Could you recommend any map brands/scales for Eastern Europe?

[Moonlight]

Hi CycleChat, thank you for all your help over the years.

Could you recommend any map brands/scales for Eastern Europe?

Our route is a big southerly route from Budapest, following the Adriatic down and then up back through Serbia.

It would be nice if cycle paths were marked on said maps, but it's not a huge deal. What scale would you suggest?

Thank you in advanced for letting me steal your brain.
Tom

 

[suffolkcindy]

If you have time you can order your own made-to-order OS maps online to follow just your route at any scale you wish so with digital mapping I think the brand thing may not be so relevant. I personally like 1:25,000 with contours for cycling. And city greater detail essential as they are where i get lost more than any other place.
Your trip sounds great!

 

[psmiffy]

Not really - I prefer maps at or about 1:200k but I've used worse without being in any bother - I don't find not having contours much of a handicap - its not that difficult to work out what the terrain is going to be like by looking at spots heights and the shape of the roads

Online Shops - Stanfords, The Map Shop et.al. will have a selection of maps - myself I prefer to actually be able to look at the map in my hand before I buy it so I tend to buy them on the road - The use of scripts other than those we are used to can be problematical when you are on the road so make sure you buy maps that are produced in the country that you are going to use them in - on many maps produced in England, France and Germany place names are often Anglisised, Frangleised or Germanised and can bear little relation to what you find on the signposts. Have a good trip

I have no idea about cycle routes in those countries apart from that they are few and far between and probably do not join up well enough to use for a long tour - I suggest a quick look at openstreetmap - cycle mapview.

Have a good trip

 

[suffolkcindy]

Not really - I prefer maps at or about 1:200k but I've used worse without being in any bother - I don't find not having contours much of a handicap - its not that difficult to work out what the terrain is going to be like by looking at spots heights and the shape of the roads

Have a good trip

I have to disagree about being able to predict hills without contours...especially from local maps made in poorly charted countries like mountainous northern Laos. Three experienced map readers couldnt work out whether the next day's riding was going to be mainly up or mainly down as the roads were not fixed; they were a bit 'vague'. I was unable to judge the amount of climb per distance and made a dangerous mistake. Makes for an adventure, for sure, but contours with known fixed roads are highly desirable if you have the option. Could save you from a cold night on a mountain

 

[psmiffy]

I have to disagree about being able to predict hills without contours...especially from local maps made in poorly charted countries like mountainous northern Laos. Three experienced map readers couldnt work out whether the next day's riding was going to be mainly up or mainly down as the roads were not fixed; they were a bit 'vague'. I was unable to judge the amount of climb per distance and made a dangerous mistake. Makes for an adventure, for sure, but contours with known fixed roads are highly desirable if you have the option. Could save you from a cold night on a mountain

I would agree that there are maps that it is impossible to judge elevation from - I would assume that the maps of Laos you are talking about would probably be at 1:750k or worse (certainly worse than the OS 1:25k you like ) - any road on those is likely to be an idealised curve not representative of what is on the ground - and any thoughts that any usable maps at that scale would have contours (even assuming that base maps with contours are available) is risable.

However, the OP is interested in Europe where it is relatively easy to get usable maps at 1:200k to 1:500k from which it is relatively easy to deduce the likely topography without the use of contours.

 

[srw]

I've just installed a "Soviet military maps" app for Android. Mapping of essentially the world at an original scale of about 1:100,000, with contours. Roads and towns are out of date (Milton Keynes is still a village), but hills don't change much. The same maps are on the www somewhere.

 

[suffolkcindy]

I met a guy in Cambodia who was using soviet military maps and they were awesome! No one else had maps like em

 

[Moonlight]

Thank you for all responses, this has been very useful. It hadn't even occurred it could be better to buy on the road... I wonder If I could speed learn Croatian :P