Garmin City Navigator Europe NT DACH & Czech for Detailed Maps of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Czech Republic

3 comments

1. 

   Ralph Mooney on October 29, 2009 at 2:10 pm

   I bought this software to use with my Garmin Nuvi 360 for my trip to Bavaria and the Czech Republic. I programmed it with all my destinations before leaving home. On arrival in Munich, it took me directly from the airport to Passau without a hitch. BUT, when we wanted to go to Cesky Krumlov in southern Czech Rep (CZ), the route it took us on was horrid. Instead of taking major roads, it took us through Austrian farm country into the rural hills of south CZ. We crossed the border in the middle of nowhere on a road that was barely one lane. That was pretty scary, particularly when I had to move aside for a logging truck. The next day, though, we drove to Prague, which is a terrible city to drive in. It guided us right to our destination and effectively got us out of town when it was time. We had the same experience in Munich at rush hour. After Prague, we went to a small town in Bavaria and it again gave us a bizarre route. We went through about 10-15 farm towns and made about 30 turns. I had it programmed for “shortest route” and I think it ignored roads and took the shortest “as the crow flies”.
   
   My advice–get this for the cities and get a map for outside the cities. You’ll be happy in both cases.

2. 

   PG in NC on October 29, 2009 at 3:58 pm

   I was a bit concerned about the manner in which this chip would help with our car trip through Bavaria…but it proved to be worth every cent.

   Before we left home in NC, I entered all of our destinations into Favorites, and once we arrived at the Munich airport, it did a great job of guiding us around all the major and minor roads in Germany…for those who are familiar with what it’s like to drive in Germany, they would know that many roads fork, there are endless roundabouts, and if one does not speak German, the names of the streets contain more syllables than anyone non-German can pronounce. Our English speaking Garmin guide (we call him The English Twit) kept us on track, and when we missed a turn here or there, always came up with an excellent Plan B which got us to our hotels, palaces, castles, etc.

   We had printed out directions from Map Quest, but without the Dach chip, we definitely would have been driving around lost for who knows how long.

   So, despite the previously posted strongly negative review about this SD card, we would definitely repeat the old saying, “Don’t leave home without it.”

3. 

   HOMEWORK on October 29, 2009 at 4:57 pm

   I purchased this card for my Nuvy 265WT in hopes that it would save me from having to rent a GPS when in Germany. The map data is poor and directions are pitiful. Here’s my example:

   I flew into Frankfurt, rented a car and proceeded to “navigate” to Landstuhl, which is near Kaiserslautern. All major autobahns. From the get-go, the map data couldn’t even navigate from the Airport to the first major highway. In frankfurt, you must drive on a couple small access roads before getting to the major freeways. The GPS simply stated “drive to the displayed route”. I’m so lucky I printed out a paper copy of the maps, or I would have been lost or possible gotten into an accident. Once I made it to the first autobahn (A67), the map wouldn’t even place me on the highway..in fact many times, it displayed: “off road” on the GPS. The routing was way off course..it wanted me to take the A5, when the A6 was much more appropriate. Again, I’m glad I printed out the yahoo directions. Once I left the highway, I was left to find my way “off road” to my final destination. I’m so sorry I spent money on this chip and will attempt to return it upon my return.