Planning on a wee motorhome trip into France/Germany next year at MrsTs insistance.
Can you recommend me a satnav for the job?

down load maps onto a smart phone with here drive or something similar? I am off to Canada soon and have done this rather than faff around with a gps

google maps, turn your data on to start and cache the route, then start, then turn data off again. You won’t get live traffic data though so turn it back on again periodically if you feel the need.

Can download sections of Google maps for offline usage. I found out in Portugal that you can use the offline maps for satnav, which was a nice surprise.

co pilot live here. android app. one off cost, then down load the sections you want: western Europe, all Europe, UK& Ireland. USA. Canada. etc you get the idea.

I have a Garmin Nuvi that I bought with EU maps on too. Not much help if you don’t have one, but if you have a sat nav it may be worth checking if it can do Europe for you?

It worked pretty well with the exception of taking me briefly into Switzerland where the officials mugged me and then let me back out of the country.

TomTom Go series – no data issues, has live updates for traffic, and definitely has no ability to advise of speed cameras or speed limits at all, ok?

Thanks guys but I’ll need to get the grandkids to decipher your excellent suggestions 😕 Need to keep it simple, hence the satnav requirement, phone is for making phone calls, anything else and I’m lost 😐

Garmin Nuvi also has speed camera warnings and tells you the speed limits but they are not always accurate.

I bought a TomTom 500 for a recent trip to Croatia and it was simple and worked perfectly. Had all the roads on it.

I used it on Sunday, out of curiosity, to guide me on a 12 mile journey I’ve done a hundred times. From home to Chasewater for a spot of windsurfing.
I was a bit surprised when it told me to turn left at one junction which I normally go straight on at, and it then took me along a lovely clear road I’ve never been on before. Just when I thought I’d better stop and check I’d put the right address in it dropped me onto a bit of road I knew, about 500 yds from the lake. About 10 minutes before I expected to be there. I had to do the same on the way home in case I’d imagined it. 😳

phone is for making phone calls, anything else and I’m lost

so you’d rather spend money on a sat nav then spend a few minutes understanding everything your phone can do? 😯

that is, if you have a smartphone and if you haven’t you should get one as they really don’t need to cost very much.

try to use my phone for everything, sort of justifies the cost then, plus theyre that clever these days it seems a waste not using its potential.

sat nav, camera, camcorder, mp3/music player, found out the other day it can be a dashcam too! will be exploring that over the next few days.

Err..

A UK SatNav won’t have a Europe Map on it..

HTH’s

Garmin Nuvi 55 LM 5″ UK, Ireland & Western Europe Lifetime Maps

I use an app called navmii. It was free when I downloaded it. There’s different versions for each country but it seems accurate and easy to use

Thanks guys but I’ll need to get the grandkids to decipher your excellent suggestions Need to keep it simple, hence the satnav requirement, phone is for making phone calls, anything else and I’m lost

So how do you imagine that a satnav app differs in operation to a stand-alone satnav then?
Bearing in mind that the best satnav apps for smartphones are produced by the same people who make stand-alone satnavs.
And Here was developed by Nokia for their phone platform, where it was considered to be one of the best around, before Nokia spun it off as a free app for iOS/Android, and it’s recently been bought by a consortium of German car manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz/BMW/Audi.
So if those people consider it good enough to use in their cars, I think it’s fair to consider it for than adequate for use in a smartphone.
Here is very good, you don’t need a postcode for a destination; if you know that you want a car park next to a lake, and you can find it on the map when you zoom in, all you need to do is tap and hold on that spot and it gives you a choice of icons, one being guidance. On choosing that, you get up to three different options for your route, which you can choose from.
Once your maps have been loaded after installing the app, you set it to offline use, so there’s no data issues.
If you’re incapable of using a satnav app as simple as that on a smartphone, I would suggest you’ll really struggle to use a stand-alone satnav device.

I’ve used here in Spain last year and it was very very good. I downloaded the Spain map before I went. Would do the same again.

We genereally use a phone app called Waze with a Google backup as I have free data with Three. This being said relying on the phone can be a bit risky (even with pre-cahed maps) so you need either a paper backup and/ot a proper sat nav – Tom Tom or Garmin are both good and you should find some offers. You can sell on after if you don’t want to keep it. If you do go the phone route make sure you have a car charger as the Sat Nav apps eat battery.

