Best city maps??

[Looking for Sunshine]

My and I won't call him "dear" husband (right now) and I ......are in a disagreement on the best detailed maps to navigate the great cities of Europe with. I came back with some from Barnes & Noble (I'll withold the name of the maps) and he said they weren't "detailed" enough. Specifically we are talking Venice & Barcelona.

 

We need a nuetral point of view to mediate this dispute. What maps would you recommend??

[cruise_4_eva]

I'd go for the maps in electronic form ... Google's "Google Earth" program. hehe I think you can both come to an agreement on this :D

[wwinfl91]

We used the guide book "AAA Spiral Guide to Venice" which we found to be excellent and they also included great walks laid out for you. The books are small enough to be carried with you. We used the London one on a recent trip there and have already gotten the Rome one for our stay there this fall.

 

Good luck and have a great next cruise.

[vjblk]

I have to second the AAA spiral guides. We had one for Barcelona and London and they were great. We really enjoyed the suggestions for walks.

 

Also like the Eyewitness books. Alot of "Detail"!

[Keith1010]

In terms of Venice I would not get a map. When we were there last fall we went on a walking tour as part of an excursion and the person explained to us why maps are not necessary over there. And, we were there another three days and really didn't need one. As you walk the various streets you will see that there are some major signs that point to you towards the major areas and honestly that's all we needed. There is one that points you to the major walking bridge by the grand canal and another one that points you to St. Marks Square and I think there were directional signs that pointed to one or two other major areas. That's all we needed to get around. Local tourism personnel also came on our ship and gave us a free map which we used minimally. As you walk the streets you do not see anyone with maps opened up.

 

For Barcelona we got from Barnes and Noble one of those fold up plastic looking maps. That was all we needed along with having done our planning in advance as to what we wanted to see.

 

Keith

[PoohUnderstands]

If you need good detailed maps, I would go to www.mapEasy.com. I bought their maps for Barcelona and Venice and found them very easy to follow. Give it a look see. I also purchased AAA books and found them great for planning my trip and adventures, but like the mapeasy maps for actual use.

 

Pooh

[cberge]

If one does not like the fold-out maps(they can be small to read0,anything laminated will do if you plan on going back again to the cities(Streetwise.Lonely Planet are good)if not going back any tourist office in a given city will have(generally) good street maps with amjor atrractions on them.

[Mark_in_Colorado]

My and I won't call him "dear" husband (right now) and I ......are in a disagreement on the best detailed maps to navigate the great cities of Europe with. I came back with some from Barnes & Noble (I'll withold the name of the maps) and he said they weren't "detailed" enough. Specifically we are talking Venice & Barcelona.

 

We need a nuetral point of view to mediate this dispute. What maps would you recommend??

Just out of curiousity, what maps did you get?

 

I don't know that I agree that you don't need a map of Venice at all, as some other posters have suggested, but I think whatever you brought home should be good enough to give you an idea of the layout of the city. Once you are familiar with where the attractions are, etc., then I would wholeheartedly agree that you don't need to be walking around Venice with your nose in a map.

 

I like the National Geographic Destination Map for Venice, and the Streetwise map for Barcelona.

[leenie29]

If you need good detailed maps, I would go to www.mapEasy.com. I bought their maps for Barcelona and Venice and found them very easy to follow. Give it a look see. I also purchased AAA books and found them great for planning my trip and adventures, but like the mapeasy maps for actual use.

 

Pooh

 

I second Map Easy. I looked at many maps but really loved Map Easy. Their map of Rome is very detailed but easy to read and find things. On the map it has the locations for attractions, restaurants, hotels etc. so you wouldn't need to drag along a guidebook and a map, plus a very detailed special map of certain specific areas like the Forum. I know their maps of other cities are just as good and detailed.

 

Leenie

[Jana White]

I will vote for Map Easy anytime. Though I will say the US cities are more detailed than the Europe. But they are great

[ehogan]

We used the National Geographic laminated map for Rome and it was excellent, but what was even more useful was a compass. Because the streets are so winding and poorly marked in Rome, we used the compass to get the general direction to reach landmarks, and then, if necessary referred to the map. We found that we eliminated a lot of time referring to the map. The compass we used came with a whistle, which we fortunately did not have to use, but could come in handy if you are in a bad situation.

