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Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 31st, 2009, 03:55 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dan Stephenson
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Posts: 591
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

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.

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.

I also like scenic drives, and the Michelins mark what _they_ think
qualify as scenic, with a green line alongside the road. Any other
atlas do something like that?

Please share your thoughts on this important topic!
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

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  #2  
Old March 31st, 2009, 09:36 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Giovanni Drogo
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Posts: 811
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

On Mon, 30 Mar 2009, 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.


For Italy, nothing beats the TCI (Italian Touring Club) Atlante Stradale
(Road Atlas). Consult their web site (although slightly awkward to
navigate). There is a "Punto Touring" with bookshop in all major italian
cities, and there are "succursali" (subsidiary bookshops) in many other
places.

This is a link in English
http://www.touringclub.com/ENG/Trave...d_Atlases.aspx

This is a result of the search form in italian for "Atlante stradale"
http://www.touringclub.com/ITA/viagg...nte%20stradale

I'm not sure whether there is a separate English edition (as for some
guides). I know the Italian one (mine, at least my last, since it is
periodically sent to TCI members, is almost all maps, and has
quadrilingual captions at the front). I've seen two separate versions :
one has north and south in two separate volumes, with motorway diagrams
at the front. The other had north, centre and south in three volumes,
with city maps at the end.

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  #3  
Old March 31st, 2009, 11:52 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Markku Grönroos
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Posts: 2,095
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought


"Giovanni Drogo" kirjoitti
viestissä:alpine.LSU.1.00.0903311027090.1693@cbfrv qba.ynzoengr.vans.vg...
On Mon, 30 Mar 2009, 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.


For Italy, nothing beats the TCI (Italian Touring Club) Atlante Stradale
(Road Atlas). Consult their web site (although slightly awkward to
navigate). There is a "Punto Touring" with bookshop in all major italian
cities, and there are "succursali" (subsidiary bookshops) in many other
places.

For actual navigation the electronic maps for turn to turn instructions
would be quite superior to any hardcopy maps but for some reason the other
chap is not keen to utilize them.

  #4  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 03:35 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dan Stephenson
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Posts: 591
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

On 2009-03-31 03:36:45 -0500, Giovanni Drogo
said:

On Mon, 30 Mar 2009, 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.


For Italy, nothing beats the TCI (Italian Touring Club) Atlante
Stradale (Road Atlas). Consult their web site (although slightly
awkward to navigate). There is a "Punto Touring" with bookshop in all
major italian cities, and there are "succursali" (subsidiary bookshops)
in many other places.

This is a link in English
http://www.touringclub.com/ENG/Trave...d_Atlases.aspx


This

is a result of the search form in italian for "Atlante stradale"
http://www.touringclub.com/ITA/viagg...nte%20stradale


I'm

not sure whether there is a separate English edition (as for some
guides). I know the Italian one (mine, at least my last, since it is
periodically sent to TCI members, is almost all maps, and has
quadrilingual captions at the front). I've seen two separate versions :
one has north and south in two separate volumes, with motorway diagrams
at the front. The other had north, centre and south in three volumes,
with city maps at the end.


Grazie mille, Giovanni. Fortunately, I do not think there is too much
of a language barrier when it comes to road maps!

I'm really interested visiting Roman and if possible Greek ruins. I've
been to Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum, and "all" the Greek
sites in Sicily. Does these TCI atlases indicate where ruins like
these are located? you see, I like stringing together visits to places
like that and scenic-drive in between.

Thanks,
Dan



--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)

  #5  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 09:01 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Giovanni Drogo
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Posts: 811
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

On Wed, 1 Apr 2009, Dan Stephenson wrote:

For Italy, nothing beats the TCI (Italian Touring Club) Atlante Stradale


I'm really interested visiting Roman and if possible Greek ruins.
I've been to Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum, and "all" the
Greek sites in Sicily. Does these TCI atlases indicate where ruins
like these are located?


I can't check straight now from here. I'm afraid the scale of the maps
will not allow to spot easily archaelogical sites, although I'm pretty
sure at least the main ones will be marked with some symbol.

If you want some detail you should get a real guidebook. I know TCI
publishes some in English, which you should be able to find via the
links I provided. Definitely TCI produces excellent guides in Italian
with nice and accurate city and site maps. I could recommend the
following :

- the "Guida Rapida" (I guess this is now 5 volumes in pocket format,
20x10 cm or thereabout : NW, NE, Centre-N, Centre-S, S and islands).
I remember for instance that with an OLD Rapida tiny map I was able
to walk from Capri town to Villa Jovis and all around the coast

- the "Green" guides (Guide Verdi, this is also in the same format as
the Rapida) There are green guides for regions, and other for
smaller areas with a bit more of detail. (and there are also green
guides for most European countries and some other ones as well).
I confess I liked more the old arrangement (which had an itinerary
section with altitude profiles at front, an an alphabetic section
with places : a short list of hotels, restaurant, tourist offices,
some history, list of sights and a map for major places). The new
arrangement has nice introductory sections on history and so on,
but then places are grouped in itinerary chapters (these contains
maps and sights) while the hotels etc. are listed alphabetically
by place at the end. I know they are planning a major refurbishment.
The newer green guides will be issued in two volumes, so that they
could update the hotel and tourist office addresses one more often.

- the "Red" guides ("guide rosse") are thicker volumes, but still
in a (smaller) pocket size. These are considered as official
references by the Ministry of Culture. They are extremely detailed
and list every monument or detail. However they are more expensive
and updated less often.

There are also fancier guides more oriented towards young people, and
some of them are adapted from foreign series (like the Routard). Fancier
images (like on the Golden Guides), but I don't quite like them.
Perhaps the only useful thing in this category are the Cartoville (these
are city maps in a convenient folding format).

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  #6  
Old March 31st, 2009, 01:02 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Piero
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Posts: 99
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

Dan Stephenson ha scritto:

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.


For Italy this one is the best.
You will find also different sizes...

http://www.touringclub.com/ITA/viagg...DEditoria=1851

For other countries I don't know, sorry...

Ciao, Piero.
  #7  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 07:24 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
je
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Posts: 55
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

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 .... :-(



  #8  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 12:55 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Mike Lane
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Posts: 256
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 07:24:56 +0100, je wrote
(in article
):

On 31 mar, 04:55, Dan Stephenson wrote:
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)


I use a gps sat. nav. all the time when driving in Europe and I'd hate to do
without it now, but I plan the routes in great detail using paper maps, then
enter and save them onto the gps unit before I leave home. I find this allows
us to relax without all the messing about navigating (and getting lost) with
paper maps while driving.

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire

  #9  
Old April 3rd, 2009, 02:27 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dan Stephenson
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Posts: 591
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

On 2009-04-02 01:24:56 -0500, je said:

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 .... :-(


What were some of the more scenic-beauty sorts of places in Norway and
Greece, for you?

I remember the area around Delphi was pretty amazing. The hotel room
looked out on the valley -- wow.
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)

  #10  
Old April 3rd, 2009, 02:58 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Giovanni Drogo
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Posts: 811
Default Europe motoring atlas recommendations sought

On Fri, 3 Apr 2009, Dan Stephenson wrote:

What were some of the more scenic-beauty sorts of places in Norway


most of the coastal road down from Cape Nord to Fauske, or even through
the Lofoten. Also some of the parts around southern fjords (Bergen and
Stavanger area), specially the winding roads going up to the plateau
from the end of the fjords.

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