Best Maps for French Mountains?

Arequipa · 03-05-2011 08:14PM #1

Evening! I have just returned from a trip to Nice & a few laps up & around the Col de la Madone. While there we used local tourist maps & I only used my iPhone (google maps + GPS etc) a little to save against exorbitant data/roaming charges.
This summer I'm planning a trip to the Alps with a few mates.

With this in mind can you recommend a good map(s) to purchase, book or website which will cover these routes & enable us to plan.

None of us, as yet have a Garmin GPS device!

Thanks a mil!

Arequipa.

Greyspoke · 04-05-2011 06:28PM

I've used the IGN (www.ign.fr) "Carte de Promenade" series and have found them pretty good. They are at quite a small scale -1:100,000 (1cm=1km) but consequently cover a large area and show contours and the minor roads which is probably what you're looking for. When I got them a couple of years ago they were just over 5 euro. Very good value!

Arequipa · 04-05-2011 08:41PM

Hey! Thank you for your reply!
I had a road map of France a few years ago but lost it somewhere.
I will check this map out!

Cheers!

ednwireland · 04-05-2011 10:05PM

http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Cartes?layers=0001&strLocid=32NDJpMzE1Mzg3NTAxMGNORFV1TURrd016UT1jTmk0d05qUTNNdz09

or get a michelin road map - all the climbs are on them

Arequipa · 04-05-2011 10:09PM

Thank you sir!

TheBlaaMan · 04-05-2011 10:27PM

Yeah, as Ed says, you can't go wrong with Michelin. In paper maps, they do a National (1:1,000,000 scale, Red), Regional (1:200,000, Orange) and Local (1:150,000,yellow) series, and they all cost €6-7 each. Obviously, the higher the scale (smaller the ratio above) the more detail you get in the map and I'd advise for any precise planning, you'll need the local/yellow series. (http://www.michelinonline.co.uk/travel/loc.htm). Easons do most, and can order any you want (as can most bookshops who stock maps/know their business), or you can order online via Michelin, or but when you get there. There'll not be much difference in price regardless.

Have fun!

Hermy · 04-05-2011 10:35PM

+1
Have several of the yellow Michelin maps and good maps they are.

velopeloton · 04-05-2011 11:59PM

Michelin are by far the best.

blorg · 06-05-2011 03:52AM

To be honest if you are specifically doing cols, it is quite hard to go wrong. There is generally only one road going up the mountain. Even a quite high-level map would do. For the Raid Pyreneen I think we used a single map that covered the entire French and Spanish Pyrenees and it was more than clear enough (I did also have a Garmin.)

Also check out Offmaps which will give you Openstreetmap maps offline on your iPhone.

Arequipa · 06-05-2011 07:16AM

Thank you for your replies!
When we were in Nice last week we initially found it tricky to find the route from Menton up the Col de la Madone: then the issue was going deeper into the mountains and looping back to Nice avoiding busy motorways: we made it back to Nice but some of the roads nearer to Nice, were a bit busy & unnerving!
We used a couple of tourist maps which were super crap!

Arequipa.

Best Maps for French Mountains?

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