Maps for Europe
Good road maps help you plan your trip to Europe and are essential for driving in Europe. Our affiliate TrekTools carries an extensive supply of maps for most European countries. Our recommended maps are listed below.
A road atlas or regional map at a large scale (1:200,000 to 1:300,000) is the best map for driving in Europe. Of course you can buy good maps when you are in Europe, but getting them before you go lets you use them for planning. (Read more about map scale.)
Maps of Italy
Touring Club Italiano (TCI) make the best maps for Italy - road atlases and regional maps.
Road Atlas: Scale 1:200,000. The TCI Road Atlases (Atlante stradale d'Italia) have good map detail for driving highways or back roads. They are heavier than a folding map but last longer because of the book format, and I find the book format easier to use.
- TCI Road Atlas - Central Italy* (Centro)
- TCI Road Atlas - Northern Italy (Nord)
- TCI Road Atlas - Southern Italy (Sud)
* If you are going to Rome, Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria, Central Italy is the one you need.
Regional Maps: Scale 1:200,000. The TCI regional maps are smaller, less expensive and easier to pack than a road atlas.
- TCI Regional Map - Tuscany (Toscana)
- TCI Regional Map - Umbria and Marche
- TCI Regional Map - Liguria
> See more Regional Maps for Italy
Provincial Maps: Scale 1:150,000. Each region in Italy is divided into Provinces. Provincial maps give more detail than the regional maps and are good for finding the back roads (not detailed enough for hiking).
- Provincial Map of Siena, Tuscany
- Provincial Map of Florence and Prato, Tuscany (Firenze e Prato)
- Provincial Map of Perugia, Umbria
> See more Provincial Maps for Italy
City Maps: If you are spending time in a city you need a good map at a large scale.
- City Map of Rome (Roma), scale 1:15,000
- City Map of Florence (Firenze), scale 1:9,000
- City Center Map of Siena, scale 1:5,000
- City Center Map of Venice (Venezia), scale 1:7,500
> See more City Maps for Italy
> See all Italy Maps on TrekTools
Maps of France
Michelin makes the best road atlas and regional maps for France. IGN (the national mapping agency) makes the best department and hiking maps.
Road Atlas: Scale 1:200,000. The Michelin road atlas has good map detail for driving highways or back roads. It is larger than a folding map but lasts longer because of the book format.
- Michelin Spiral Bound Road Atlas - France (all of France in the one volume)
Regional Maps: Scale 1:275,000. Smaller scale than the road atlas, but smaller, less expensive and easier to pack.
- Michelin #527 - Provence, Cote d'Azur
- Michelin #526 - Languedoc, Roussillon
- Michelin #517 - Loire Valley (Pays de Loire)
> See more Regional Maps for France
Department Maps: Scale differs by map - 1:125,000 or 1:140,000. Each region in France is divided into Departments. IGN Department maps give more detail than the regional maps and are good for finding the back roads (not detailed enough for hiking).
- D84 - Vaucluse, Provence, scale 1:125,000, includes the Luberon
- D06 - Alpes-Maritimes, Provence, scale 1:125,000, includes Nice
- D24 - Dordogne, Aquitaine, scale 1:140,000, includes Perigord
- D30 - Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, scale 1:140,000
> See more Department Maps for France
City Maps: If you are spending time in a city you need a good map at a large scale.
- Michelin #57 - Atlas of Paris, by Arrondissements, scale 1:10,000, spiral bound
- City Map of Nice, scale 1:13,000
- City Map of Aix-en-Provence, scale 1:10,000
> See more City Maps for France
> See all France Maps on TrekTools
Maps of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland)
Ordnance Survey (the national mapping agency) makes a variety of maps at different scales. OS Travel Maps - Road are good for driving (scale 1:250,000). OS Travel Maps - Tour are good for exploring one area (scale varies by map, many are at scale 1:100,000). OS Landranger maps are too detailed for driving but can be used for walking (scale 1:50,000). OS Explorer maps have the detail you need for walking/hiking (scale 1:25,000). A-Z Map Company make good road atlases, regional and city maps.
Road Atlas: If you are traveling to several different areas of the United Kingdom, get a road atlas. If you are traveling only to one or two areas, smaller county maps are best because they are smaller; a Great Britain road atlas is large and heavy.
- AZ - Great Britain Road Atlas, 1:250,000 (4 miles to 1 inch). This is a good scale of map for driving and covers all of England, Wales and Scotland.
- AZ - Super Scale Great Britain Road Atlas, 1:158,400 (2.5 miles to 1 inch). Large scale for all of England, Wales and Scotland. This is a larger atlas but is spiral bound, making it easy to handle.
- AZ - Southern England, scale 1:158,400 (2.5 miles to 1 inch). Same large scale as the Super Scale Atlas, but a smaller book covering the southern counties of England: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, southern Wales, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Kent.
Regional Maps: OS Travel Maps - Road series are at a scale similar to a road atlas and are good for driving. OS Travel Maps Tour series for each county are more detailed and good for driving.
OS Travel Maps - Road Series: Scale 1:250,000. Folding maps. Good regional maps that can be used instead of a road atlas.
- OS Road 7 - South West England, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and southern Wales.
- OS Road 8 - South East England, Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Kent, London (and areas to the north), Essex.
OS Travel Maps - Tour Series: Scale varies, usually 1:100,000. Folding map. Good detailed maps for driving.
- OS Tour 8 - Travel Map, The Cotswolds & Gloucestershire, scale 1:100,000
- OS Tour 1 - Travel Map, Cornwall, scale 1:100,000
- OS Tour 5 - Travel Map, Devon & Somerset West, scale 1:130,000
- OS Tour 3 - Travel Map, Lake District & Cumbria, scale 1:110,000
> See more Regional Maps for the United Kingdom
City Maps: If you are spending time in a city you need a good map at a large scale.
- A-Z London Street Atlas, scale: 1:22,000 (1 mile to 2.9 inches). A "must have" for London, this paperback atlas covers central London and the surrounding areas, with a super-scale street map of central London and a street index.
- A-Z London Street Map, scale: 1:21,477 (1 mile to 3 inches). Folded map covering central London and outskirts. Separate booklet with street index.
- A-Z City Map of Bath, scale: 1:15,840 (1 mile to 4 inches)
> See more City Maps for the United Kingdom
> See all United Kingdom Maps on TrekTools
Map Scale
Scale indicates the level of detail in a ratio showing what one centimeter on the map equates to on land. For example, 1:200,000 means one centimeter on the map covers 200,000 centimeters on land (2 kilometers).
A "small scale" map of 1:1,000,000 shows less detail than a "large scale" map at 1:200,000. Small scale maps are good if you need to look at the whole country on one map page or will only be driving on main highways. Large scale maps are necessary for locating smaller towns and villages.
In the United Kingdom map scale is shown in miles and inches. A good road atlas is 4 miles to 1 inch (1:250,000) or 3 miles to 1 inch (1:190,000).
Good hiking maps have a scale of 1:25,000.
Resources
- Google Calculator: Type the conversion you want into the Google search box. For example, entering 2 kilometers in miles gives you the result 2 kilometers = 1.24274238 miles.
- About.com - Map Scale: Measuring distances on a map.
- Touring Club Italiano: Maps for Italy.
- Michelin | IDG: Maps for France.
- Ordnance Survey | A-Z Map Company: Maps for the United Kingdom.