What's the best map for an overview of the Le Puy Route?

[Jorma Huttunen]

Hi all. I start my Camino at the end of April and I'm looking for the best map and best apps (android) of the Via Podiensis

 

[Davey Boyd]

What I take on the Podiensis is:

Miam Miam Dodo - Saint Jaques de Compostelle - GR65, its got maps but not great. However it is 'the' guide for up to date accommodations. And covers all variants of the route. Quite large but available as an App/Kindle. In French but very easy to understand.

Michelin Guide 161 - Chemins de Compostelle. Small, easy to carry, good maps and height profiles. Note that the accommodation listed is often out of date and very selective. Does not cover variations of the route though.

With both you can't go wrong

Edit: Also I have downloaded maps.me and gpx files of the route onto my phone too.

Bon Chemin!
Davey

 

[naplesdon]

I am going to use the Michelin Guide #161 Chemin de Compostelle (Le Puy en Valey to St. Jean Pied de Port.) It is a pocket size guide with maps of each stage but doesn't include any of the variants. There are a few notes about Gites but it is not very comprehensive in that regard. The good thing about the Michelin guides is they show side roads and nearby town if you happen to get off course.

 

[Peosta]

These are the 4 books we carried, in order of our use of them:
We used the Michelin Chemins de Compostelle. Great overview of distances, services available, places to stay...plus map. Minimal weight. Most used.
Also had Miam Miam Dodo LaCarte GR65. Fold out maps with distances, services, maps of bigger towns. Lightweight.
Also had Lightfoot Guide to the Via Podiensus. Maps, detailed descriptions of route, good list of accommodations . Heavier book, but worth it.
Also had The Cicerone Guide. Only referring to it for information about area and confirmation of route. Least valuable to us.

 

[Jorma Huttunen]

Thank you!

 

[Glenshiro]

You can access the French IGN site on your phone - it gives excellent maps from country-wide to street numbers. I found it invaluable for finding the night's lodging.

 

[Felice]

As far as maps go, the nicest physical ones are in the Topo Guides, but it takes 3 of them to cover the entire route and they cost about £16 each, so a lot of £ and lbs!

My daughter and I walked from Le Puy to Conques last year. We didn't really 'need' maps as the way was generally well signed, but we loved having real maps to hand. Rather than carry the entire book, I had previously scanned the maps, and then put them together so that all we needed for one day was on one sheet of A4. I also added the profile from the Michelin guide. I had also torn out the relevant pages of MMDD for accommodation.

I start again in mid May, at Conques. This morning I booked my first nights accommodation at the Abbey for 14th May. Maybe we'll meet along the way.

 

[billmclaughlin]

Get the Miam Miam app for your phone. You won’t need the book or any additional maps. If you’re carrying your phone anyway, it’s the lightest solution.

 

[BlackRocker57]

Get the Miam Miam app for your phone. You won’t need the book or any additional maps. If you’re carrying your phone anyway, it’s the lightest solution.

the Miam Miam Dodo app [for iOs and android] 2019 edition has just been released, a week or so ago ... within the app there is english language option available now [since August last year] so that makes everything very easy to follow. The maps are excellent and the app works as a gps in-situ so you will always know exactly where you are at any moment ... unless you have a particular preference or desire to care a guidebook I twould save the weight and the space and just get MMD app ... it is excellent and, for smartphone users, the lightest option ... bon chemin et bonne continuation

 

[lt56ny]

I am going to use the Michelin Guide #161 Chemin de Compostelle (Le Puy en Valey to St. Jean Pied de Port.) It is a pocket size guide with maps of each stage but doesn't include any of the variants. There are a few notes about Gites but it is not very comprehensive in that regard. The good thing about the Michelin guides is they show side roads and nearby town if you happen to get off course.

Hi I used the guide in 2014 ( think). It does give you a decent map of the stages. You are also correct that it is REALLY very weak with Gite information. Another problem I found was that on some stages it shows 4 or 5 towns in a stage but when you get to them they are nothing more than a few farm houses and private homes with no services at all. There were a few days that I had no food for the whole day. In some towns the gite owners would drive me to a nearby town to buy food for the next day's stage as I sometimes arrived too late in the village and the shop with groceries would be closed or they did not have one. My other huge problem was that I speak no French at all. When I walked in September there were very few pilgrims. But having said that it is a beautiful camino and I really enjoyed it very much. I had some absolutely fabulous meals. Even though many nights I was the only person who spoke English I felt welcomed and enjoyed my evenings very much. If I ever do that Camino again I would definitely buy the Dodo app as BlackRocker suggested because it is now available in English. If it doesn't have all the accommodations like the book does I would get the book just for that reason. Buen Camino.

 

[naplesdon]

One problem with apps is you may not be able to access them. I was in Aubrac last night and there was no cellular service. I don’t know if it was limited to Orange but a number of people commented at dinner about it.

 

[Felice]

The maps.me app works without phone signal as you download the map, so at least you can always have a map with you.

I recently walked the stretch from Conques to Moissac, via the Célé Valley. I was lulled into a false sense of complacency on the Célé part, as I had good signal every evening. When I got to Lascabanes and needed to book a room for the next night, I found that there was no signal at all. Mild panic until I realised that there was good wifi, and that gîte owners are pretty good at monitoring their inbox.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm not very tech savvy, so I used the guidebook "Lightfoot Guide to the Via Podiensis" by Angelynn Meya, combined with a Miam Dodo app. My friend and I only got lost two times, but have vivid memories of those two experiences and in hindsight not so bad!

 

[Peosta]

We used 4 guidebooks:
Michelin Chemins de Compostelle. Great, compact book including itineraries, topo profile, lodging info.
Lightfoot Guide to Via Podiensis LePuy -Roncevaux. Great, detailed directions and lodging information.
MiamMiamDodo LaCarte. Great maps with topography and good city maps.
The Way of St. James. Used occasionally for directions other books didn't have. Historical information.
We were happy to have all of these books. Our favorite and most used were the first two listed.

 

[Sagiberg]

Hi Jorma,
We finished yesterday the beautiful Via Podiensis. We used the gronze.com maps and info and the miam miam and found them helpful. You can take a look at our blog for information ( I will soon update our walk from Auvillar to Spain)
www.fineshmakerway.com
Bon camino

Hi all. I start my Camino at the end of April and I'm looking for the best map and best apps (android) of the Via Podiensis

Hi all. I start my Camino at the end of April and I'm looking for the best map and best apps (android) of the Via Podiensis

 

[Rpeet1]

I cant seem to find a recent Michelin guide...the one on Amazon is 2013, Nor a Miam Miam Dodo - Saint Jaques de Compostelle - GR65 that is in English under $44? Does anyone have better links?

 

[Glenshiro]

Miam Miam Dodo is free online here.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Miam Miam Dodo is free online here.

I used this same online map with lodging choices on the Le Puy route in 2018 along with my Via Podiensus Lightfoot guide and thought it very user friendly.

 

[BlackRocker57]

I cant seem to find a recent Michelin guide...the one on Amazon is 2013, Nor a Miam Miam Dodo - Saint Jaques de Compostelle - GR65 that is in English under $44? Does anyone have better links?

Bonjour Rpeet1! the little Michelin guide is woefully out-of-date, some of the distances are wrong and the accommodation listing VERY thin ... the Miam Miam Dodo app is available from the App Store [or whatever it is called for Android] ... it has in-app purchases for the various guidebooks and under «parameters» you can set the language to english ... in addition it is available offline and when you are out «on the path» the app works like a gps ... and will show you exactly where you are ... if you’re after a mapping / map app iPhiGéNie is the best bar none ... bon chemin!