Atlas France Ref. 20197XB (Atlas (Michelin))

We vacationed in a tiny village in southern France. I bought this as a back up to the GPS unit we were supposed to be renting from the car rental company. They ran out before we got there, and I was very worried that this was all we had. As it turns out, this book of maps was much more reliable than the GPS our friends rented or any other maps they had bought, and they asked us to leave it with them, since they were staying a few days beyond us.

This book has even the tiniest roads on it, and successfully navigated us through the entirety of southern France. From the Mediterranean coast to the Pyrenees mountains and every tiny town in between.

If you're doing any driving in France, this is absolutely essential, even if you have a GPS.

One caveat: it only has a few detailed street maps of more major cities, so if you're staying in a specific city, you will likely want to get a street map of that city too. We didn't find it necessary for our...Read more

I've visited France a number of times. Each visit I've motored around the country using a bunch of Michelin fold-up maps (and the Michelin Guide for city maps) to show me the way. However, driving around with huge maps unfolded in the car has always been less than ideal. This Atlas effectively contains ALL the country maps, plus some city maps, at the same level of detail as the fold-up maps AND it's much less cumbersome. Plus it only costs about as much as two of the fold-up maps -- and to cover the entire country would require at least 20 fold-up maps. This Atlas is a real bargain just considering the maps alone, but it also has an index that allows one to locate a particular city/town to a particular page -- something that's not possible using the big maps. This Atlas is a must if you're going to do much driving around France -- GPS notwithstanding.

While I'm still 3 weeks away from actually driving in France, this book was more than excellent for planning my routes. It is so well laid out you would have thought the Swiss had done it rather than the French!! However, if you want something quick and easy, this probably is NOT the best offering. As France has many, many secondary and tertiary roads with signs directing you to Paris or "Other Directions" only, careful pre-planning is a necessity. The book was purchased used but was in EXCELLENT condition upon receipt.

I'll update my review in July if I have anything significant to add.