I am using my UK SatNav (Nuvi 42)in Canada, I just uploaded a (free) opensource map to micro SD and away you go. Plenty of videos on youtube about the subject. Garmin wanted nearly 50 quid to get there map!

Just buy the paper road atlas for France and Germany. My France 2004 atlas is still doing sterling service!!

HERE Maps should do entire country or region downloads. Certainly does on Win Phone and believe similar on the Android version.

Double check the route the sat nav has plotted though. My Civic has in built Sat Nav with European maps and I programmed it in to go to Morzine, came up with same time as ViaMichelin plotted so assumed it was the same. It took me through Paris!

ViaMichelin is well recommended for planning the route along with costs for tolls, fuel etc and timing for stops. Just print out and take along.

Get a toll tag for France if doing the autoroutes. Much less hassle just sailing through the tolls.

Just buy the paper road atlas for France and Germany. My France 2004 atlas is still doing sterling service!!

Just use a sextant and the stars

🙄

I used Navmii when I was in France recently. And the previous version in Italy some years ago. Free and a good sat nav!

I used an iphone with the tomtom app. Works really good but had one really annoying thing that caused me to buy a dedicated tomtom. Whenever you are somewhere where you really need it eg junction off motorways close together or in a city trying to get to the right lane and someone calls you the sat nav changes screen on a phone. I got really lost coming off a service station outside Brussels of a Friday afternoon and ended up in the city during Friday afternoon rush hour. It took me 3 hours to get back to the motorway. I have Rider 40 and use it both for car and motorbike and it’s great.

bikebouy – Member

Err..

A UK SatNav won’t have a Europe Map on it..

HTH’s

Mine does. HTH’s.

bikebouy – Member

Err..

A UK SatNav won’t have a Europe Map on it..
What maps would a satnav bought in France have?
I’ve heard a vicious rumour that they have shops over there too.

We drive into Europe every year for our summer hols and use a Garmin Nuvi with lifetime European map updates.
It’s important to update the maps every 6-12 months to make sure you have all the updated road layouts.
Our new van came with Sat Nav but I still use the Garmin – it’s a clearer screen and I can place it better for driving. Our one also comes up with pictures of the signs for junctions which is useful and live traffic updates/rerouting options – can save plenty of time.
I always check the route options (usually 2-3) that it presents when selecting a destination to make sure I don’t end up being routed through Paris etc!

By the way, if your sat nav while in the car has the ability to show speed cameras then you’re breaking the law in France. Doesn’t even matter if you’re not using it. Make sure you have the required safety kit, spare light bulbs and breath testing kit also.

The French cops can and do target foreigners for checks, and issue on the spot fines requiring you to pay up then and there or they’ll take you to a cash point.

Not sure on the state of reciprocal agreement for speed camera fines. Used to be you get snapped and no fine back to the UK but they were due to change that and could then send you a fine. Though post Brexit may change that, but we don’t leave for several years yet.

I’d go to somewhere like Halfords & have a fiddle with the sat navs. They normally have loads of them out on display & it’s good to see how the menu systems work on the different devices, how sensitive the screens are, how easy the mount is to use.

It looks like you can get a satnav with full European mapping (not just Western Europe, wherever that is), lifetime updates and traffic updates (I think it has to link to your phone to do this) for about £130.

We drive into Europe every year for our summer hols and use a Garmin Nuvi with lifetime European map updates.
It’s important to update the maps every 6-12 months to make sure you have all the updated road layouts.
Our new van came with Sat Nav but I still use the Garmin – it’s a clearer screen and I can place it better for driving. Our one also comes up with pictures of the signs for junctions which is useful and live traffic updates/rerouting options – can save plenty of time.
I always check the route options (usually 2-3) that it presents when selecting a destination to make sure I don’t end up being routed through Paris etc!

Used a Garmin Sat Nav every time whilst travelling around Europe. The latest Nuvi are great as they can use your phone data connection to give you live traffic updates and avoid delays as well as other features. Lane guidance is really useful too especially in busy traffic.
I’ve tired using iPhone Maps and Google maps but they don’t really compare with a dedicated sat nav.

The French cops can and do target foreigners for checks, and issue on the spot fines requiring you to pay up then and there or they’ll take you to a cash point.

Drive like a tool and they will pull you over. It’s not targeting foreigners, just dick heads. In the decades I’ve travelled through Europe I’ve been pulled over once and not because of my UK plates but for speeding.