Good free Sydney map

[BoopTennis]

Where is the best place to get a good free Sydney map? We will be staying in circular Quay area

[xeriod]

Probably at the visitor center near the  corner of Argyle and Playfair St. in the Rocks.

 

[possum52]

1 hour ago, BoopTennis said:

Where is the best place to get a good free Sydney map? We will be staying in circular Quay area

Your hotel may have some maps, just ask at reception or ask the concierge.

 

Leigh

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Do you use a smartphone? If so Google Maps can now be downloaded and used offline. They are valid for 15 days, I think, so you should be able to download them before leaving home or anywhere that has free WiFi.

 

I did this when we were in San Francisco and New York last year.l

Edited August 15, 2019 by OzKiwiJJ

[BoopTennis]

Thx, yes i do have a smartphone and use google maps all the time but did not know about the offline trick so will try that.  I still think its fun to have a paper map for some travel but this idea will help a lot

[WAVTAM]

Info desk at airport has tons of maps and flyers of attractions.

[OzKiwiJJ]

14 hours ago, BoopTennis said:

Thx, yes i do have a smartphone and use google maps all the time but did not know about the offline trick so will try that.  I still think its fun to have a paper map for some travel but this idea will help a lot

I like it because they are maps I'm comfortable using. You can choose how big you want the each map to be but best to limit them to the areas you expect to visit.

 

Paper maps have their uses but so many of the free ones are covered in advertising which, in the worst ones I've seen, can cover details you need.

[roothy123]

I find detailed maps essential, and love the paper kind, although I'm trying to transition myself to using online maps that I download at home.  But for paper maps,  things I've used/tried in the past are:

See if the tourist information/visitor center for a city has good maps online, and if so, print them.  If necessary, I do a screenshot of the map and then print it.  Occasionally the tourist information center can send you a map (though this is getting rare, and if you're in the U.S., I would guess it's unlikely, though they may do it if you pay postage).  If nothing else, perhaps there's a good map on Sydney.com.  Also, DK Eyewitness Books have wonderful, detailed maps by location. Sydney's big, so I'm finding it a bit of challenge.

 

OzKiwi, thanks for letting us know you could download Google maps.  I had no clue. 

[roothy123]

Just posting  again so I'd get notification of replies; forgot to do that before!

[iancal]

Good and free is a bit of an oxymoron.

 

We spent five days wandering around on foot, by train, and by ferry.  Used the hotel type maps with no issue whatsoever.  There are a few varieties.  Some at the tourist info locations, others at hotels.  The maps that we got also had transit info on them.

 

If you are desperate, you can always splurge and buy one.  Probably about $5-8 AUD.

Edited August 19, 2019 by iancal

[OzKiwiJJ]

9 hours ago, roothy123 said:

OzKiwi, thanks for letting us know you could download Google maps.  I had no clue. 

I discovered them by accident last year, just in time for a Panama Canal cruise. Prior to that I'd used other offline maps apps but they weren't as good and you couldn't select how much area to download - it was all or nothing. I found them very useful on that cruise, not just for the big cities but for the Central American port stops as well, and the Panama Canal itself. It was great fun seeing exactly where we were at times during the transit. The only downside to the Google Maps is each download is only valid for 15 days which I feel is a bit short when you're about to do trips of 4-6 weeks. It means you have to find a good free WiFi connection to download more maps at various stages of your trip.

[roothy123]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I discovered them by accident last year, just in time for a Panama Canal cruise. Prior to that I'd used other offline maps apps but they weren't as good and you couldn't select how much area to download - it was all or nothing. I found them very useful on that cruise, not just for the big cities but for the Central American port stops as well, and the Panama Canal itself. It was great fun seeing exactly where we were at times during the transit. The only downside to the Google Maps is each download is only valid for 15 days which I feel is a bit short when you're about to do trips of 4-6 weeks. It means you have to find a good free WiFi connection to download more maps at various stages of your trip.

