MOT Atlas France 2009 (Michelin Tourist & Motoring Atlases)
Spiral-bound
Buy NEW for £12.99
Reviews
(Rated 4 out of 5)
The book was very useful during our trip through France. The maps are very detailed and the spiral binding is much better than the standard book format. There are lots of City maps too which really helped.
The pages are a little flimsy, I guess because there are so many, so it felt a little like they were going to tear when we were moving around in the car (withall the other baggage you have touring)
All in all a good purchase and invaluable through our trip.
(Rated 2 out of 5)
I chose the spiral bound version, having read adverse reviews about the cheaper alternative. Unfortunately, the paper used is very thin and unlikely to stand up to the intensive "in-car" use for which it is presumably intended.
The maps are very good, easy to read and with a generous overlap of the page ends. With very careful use, this atlas will provide several months navigation. Next time, however, I will pay more attention (and perhaps more money !) to ensure I purchase a more robust product.
(Rated 4 out of 5)
We ordered the MOT Atlas France 2009 as we were heading off on a road trip around France. We had a satnav too but decided that this looked like a good product to take with us in case the satnav broke. We didn't have to use it for navigation purposes but we followed our route the whole time on this atlas - it was easy to follow, had clear indications of road-type, towns, toll roads etc. We thought it was a good purchase and will take it with us next time we go to France. We felt that the Atlas could have been a bit harder to follow trying to get in/out of cities in rush hour.
(Rated 5 out of 5)
The smaller format, approximately A4, of the 2009 edition is more manageable and easier to handle on the "navigator's" lap in the car. The larger diameter plastic spiral binding should mean less ripped pages than with the older style wire binding. There is a 'whole of France' main road map at the front givng all the major routes, followed by a series of 1:1,000,000 scale maps which are great for general long distance navigation. The usual 1:200,000 highly detailed maps then follow over the next 350 pages, which include speed camera sites and scenic routes. 75 town plans are included together with 3 blank pages for making your own notes. Great for any trip to France.
(Rated 3 out of 5)
Bought this for August 2009 trip round France. I liked the physical size of the book, as our previous version always seemed enormous when spread out on your lap in the passenger seat of the car. However, the smaller size did mean that on long journeys, it's harder to get a big picture feel for the journey, and occasionally I found the size of the junctions too small and this made navigation tricky at times. On the plus side, it did have all the updated road numbers, as the French like to change their entire road network numbering every few years, just to catch tourists out, or to give the civil servants something to do when they're not on strike.
Overall - a good purchase - good value for money and accurate mapping, but maybe it could be slightly bigger size!