On 31 mar, 04:55, Dan Stephenson wrote:
Hello, I am planning a long trip in Europe by car, and I would like
your recommendations for a motoring atlas. Actually, several. I
will
at least travel in Germany, north through Norway all the way to the
end, back down and through Switzerland, Italy, and everywhere in
Greece. I intend to visit France too, particularly Brittany for the
megalithic stuff there. It will be a long trip.

I am most familiar with the Michelins, and I liked the Great Britain
and Ireland atlas because it had symbols for methalithics and other
ruins like castles and abbeys. I am using the all-Europe atlas for
planning purposes, but it is too high-level for on-the-road
navigation.

I do not want to use a navigation computer.

Agreed: the few navigation computers I saw or
tried out led to more unplanned detours than when
using regular maps (in Switzerland and Germany;
no first hand experience for other countries with
the exception of Canada where navigation
computer worked quite well)

Nevertheless, a GPS (or AGPS) device is imho an
appropriate add-on to "paper maps" especially when
driving at night outside main highways in Europe.
Just roaming cost for gsm-based devices using internet
for downloading updated maps might be prohibitive.

For most trips, I now use route-planners such as
www.viamichelin.com (for Europe) and yahoo maps
(for Canada), adjust and re-adjust the "recommended"
routes (often enough routes with unappropriate detours
or time-consuming "shortcuts" in traffic congestion
areas) and print the modified route information with
some detail maps for sections I might adjust trip
once on the road. Ignoring road signs while driving
or their impact on planned itineraries can lead to
major detours (such as closed or modified highway
exits due to construction)

I used a huge fold-out when I went to Sicily, that I bought when I was
over there.

Maybe I should do the same, this time? It's just that by getting all
the atlases in advance, I can mark up all the must-see sights right on
the map I'll use to get around.

Imho again, main problem - especially for
Eastern Europe now - is to get updated maps.
Older maps or motoring atlas dont have new
or changed highways and streets, nor road
construction information.

Best probably is to buy updated regular maps,
check as far as possible for updated traffic
information (including expected major traffic
jams) on the internet. Most of that kind of
information is available on the internet using
national road information services or drivers
associations - problem is to find the respective
information for each single country.
For France for example
http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gou...l.do?langue=en
provides long term information on expected
traffic jams at
http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gou...id_rubrique=16

For my vacation trips, I now use tourist guides
(for Europe I still prefer Michelin green guides)
in addition to personal information to compile
the list of places to visit. Put them on some
overall map - and start comparing different possible
itineraries using internet route planners. And
use as far as available information on expected
traffic problems (construction and traffic jams)
available on the internet.

Worked more or less well for the countries I drove
the last few years - but my last trips to Norway
and Greece were before internet browsers existed .... :-(