Dee_Dee

I leave for France in 15 days! I just tried to purchase/download a new Western Europe map for my old Tom Tom XXL 540S. Oops! They no longer sell new maps for my old GPS. I tried calling customer care to verify what the website is telling me, however they are closed in the US today.

It appears I need to buy a new(ish) Tom Tom. I'd love to hear recommendations from Fodorites. Price is a consideration. I also will want to purchase their "Safety" (read speed cam) option as well.

I really am not interested in using my smart phone as a navigation system. So, any GPS recommendations are appreciated!

hetismij2

No recommendation but be aware speed cam warning devices are illegal in France. Having it switched off is not enough.

melodyesch

I don't know what version our is, but we just went to Target and got the one they had which has the extra memory card slot to make sure we had enough room for both us and Europe maps.

Like the previous poster said, DO NOT get the speed camera. It's illegal in France. We recently returned and just made sure never to speed.

bilboburgler

I'd drop that dead-end technology and just buy a cheapo smart phone, down load the "here" maps you need and power it off the USB most cars have now-a-days.

traveller1959

We have two Garmins and one TomTom, but we dot use them any more. The smartphone with Google Maps or Here works much better.

Andrew

I just sold my Garmin GPS before it became completely worthless. My Android phone with Google Maps is light years ahead in technology. I love the fact that I can download maps for it ahead of time and use it as a GPS without even an internet connection.

hetismij2

We use Here in the camper.
I download the maps before leaving home. It has an option to show the speed limit and pings if you go too fast. We used it in California too in the hire car.

It's important to be at the speed limit as you cross the sign in towns and villages in France. There is often a camera just past it.

mjs

Have a Garmin 2577 that comes preloaded with USA and Europe plans. Prefer it to my phone with Copilot.

Dee_Dee

mjs, thank you for your specific recommendation. I will check into it.

No matter how carefully I try to drive, I seem to miss some of the small town speed limit changes. Traveling solo doesn't provide another set of eyes. My old TomTom would beep which was very helpful.

I am aware that speed cam warning devices are illegal. I did read on the TomTom site that their "Safety" download is legal though. I wonder if that's true.

Sarastro

Anything that might indicate the position of speed cameras is illegal, including the use of maps so indicating. When traveling, I use my mobile phone and Wase, its realtime information is priceless. Wase will indicate when entering a <i>zone de contrôle</i> or where cameras are in use. Using anything more specific could get you into trouble.

With the relatively new addition of speed limits for 30kms and 70kms I am sometimes not really sure what the speed limit is. It is possible to turn onto a road with a lower speed than the road you have using and not know the lower speed. Wase has, so far, always been able to indicate speed limits.

For France, google maps has not been as accurate giving drive times and updated road information as has Wase or as the GPS in my car.

No matter what you use, be vigilant about your speed.

sparkchaser

TomTom VIA 1505M World Traveler Edition GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps - http://amzn.to/29iZN75

RDS-TMC traffic info antenna - http://amzn.to/29ddnFv

bilboburgler

"here" beeps when you enter a speed change zone

mjs

My mistake. I have a Garmin 2559LMT

Dee_Dee

mjs, thanks for the clarification. I was looking at all the 2559 models last night and couldn't figure out which I preferred.

I had never heard of Here or Wase. Since they both have speed change zone warning, I just might be interested in trying them. Do both have voice directions? Would either of them be preferable in France?

bilboburgler

Well "here" which you down load from the APP store, is free, offers multiple languages (I use Australian because she is so sexy and can't say "six") have speed zone warnings and speeds on the screen (if you turn the on) you need to download the map when you have wifi and then it operates without SIM access. Worked ok in France and Spain last year. Does the whole, zoom in when you go slower etc. Not bad for walking and I used it for cycling in Czech this year and was perfect (in as much as a car thing can be perfect on a bike). You take it off your phone when you don't need it and reload when you do.

I'd also download "google translate" app for menus and road signs, it is amazing when you look through your camera at something in "nonsense" and it converts it roughly into your language.

with this second app you can get rid of your menu dictionary

Wase, no idea

traveller1959

"Here" is the navigation system which is owned by a joint venture of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. They use it for the in-built GPS systems in their cars. Also Bing and Yahoo use it. It is the best available system in Europe, if not the world.

And you can download the app for free. You can also download free maps for offline navigation, in case you have no internet access. Very convenient.

Works beautifully. Just do it now and try out at home. Then download the maps for France.

Dee_Dee

OK Bilboburgler, traveller1959 and hetismij2, you've given me the nudge to give "Here" a try! I'm currently downloading the France map to use offline on my Galaxy (2 hours and counting!). I'll also download a local map and give it a try locally tomorrow. Fingers crossed! Thank you all for your gentle but effective push. I'll let you know what I think.

Dee_Dee

I'm back from France and I thought I'd give those of you who encouraged me to use the "Here" app a big thank you! It worked wonderfully. How nice not to have to pack a GPS and just use my smart phone offline. So...... thank you!