artsnletters

Hello all,

I will be driving primarily in the Val d'Orcia for a week with a little time in other places, and I would like to have GPS. Is there an app with good GPS for that area for Android? Or should I go with the rental company's GPS (rather not)?

bilboburgler

Yes there multiple apps that are good for Europe with GPS.

artsnletters

Care to name a couple?

J62

google maps...

you can download the google maps for the region you'll be in (or all of italy..) before you travel so you don't need a cell signal / data.

You can also pin destinations ahead of time.

artsnletters

Thank you - didn't know about this option, and wasn't sure Google Maps was good in rural Italy. Just a question. If I have the map downloaded and I move into an area with no signal, does it automatically begin using the downloaded map, or do I need to set something to do that?

J62

it is 100% behind the scenes. the only thing you don't get is real time traffic, but other than that it's just like normal. You can use it completely offline if you don't want or have a cell data plan.

Last time I was in Italy a few years ago Hertz offered free wifi hot spots with the rental. It was basically a phone like handset with apps, maps, and wifi. We just kept with us whether in the car or not and used that as the data source for our cell phone - maps, internet, email, whats-app text, etc.

Jean

In addition to GPS, I still like to have a paper map. I find it easier to use during planning and then after arriving when someone local makes a sightseeing suggestion about a place or thing to see or a specific route to drive. Scrolling around on that phone screen gets old fast, and the local can just point on the paper map.

Just FYI if you didn't know... Google Maps does not identify the boundaries of ZTLs which exist in practically every town. As you enter destination information into the search, be sure you know whether it is inside or outside the ZTL. And watch for ZTL signs.

J62

Other apps I found useful in Italy were parking apps from the city of Siena and Florence. They tell you real time parking space availability. At that time 2 years ago you could not use the app to pay for parking but that may have changed. You could use any NFC payment method at the kiosks (apple pay, google pay, etc, or any NFC, chip, or mag-strip credit card).

bilboburgler

I use here we go, but since I often cycle I often use others as well say with isoclines on them. Pretty obvious, you don't need a contract to use GPS but do download the maps before you go.