quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:
Just take the train.

We took the train on several of our previous trips but given the remote areas (relatively) we’ll be in and wanting the freedom to travel at our own pace we won’t be doing this on this trip.

Waze worked great in Brittany and Normandy. No issues. I always have a paper map back up, just in case.

Was in Normany last May driving around to the many WWII sites using Google Maps on my iPhone.

As others have pointed out, get a data plan with enough capacity as running a navigation/map app will use up data. eSIMs are the way to go these days, I like Airalo as its easy to top-up the plan if you find yourself running low. Holafly and Saily are other popular international carriers.

Our last 2 trips to Europe. In Ireland and Scotland we used google maps and car play. It worked well. Just make sure you have the cellular data angle covered.

AT&T charges a flat rate per day for unlimited data in Europe.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

Another thing I want to do is to get an eSIM. Does anyone have a good recommendation for one that is easy to use and actually works?

I've used Saily eSims the last couple of years in Italy and Croatia. Worked great, good prices.

quote:

Originally posted by TomV:

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

Another thing I want to do is to get an eSIM. Does anyone have a good recommendation for one that is easy to use and actually works?

I've used Saily eSims the last couple of years in Italy and Croatia. Worked great, good prices.

I was originally looking into Airolo but I like that Saily is part of the NordVPN family and has more security features…

Citymapper app is good for navigation in Paris. Walk or subway is straightforward.
There are tours that leave from Paris to Normandy--let them drive, you visit the beaches, the town for lunch then the American graves/memorial.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
There are tours that leave from Paris to Normandy--let them drive, you visit the beaches, the town for lunch then the American graves/memorial.

That's certainly the easiest and most stress free method to tour around, however once you get there you notice there's numerous memorials that dot the roadside that you don't get to check out.

One of them is the Normandy monument dedicated to Maj. Richard Winters, where Winter's was awarded the DFC for leading Easy Company near Brecourt Manor destroying four German artillery positions. There was also Danish memorial nearby to their sailors and merchant mariners who participated in the landings, these guys were were cut-off from Denmark after Germany took over their country.

Visiting the British & Canadian sectors around Sword, Juno & Gold beaches, the British Normandy Memorial is the newest and is quite stunning, many more memorials dot the road side and fascinating to read-up on.

Back to the OP, all the rentals I've gotten in Europe (except for the super economy sizes) had flatscreens with connectivity with CarPlay, MirrorLink and Android Auto. Google Maps, Apple Maps all worked seamlessly.