Question re GPS while driving in France
 

We will be driving from Avignon through various places in Provence. In many trip reports and discussions about people's travels, I have noticed the frequent comment that their GPS led them astray.

Just wondering if it is a good idea to have one or not. And if so, do you rent them through your rental car dealer or bring them from home? We are trying to keep our weight & baggage down, and do not own one of these so any thing you can share for the good of the order would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jean

A GPS is no more reliable than a paper map, and may be considerably less reliable, depending on the quality of the map database installed in the receiver. Bring a map on paper and then you won't have to worry about the accuracy of the GPS.

We have used Tom Tom GPS twice in Europe also in US and other countries. It is far easier to use a unit that you know how to use rather than one supplied by rental car co. We allways pre load our GPS prior to leaving on the trip and this also allows us to check travel times betweem different cities etc.
We always check route in the GPS against a road map to ensure that we have correct location. Often there are place names spelt the same in different regions and if you pick or load the wrong one you can end up 100's of kms from where you should be. We have also learn't to not rely 100% on GPS as roads change and sometime Hotel addresses supplied are not alway accruate.

Buy one of those orange Michelin regional maps at a local tabac when you get there. I have never used a GPS in Provence, I rely solely on those maps. You may have to buy more than one to cover different regions and areas you are travelling to.

Otherwise, the main and country roads are quite good in Provence. You'll have a great time!

Enjoy!

s

We've used a GPS on several trips in France. Yes, it can be a problem--we've had it put us on roads so small they weren't on a map, and at least twice that involved steep roads we would have preferred to avoid. But it's invaluable for navigating cities (well, as long as they aren't constructing new routes, which they always are somewhere). I'd say, bring your own GPS--one that lets you preview the route it's putting you on--along with the maps you'd use to navigate on your own. Check the route in advance, so you'll know when to disregard the directions (it will "recalculate" and put you on the route you want). And of course make sure you've downloaded the latest maps before you leave. When it works, it works really, really well. (The weight is pretty much inconsequential; the price, well, your call.)

The real value of a GPS is in the evening when you want to go to a restaurant that you know is good but are concerned about getting lost in the dark.

Without a GPS you will often eat in your Hotels 3rd rate dining room for fear of getting lost coming home.

Hi Pumpkin,

We have used a GPS for the last 9 years starting with our first month long trip to Italy. It is not perfect, but the positives outweigh the negatives. Use it knowing that it might take you astray (which can be very interesting and fun). Because of this, have a map of the area available. We would never travel without both. Early on, when our car rental company could/would not promise our rental would have a GPS, we would take our own. Personally, I believe they are invaluable.

Hope this helps,
Walkteach

Do you have a smartphone? I recently used mine driving around brittany with the google maps navigator. Orange France has a 9Euro per month unlimited data plan - details at http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/France . I managed to also tether it to my laptop for Internet everywhere but that's a bit more advanced!

Hi pum,

As noted, a GPS is only as good as the map it uses, and if you aren;t used to using one, it isn't going to be as useful as they would like you to think.

Rental cost for a week will pay for your own.

>Without a GPS you will often eat in your Hotels 3rd rate dining room for fear of getting lost coming home.<

Gee, I must be exceptionally exceptional having used only maps for the last 35 years.

((I))

OOOPS,

45 years

Sometimes I am given a rental car with a GPS included, and I use it in Paris just to see how wildly I disagree with it. It always wants to turn up tiny streets that I know are a waste of time and likely to be blocked by a delivery van when there is a perfectly good signposted boulevard just one block farther along. From what I can determine, they try to put you on the shortest route rather than the best route, even if there is only 50 meters difference in distance. I will continue to use maps on my other travels.

I don't think you need a GPS car-tripping around inland Provence. Where it would come in very handy is driving into Marseille or Nice to a specific location.

And what LynFrance says, getting home in the dark. Especially if you've rented a gite in the countryside. Or have dined at a restaurant or are staying at a hotel in the country.

I have never eaten in a hotel restaurant because I was worried about finding my way home without a GPS.If I can get TO a restaurant, I can get home from it. All you need is memory to do that, unless you're "directionally challenged," which I'm not. I used a GPS once and thought it was an absolute waste of time. But then, I've loved maps since I was a small child.

And then there was the time I said to my wife, "I don't know how you expect me to find the restaurant when I can't even find reverse."

Seriously, I have found the GPS units supplied by Kemwel less than entirely accurate. But, when I did a "new car buy-back" with Peugeot the chip in the car clearly had been updated when the car left the factory a few days earlier and was nearly 100% accurate.

OTOH, units supplied by the car rental companies at airports are rarely updated. I think it is best to purchase a current download on your own unit and bring it with you. Of course, USA English text to speech can be an interesting source of amusement in France and Portugal.

These responses make me feel so much better! During a total of six weeks driving around France we always used the Michelin maps. Granted that sometimes road construction was a problem. We also got horribly lost in Nice, and once in Cork, Ireland, but maybe we could have done that with a GPS too.

I find a GPS to be a useful tool for use in Europe. I used it in Provence last July. I purchased a Garmin nuvi 275T on Amazon. It comes with a European map.

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-3-5-Inc...6449436&sr=8-1

Having said that, it is not a substitute for a Michelin map. I found the Michelin 113 Zoom perfect for Provence 1/160000, also available on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-ZOOM-...6449897&sr=1-1

I also print out some Routes from via Michelin from my hotel to sites/towns I wanted to see.

For the GPS I pre programed locations before I left the USA.
You will get some lost satellite periods so you need some idea where you are and where you are going. Road signs are good. GPS was good for finding the Avignon TGV.Can also be good for walking in larger cities. When we were in the country side Lady Garvin spoke "You have arrived at "Le Mas Perreal", our B&B.

And then there was the time I said to my wife, "I don't know how you expect me to find the restaurant when I can't even find reverse."

Jeff, you cracked me up!

Jean :-)

I recently returned from travelling in france by car for 12 days,and wouldn't have done it without a GPS. Then again, my situation of traveling solo for me, almost dictates the use of one as opposed to maps for the issue of safety, or pulling of the side of the road checking locations etc. I also drive on the other side of the road in my country, so a bit of extra concentration on the road didn't go astray.

For all those who have exclusively used maps; are you telling me you have never taken a wrong turn?? even though you have a map??
I think there is some psychology behind GPS negativity, much the same as people who don't like flying in case they crash, yet they are happy to be a passenger in a motor vehicle whereby they are at a higher risk of injury or death.

one feature on a GPS that can be handy is navigation by coordinates. A couple of B and B's I stayed in supplied coordinates and locating them was a breeze. I also used this feature to locate Pont Julien south of Apt.
I would also suggest on occasions it will get you to your destination a tad quicker as there is no downtime checking maps etc

Renting one may cost as much as 16 euro a day or 80 euro a week, and if you choose a GPS as your form of navigation I would strongly advise buying one and learning its operation and features.
From my experience, I would think they are over 95% accurate. I took a map with me as backup and to give an overall view of the area I would be covering.

I don't deny the utility of a GPS, but maps are magical and referring to the consultation of a map as "downtime" seems to remove all poetry from travel. A car is not the starship Enterprise.

I haven't used a GPS in France yet but I have started using one at home and it has made me a better person. I am cultivating a zen attitude, letting it take me where it will, resisting the urge to argue with it, question it, control it. When I do this, I always get where I am going. I am trying to let this attitude seep over into other areas of my life.

This doesn't mean I have given up my lifelong love of maps. Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. I learned that in Girl Scouts.