Does anyone know of a good map that I can either buy online or download and print myself (11x17) of London and Paris? I am trying to orientate myself before I go and create routes, but am having trouble finding a good map.

Thanks,
Kevin

Spend some money and get 2 streetwise maps. They are trifolds that fit into your back pocket and are very easy to use. They are maybe 8$ each (maybe more)and are available at Barnes etc.

Borders I believe has a good pop up map...I got one of London and paris and it was excellant! Also showed me which trains to take and had a good layout of the tube map as well. The maps also highlighted important or popular areas of interest.

I totally recommend them. Sorry, but I forgot the name of them.

Not 11x17 - but you can select areas of online maps in .pdf format and print them on letter (or A4) sheets. Both of these are available free at the respective subway stations:

London: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/pdfdocs/centlond.pdf

Paris: http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...eur&fm=pdf

To print a selected area, display the map with Adobe Reader and use the zoom and pan tools to fill your screen with the area of interest. Select &quot;File&quot; from the menu bar, and &quot;Print.&quot; Then select <i>Current view</i> and set Page Scaling to <i>Fit to Printer Margins</i>. OK.

Mapgroup International maps small pop-up maps for international locations. VanDam also makes similar maps.

the city map of paris which you can pick up for free at almost any hotel desk (courtesy of galleries lafayette or printemps) is perfectly adequate for the average tourist. one can even map out itineraries in red pencil for a day, then discard it later and pick up another.

london is a bit more dicey. actually, i inherited a london street map which is quite good if somewhat unwieldy. i'd still give the hotel desk variety a shot before investing heavily in streetwise, michellin or what have you publication which can cost several unnecessary dollars.

<b><font color="red">FREE!</font></b>

At London Underground stations:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/pdfdocs/centlond.pdf

At Paris M&eacute;tro stations:
http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...eur&amp;fm=pdf

I just found the map info I wanted to give you earlier. I used these maps for London and Paris, and just bought another one for Paris----to me they were by far the easiest to read.

They are called Insideout guides and their website is

www.mapgroup.net.

you can also email them at [email protected]

I liked them because they highlight places to see and also include a transportation map as well! Yesterday I was looking through maps of Florence and found this huge map some company had made---it was this huge regular paper map that probably folds out to two feet! How is that inconspicuous or easy to manage???

The insideout guides are very small and to me, I don't look so much like a tourist.

Have a great trip!

Small maps
Highlight places to see
Transportation map
You don't look like a tourist

<font color="RED">FREE!</font>

At London Underground stations:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/tourist.pdf

At Paris M&eacute;tro stations:
http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...aux&amp;fm=pdf

At around 8 bucks or so, I find the durability better than what my printer gives me. But if the free ones work great, then by all means, go for it!

I highly recommend the Streetwise maps. They are durable and very easy to read. They don't get wet. They are especially good for London and Paris. I have been using them for years and everytime I try something different, I return to Streetwise at the first opportunity.

kevinangela wants maps to download and print to become oriented before traveling. So they don't have to be waterproof, crumple-proof, or discreet.

Why should free maps be durable anyway? If one gets wet, torn, or crumpled, you pick up another one at the subway station.

Honestly - you people!

Ha! robespierre you are too funny!

we are suggesting sticking with one map rather than using and reprinting multiple maps.

also, a durable map is better that using many different paper copies....better for the environment, right?

I don't know - what is the cost to the environment of manufacturing the plastic coating?

And what becomes of the hydrocarbons when the plastic map reaches the end of its service life? Used paper maps can be recycled by putting them in the designated bin.

If you're <i>really</i> that environmentally-conscious, you'd do what I do - carry your maps in digital form in a PPC.

not all of us have a ppc......

and the maps i suggested are not covered in plastic......

when I'm all grown up I'm getting a ppc too (I want gps too... I can get lost in my closet...), but golly-gee-whiz there were rip out pocket maps in most of the guide books I bought.

I would hesitate to equate buying a ppc with being very grown up....we are not all in the same income bracket, you know....and do we really want to infer income attainment with being grown up?

I checked through many books when researching my trips and a lot of the pull out maps were not to my lacking....I think it is just an issue of finding a map style that I adore, and being a devoted follower of it.

Hey, so far it got me thru two cities, their sites, and their tubes and I still have them to this day. Yay!

sorry, freudian slip----I felt the maps in the guide books were lacking and not to my liking.

Also, as for a ppc...I would not want to carry around something I would sorely miss if I lost or accidently set down somewhere.

It's insured. And since I don't &quot;accidentally set it down&quot; anywhere (it's in my hand when I'm using it, and in my pocket when I'm not), the chances of it disappearing are remote.

But I know what you mean about liking certain maps. I find that the Michelin Green series are the best for points of interest, Red Guide for dining, AutoRoute for routing, and transport authority maps (such as SNCF, TfL, MVV) are the best for getting into and around cities by common carrier.

That's why I carry a complete set of <u>all</u> of them (about 300). In my front pants pocket.

Its just a figure of speech to lighten things up... sheesh.

No reference to income, no reference to IQ, nor any reference to or about anyone else ..