Maribel

scdreamer,
That's a good reminder about speed limits. The Sat Nav in our rental car didn't alert us to the upcoming speed traps, while "the voice" on my I-phone mapping did. That's why I do use both.

VANAARLE

That is because it is illegal in Fance for any GPS system to give you locations of speed cameras. Been that way for many many years.

VANAARLE

If the scale is too large then what is your ideal?
Maps will be out of date. In the past by around two years. AC (after Covid) who knows how long it takes for them to be revised. The revision time is due to amount of time adding new details to existing information. Then checks to ensure it is correct, publishing and distribution.
Seeing as you are not proposing to fly and drive perhaps you should look for a bookshop near where you are staying.
Personally, never liked spiral bound road atlas. The holes always were placed at a point I needed to see the details.

worldwidewinetours

Actually, in my OP, I stated that I AM intending to fly and drive immediately upon picking up the auto @CDG.
As for the scale, using the AAA maps that I have now, the "Planning map of Europe" is 1: 4 000 000 That equates to (approx - I did this the old-fashioned way; with a ruler) 1" = 75 miles. The regional maps (Italy/Austria/Switzerland) and (France/Benelux) indicate 1" = 20 miles, and the detail maps of larger cities on these two regional maps is 1" = 12 miles. This latter scale would be perfect for all of my en route needs.
scdreamer: Thanks! I will definitely take a look at those. Sounds like just the ticket. I like being able to lay it flat, and for me the spiral-bound is not an issue. My wife is always the navigator, and she is adept at integrating map/GPS/smartphone info. It's a team effort and after 30+ years, we're still married

worldwidewinetours

Thank you Maribel & kerouac for the same advise; I believe my best bet is to wait until I arrive because fnac are everywhere, and I will be able to physically determine the map's value at point of sale. I did look at the Philip's - scdreamer - but the scale is even greater than the maps I currently have. So, I'll wait until I arrive. Once again, thanks Fodor world!

scdreamer

It was nothing to do with the location of the traffic cameras - it was that our GPS did not alert us to the speed limits. Every other GPS we've had in France (and anywhere else, including mine at home in California) shows the speed limit on the screen while one is driving.

VANAARLE

A small side issue is I had quoted Maribel. I responded to the highlighted text in Red.

Jean

Depending on where you want to go in the Loire Valley, this map (#317) might cover the majority of your driving. Scale is 1" = 2.37 miles. Note Amazon has only 2 in stock.


FWIW, according to the Barnes & Noble website, an updated Michelin Loire Valley Map #517 will be published March 1, 2023. Scale is the same, but coverage area slightly different.

Michael

In case no one suggested the Michelin Road Atlas, it is bulky but comprehensive:

kerouac

Wow, the Amazon map prices are impressive. In France they are less than 6 euros.

Wekiva

I believe a combination of GPS and paper maps is the way to go. If you're not using GPS then you must not be using a cell phone, microwaves, computers or any of those other silly newfangled inventions.

I love paper maps for trip planning, verifying what my GPS is telling me and just because knowing how to read a maps feels right.

But if you don't see the benefit of using GPS then you're making life harder than it needs to be. Once again, both in moderation is best in my opinion.

BTW...if you use Google Maps make sure to use the Offline Maps option and simply download all the areas you'll need, which will likely take multiple downloads. This takes away the "no signal" issue.

annhig

<<We had a Michelin road atlas that we used several years back but it looks like they aren't publishing them anymore. [img]images/smilies/emojis/1f615.png[/img]>>

KTTravel I was going to reply that in that case I will treat mine with even more care that usual but I see that they can still be obtained, if for a price.

Vanaarle - i like to use maps to see what is near where I am and to get a sense of the area which you can't get from GPS. Now I am a solo traveller they are no use whatsoever for working out a route as one is going along, but they are invaluable for telling you why you might want to go there and what there may be to see along the way. And if I've ever missed anything because it was obliterated by the spiral binding, I never missed it.

AJPeabody

I just looked in my old France Michelin spiral map book. The spiral goes through a white border around the map, so it doesn't obliterate anything. However, the edge of a map can cut a word in half, with the other half on the next map.

KTtravel

That road atlas from Amazon is from 2018.

AJPeabody

How many roads and towns were moved since then?

rhon

We fall into the use both maps and GPS camp. Most people seem recommend the Michelin road maps. We have a Michelin Road atlas - this is our second but not sure what year. We travel for longer than most people - our last three trips have been for ten weeks. The atlas suits us because if we were to take all the individual maps we would have excess baggage!! and I would have screwed it up in frustration because it never folds back easily. The spiral does not bother us, and for our first two trips, we relied solely on the atlas and my navigating skills (maybe). Anyway we are still married. I also find the atlas good when we are researching our trips. I open it up to the area we will be staying in and look up everything around it - towns, villages, natural features such as rivers, gorges, etc, chateaux. You can find out a lot more stuff than just relying on guides or even the departmental website.

We use the GPS to get through larger centres, show the speed limit ( hopefully ), give an approximate arrival time etc. But we like to do our planning with a map and I, as the passenger, have the book handy. We like to detour off on a scenic road or to a village which has a star and find this easier with a map. For that reason we like to have some control over where we go rather than just punching in A to B and following directions. This has always worked well for us in the past.

I was interested by your comment that Peugeot etc lease cars come with a crit air sticker. We leased a Peugeot in 2018 and it did not come with one. We hope to lease again next year - the cars are not up yet - , so I will be interested to see if it comes with one.

shelemm

If possible, I always buy a spiral bound map book for all countries I visit, with the greatest detail possible. They are invaluable for really understanding where you are and what is around you. At one glance, you can see monuments, vistas, ruins, churches, and many other highlights . Of course I use GPS, but it is like driving with blinders on. You may have just passed something wonderful (if obscure) without knowing it. I have discovered so much treasure this way.

If a book is not available, then I have ordered maps on ye olde internet. A used map can be dirt cheap,

scrb11

Yeah I haven't paper map in at least a decade.

May help you plan the trip better, to lay it out all the way.

You can do trip planning on a computer with Google Maps in the browser. It will actually calculate route that are at least 95% accurate now. Years ago, I've had Garmin lead me to these narrow back roads winding through hills, where there was really room for one car in either direction. Things have improved a lot since.

Here's the problem with the paper maps. You have to pull over, unfold the map and then locate your destination again as well as your current location. Then memorize the turns coming up. I remember doing that years ago, driving out of Florence and there were few places to pull over to make sure you were on the right path.

Great if you have photographic memory but otherwise, GPS is way better.

BTW, most people I think have a general idea of the places they are going to visit before they arrive at their destination, instead of looking at paper maps and making an impromptu trip. I can see browsing the web the night before or during breakfast and finding new information which would make you alter your plans. But doing some kind of map roulette?

MmePerdu

This is true, as we who are paper-map-people know well. Those are places I think of as tourist magnets, sucking up most of the bodies so we who love our maps & study them in detail can plan to go to less-known sights and have them nearly to ourselves. I applaud all the non-map-users for their consistency & allowing us the benefit of this phenomenon.

scrb11

I doubt paper maps show places which digital maps don't show.

There are few if any "off the beaten track" places left which hasn't been discovered by anyone and everyone, especially through online sources. In fact there are whole travel books written about these lesser known places.

That's another thing, some have moved on from travel guide books, able to find comparable info. online.