[dbh62ark]

http://www.viamichelin.com and http://www.multimap.com are good on-line references to use for port planning.

 

Donna

[Looking for Sunshine]

I was keeping the identity of the maps a secret so that I wouldn't sway anyone's opinion either way....but since everyone who is interested already weighed in.....they are the streetwise series of maps. Laminated...easily foldable and looks very user friendly.

 

We were in Spain a few years ago and somehow I must have thrown away the map that my husband used to navigate Bracelona with and I said I'd get him a new one. The streetwise maps looked good to me while I was shopping at Barnes & Noble and I thought I remembered Rick Steve's saying that they were good. Well.......when I brought it home and proudly presented a replacement to his missing Barcelona map (that I "owed him" ) and a Venice map as a suprise.........he stated they weren't "detailed" enough and "not as good as the one he originally had" and I misplaced.

 

You guys get the drift right? So I.... angry now....wrote my post asking what all of you use....HOPING that SOME of you would say the streetwise series so that I could be vindicated. Petty.....I know. But who knows how many arguments have been won or lost due to our dear cruise critic friends advice and opinions.

 

O.K...now I've confessed all! I feel better now!!! BTW: My (now) DH said tonight (after reading your replies at work) that "we don't have time to get new maps with only 2 days to go". That means he's decided they are O.K. after all!!! LOL!!!

[ladysail2]

I've bought the Fodor's Citypack maps. It is a small (7"x4") booklet containing a full-sized foldout map and the top 25 sightseeing places in the city. I bought one for Venice and Barcelona....I'll be travelling to those two cities for the first time....and so everything is new to me. The booklet gives lots of helpful hints about what and what not to do....preparedness, transportation, culture, etc.

I also ordered the AAA spiral books...but haven't received them..they came recommended by friends.

 

I like researching the area where my hotel is located and where my points of interest are located in relation. With a few addresses, I go to mapquest and plan my visit. It gives me a great start.

 

This will be my first trip where English isn't the first language...it should be interesting.

[Wendy-Europe]

Hi,

 

one of the bestknown maps in Europe are "Falk-Plan" - they have a special patent folding, so you can see everything you need in a letter-format.

 

(ok - refold the maps is a little bit difficult....)

 

They have maps for many many cities all over the world. barcelona and Venice is available.

 

Another speciality of these maps is: The scale is very small in the middle of the citys (where you walk) and wider in the suburb. (parabolische Projektion - Hyperboloid-Projektion). Makes the map very good to handle!

 

 

I am sure, you can order these maps in the US too.

 

Wendy

[Mark_in_Colorado]

I was keeping the identity of the maps a secret so that I wouldn't sway anyone's opinion either way....but since everyone who is interested already weighed in.....they are the streetwise series of maps...when I brought it home and proudly presented a replacement to his missing Barcelona map (that I "owed him" ) and a Venice map as a suprise.........he stated they weren't "detailed" enough and "not as good as the one he originally had" and I misplaced...BTW: My (now) DH said tonight (after reading your replies at work) that "we don't have time to get new maps with only 2 days to go". That means he's decided they are O.K. after all!!! LOL!!!

Well, it sounds like you are good to go. I'm looking at my Streetwise Barcelona map right now, and I don't see how it could be more detailed, unless your DH means it doesn't cover enough area. I guess that is a valid point, if you are going beyond the central area. But I think the Streetwise maps are pretty typical in that regard. Have a great trip!

[wauconda]

did you pack the compass in yout check in bag? i was wondering if that might be an item that they confiscate. i don't know why, but i'm sure somebody can find something bad to do with one. thanks in advance. peg

[ehogan]

My compass was mainly plastic, I purchased it in the camping section of our departments store, very inexpensive maybe the brand was Cochlin? or Coughlin? Had absolutely no trouble at check in.

 

I attached it to a small wallet type bag that I wore slung crosswise over my sholder for day use, this worked well, and contained a small amount of money and my camera.