I looked to see how I could download something, but stopped because it sounded like there was a charge to use their maps, or at least download their maps.  This was when I googled from my desktop, so I wasn't using an app.  SO, could you give me an idea of what you do to download Google maps or excerpts of maps, preferably free of charge?  Do I pull up a map and then do something, or load an app, or what?  I have a map of Bali that I downloaded using the maps.me app, and assumed I could also download maps for Australia/New Zealand, but since Google maps seem to be a little more detailed, I'd like to give them a try.

[OzKiwiJJ]

This is how I do it from my phone.

 

Get the map up on your screen then press the  three bars to bring up the menu.

 

Then select Offline Maps to download your map free.

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

I just checked on my laptop and that option doesn't appear to be available on that. It's probably only available on mobile devices.

[GUT2407]

Most hotels will have a pretty good map available.

[possum52]

I have never used the download function but have taken screen shots of map I want. Then it is available for when I want it.

 

Leigh

[OzKiwiJJ]

The advantages of the downloaded maps are that you can zoom in and out, search, plus they show key points of interest, shops, restaurants etc. The downside is that walking directions aren't available offline, just driving directions.

 

Even better, the downloaded maps are now valid for a year so you can get all the maps you need for a trip downloaded well ahead of time. That's a massive improvement over the short period they offered a year ago. Thanks Google Maps!

[sippican]

Take a look at Maps.me or HereWeGo to see if they'll meet your needs.

[possum52]

11 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The advantages of the downloaded maps are that you can zoom in and out, search, plus they show key points of interest, shops, restaurants etc. The downside is that walking directions aren't available offline, just driving directions.

 

Even better, the downloaded maps are now valid for a year so you can get all the maps you need for a trip downloaded well ahead of time. That's a massive improvement over the short period they offered a year ago. Thanks Google Maps!

That's much better, a couple of weeks is not long enough if you are away for a longer time. I can see the advantage of downloading the map instead of a screen shot. Thank you for telling us about the download option.

 

Leigh

[OzKiwiJJ]

No worries, Leigh.

 

Although I've just discovered something weird. Last night I downloaded all the maps for our upcoming Hawaii/Tahiti cruise. All the maps show valid for a year except the Hawaii ones which showed the previous day's date as expiry. I updated one and it added a day. I'm waiting to see what happens next.

[GUT2407]

5 hours ago, sippican said:

Take a look at Maps.me or HereWeGo to see if they'll meet your needs.

I’ve used Maps me for a few years now. I think I have the whole world downloaded.

Edited August 20, 2019 by GUT2407

[OzKiwiJJ]

I used Maps.me a couple of times but found it a bit clunky. I'm more familiar with Google Maps, I guess.

 

Update on the Hawaii maps, they now all show they expire in a month, which is OK for our cruise. Very strange though, all the other maps expire in a year.

[possum52]

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I used Maps.me a couple of times but found it a bit clunky. I'm more familiar with Google Maps, I guess.

 

Update on the Hawaii maps, they now all show they expire in a month, which is OK for our cruise. Very strange though, all the other maps expire in a year.

Very strange indeed. I've looked at Maps.me as well, I agree, I'd much rather use Google maps too. 

 

Leigh

[Ombud]

I did it! I downloaded Melbourne CBD put the phone on airplane mode, mapped out route to 3 places, and its available to 23-8-2020 😁

 

THANK YOU! Now I won't have to find a map. Off to download Akaora & Auckland 

[roothy123]

51 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I did it! I downloaded Melbourne CBD put the phone on airplane mode, mapped out route to 3 places, and its available to 23-8-2020 😁

 

THANK YOU! Now I won't have to find a map. Off to download Akaora & Auckland 

Akaroa should be easy.  It's a small place!  But if you want a hard copy in addition to the phone map, a couple weeks ago I found a good map on Akaroa.com.  It's nice because it shows places of interest like Giant's House, etc. 

 

You aren't going to Akaroa on Princess or Oceania on Jan. 15, are you?  If so, we may be on same ship.