Garmin nuvi 270 in Europe

We just returned from a 3 month trip to Spain (starting and ending in Paris). We have become accustomed to using the integrated GPS in our car in Canada and decided to purchase the 270 based on internet reviews and descriptions. It is an absolute winner, better in many ways than the on-board model in our car.

We used both French and Spanish directions to accustom our ears to the languages we would need in our travels. They are clear, concise and accurate. One needs to become used to being able to quickly recognize that 200 metres is not the same as 150 metres, particularly in Europe where small roads sprout off to the sides more frequently than most locations in N. America. That skill is achieved quickly. A mix of listening to the oral directions and watching the cursor on the monitor almost always resulted in taking the correct route.

The 270 remarkably knows almost every small village in rural Spain and France, including street names that the inhabitants often never use - nor know. (To our surprise, the smallest of towns often could not be plotted in advance and only appeared when we got close to the location). Street name changes, constant upgrading of roads, and changes from 2-way to 1-way occur more often in Europe but the Garmin quickly recalculates a new route when forced to follow the signs and ignore the original directions given. When driving on routes with hairpin turns, the GPS could not distinguish between the 2 directions as the horizontal distance between the road above and below our location was so small horizontally despite being separated vertically.

The ease of operation is a big plus. The bright screen in all lighting conditions allows driver and passenger to monitor travel at the same time, even in bright daylight. All inputs are by touching the screen on distinct spots, avoiding having to go back and hit a nearby spot. This reduces substantially the possibility of becoming so distracted by having to provide inputs that would cause driving care to suffer.

The only negatives are: the sometimes slow start-up time; the occasional confusion concerning which exit to take from roundabouts (traffic circles) - though this is easily overcome by glancing at the map and ignoring the oral direction to 'take the 3rd exit on the right'; occasional late directions that result in being in the wrong lane to prepare for a 90 degree turn and having to circle back to re-gain the right route.

As we set a leisurely pace, we often let her (the voices we used were all women) choose a route avoiding toll roads and major highways. We saw parts of rural Spain that are rarely seen by tourists, most of which were more scenic, more relaxing and more adventurous. We ate at restaurants that virtually never see a foreigner and sampled local fare that otherwise we would never have encountered. Similarly, the device was invaluable in advising on sources of fuel, ATMs, tourist offices and tourist sites.

Overall, we were delighted and feel the 270 paid for itself by providing relief from certain frustration at trying to follow signs only. We would highly recommend having a GPS for anyone who drives into unknown locations, even if infrequently. We particularly recommend this model if travelling in Europe.