic jam on the autostrada, you can program the GPS to avoid the autostrada, and it will recalculate a different route.

If one feels more comfortable navigating with a map in Europe, I certainly don't have a problem with that. The GPS is just another option for those who wish to use it. I won't leave home without it.

Hi Bud,

&gt;I remember being lost for hours in Munich because I couldn't read a street sign or there was no street sign, construction deviations, etc.&lt;

Did you ask someone for directions?

Yes, I did. Stopped at a taxi stand and had the driver lead me to my destination. Cost me 35 Euro.

EEEEEKKKKK!

I've always found it fun and adventurous to get lost. We've found many interesting things and met many interesting people. Experiences we wouldn't have had if we never got lost. That's enjoying and experiencing a trip.

Getting lost and enjoying the adventure is one thing, especially if you're in no hurry to get to a destination, but driving around in circles on one of the Munich ring roads is another.

And if you're trying to find your hotel alone in the rain at midnight, they can come in handy.

Well - have been to europe now over 70 times - but driving about 30 of them. And we've never been seriously lost - with nothing but decent maps. That;s not to say that you don;t turn a block too late now and then and have to circle. So - occasionally have been not exactly where we wanted for a few minutes - but never &quot;lost&quot; in the sense of not knowing where we were or where we wanted to be - or which direction to go to get there.

In fact, I have found street signs in european cities and towns to be far easier to deal with than in the US (we don;t have masses of signs pointing to &quot;centro&quot; or &quot;zentrum&quot; when getting off highways or ringroards or even larger local roads).

But - we did have good maps - and traced the route out thorourly beforehand. Have found once the route is solidly in your head it's hard to get really lost.

But - perhaps this isn;t universal. (I have a friend who's always getting lost - even in places she's been before - and she seems not really able to understand a map.)

So - if the GPS helps - be my guest. But my experience with them has been only negative - not to mention irritating.

Sure you can trace the route thoroughly on a piece of paper.

You can also type in &quot;I'm here and I want to go there&quot; and have the software compute and display your route - including latest updates on construction detours and congestion.

<i>But my experience with them has been only negative - not to mention irritating.</i>

My goodness. Irritating? What negative experiences have you had? Mine have only been good experiences.

I agree with NYtraveler. Good maps, good directions and a few blocks out of the way...no big deal. Been there, done that, rain, dark roads in the middle of the night, construction.

OK, that settles it. You and NYT like maps, and I'll stick with my Garmin. I also think ira is in your camp also. I certainly don't have a problem with that.

Mr. studly can now make his own decisions. I'm just providing information.

Buongiorno tutti,
I'd like to add a final thought to this discussion. As a solo female traveller to Italy, I lack the availabiity of a human navigator to &quot;read&quot; a map for me. A GPS is just another form of map - just as this forum is another form of correspondence (but without paper &amp; pen). Also, trying to read a map while driving is not very safe, and if you find yourself on an isolated back road, and truly do not know where you are, a GPS can tell you.
If one wants to &quot;get lost&quot; in order to discover back road gems, simply ignore the GPS.
My feeling is that a similar discussion might have taken place a decade ago about international cell phones, and maybe even - gasp - using the internet for travel planning.
saluti,
BellaLuna