APP to download maps & use GPS on iphone

vivamus

A while ago, there was an exchange of posts regarding one of the veteran Tauck travelers downloading an App. which had maps for European cities. I was under the impression that you could use the GPS on the phone to help you navigate the maps in the cities. When out of the country, I change the setting on my phone to turn off cell data, so I was intrigued as I inferred that no cell data was required to use GPS if map was downloaded with this App. I cannot find the helpful posts and I am hoping that that frequent Tauck traveler will read this and will be generous to take time and post the name of the App.

THANKS!!

Ken from Vegas

Google maps will let you do this. The GPS does not require a cell or wireless connection, it is a separate system. It will show you where you are on the map. To get instructions on downloading maps for use offline go to:

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838?hl=en&ref_topic=6400456

vivamus

Ken: THANK YOU! That was exactly what I was looking for. It is appreciated. Time to download some maps!! Happy travels to you.

AlanS

Be careful, I just played with it on my iPad, and maps takes up a lot of storage- I did a central Italy map around Torgiano and the download was around 225 MB. The max area is pretty big (approx 46000 sq mi.!!!). It will show you where you are and the names of the nearby streets, places, businesses, etc. You can search and it will show the locations of known places, depending on the local map database, but it won't give you directions- you'll have to pick your own route. For some businesses it will give the street address, hours of operation, and phone number, but since you aren't connected, you can't go to any website for a menu, etc.

Since we had signed up for phone/msgs, we found that it was just easier to get a limited data plan, too, when we went to Italy this summer. We only used data briefly when hunting for specific addresses or places, or when we wanted to know more about a restaurant, attraction, person, history, etc.

Internet is starting to appear on Tauck buses- we had it of sorts in Italy, but not Ireland. The bandwidth was severely limited on the bus in Italy.

vivamus

Alan: Appreciate your thoughts and observations. Thanks to you, also!

British

Vivamus, I spent $40 on an international phone and data plan for one month while in England this summer and used it for walking directions all over the place, I loved it, it was the first time I had used it so extensively. Recommend this method.

vivamus

British: thanks for info. Would you mind sharing the name of your carrier? Sounds like a reasonable fee for a month of access. Thanks again.

British

A T and T

AlanS

Rates and coverage may vary by country. We have Verizon and the price was $40 for Italy and Ireland, for unlimited phone but limited data- don't remember, but you can check both out online.

[Deleted User]

Check out CityMaps2Go. This is an inexpensive one-time payment app ($1.99 for iPhone) which then lets you download unlimited open source maps for EVERYWHERE (used them when visiting South Georgia Island!). The maps then reside on your device and work when you are off the network. GPS or cell tower positioning (less good) on devices which have it will show you where you are. Optionally, you can download wiki data for each map. This is a great app. We downloaded and had available highly detailed (street level for cities) maps for all the places for our recent Tauck trip to Peru and the Galapagos. Maps are updated frequently so when you are back on the net you can download the latest. This works particularly well with Tauck's free Internet in the hotels. Just load up/update the maps while in the hotels. They also have impressively fast servers and efficient compression so the download of tens of megabytes of maps usually takes only a minute or two.

garrytroomen

There is a free gps navigator Yandex. Also it supports a large number of cards with the ability to download. And by the way simple and comfortable with plenty of features for a free app.

KarlaB

garrytroomen wrote:

There is a free gps navigator Yandex. Also it supports a large number of cards with the ability to download. And by the way simple and comfortable with plenty of features for a free app.

I agree with you! Thanks

MGCGKC

We have found (free) Google Maps on our iPhones to be a powerful tool when we've gone on long, wandering walks in Europe and Asia. If you aren't a frequent user, play around with the app at home before you go, and especially note that you need to click/specify when you want the app to provide walking directions rather than the typical car-based directions.

We always fully enable and use our phones when traveling. Mapping, news apps, texting, emails, camera, etc. all work pretty fast and normally (unless we choose to turn them off). Also, if we happen to separate while on a trip (e.g., one goes shopping or for a jog), we like the safety of always being able to reach each other.

Note that the compass on your phone can also be useful when wandering.

Especially in locations with moderate cell service, and/or twisty, narrow, building-lined medieval streets, I wouldn't go wandering too far solely relying on any mapping app that needs constant updating (to re-calibrate location as you walk). I also either download a city map directly onto the phone, or better yet, carry a good old-fashioned paper map (usually snagged from the hotel) for backup.

Last, we never go walking around with our faces in the phone, having it guide us. We are looking at the city sites and people rather than the map--plus in many places, I don't like to look like an obvious tourist. We get a sense of where we want to go, keep the map on for back-up, and then put the phone in a pocket or bag. We check it as needed, and also keep the sound barely on so we can hear it make a very low talking noise when it is expecting us to be walking a different way.