# Do many people use google maps to find places and get around on costa blanca



## kevin plym (Sep 21, 2016)

Do expats and the Spanish use google maps and street view etc to find places and get directions as much as they do now in the UK.

Just curious and to know if it works as well . 

Thanks

Kevin


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

kevin plym said:


> Do expats and the Spanish use google maps and street view etc to find places and get directions as much as they do now in the UK.
> 
> Just curious and to know if it works as well .
> 
> ...


Not just Costa Blanca - it's very, very useful for a variety of reasons.


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## kevin plym (Sep 21, 2016)

snikpoh said:


> Not just Costa Blanca - it's very, very useful for a variety of reasons.


Thanks,
I wasn't sure if the post code service was as accurate in Spain which is how most people search for directions on maps etc at home.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Yes. In fact most of the time it's the only tool you have for finding out where places are exactly. As it also shows underground stations, train stations etc and measures approx walking distances it's essential for me to find my way around Madrid as I go to different companies and schools all the time.
I rarely use street view as it's too slow on my computer


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

kevin plym said:


> Thanks,
> I wasn't sure if the post code service was as accurate in Spain which is how most people search for directions on maps etc at home.


Post codes won't do it here as the code is for an area or even a whole town/ city


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

kevin plym said:


> Do expats and the Spanish use google maps and street view etc to find places and get directions as much as they do now in the UK.
> 
> Just curious and to know if it works as well .
> 
> ...


Google maps and street view work fine in Spain but, of course, you need to be online (unless you download a specific area map in advance). As I don't like paying for data on my Smartphone I use Maps.Me when navigating on foot. I have maps for the whole of Spain, Portugal, France, the UK and Ireland saved on my phone so can navigate without needing to be online in any of these countries. Maps.Me is totally free and available for download in the Google Play Store (I download, of course, at free WI-FI zones or at night at home when my data usage is uncapped!).


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Post codes won't do it here as the code is for an area or even a whole town/ city


There's just one postcode for our town - all 35000 people have the same code!

Far better to use GPS coordinates.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> There's just one postcode for our town - all 35000 people have the same code!
> 
> Far better to use GPS coordinates.


I just use the address


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I just use the address


Ha, ha, you're joking of course!

For those of us (and we are many) who don't (won't) live in towns, we don't have an address so we have to rely on other means of identifying where we are.

Just tried using the town hall address for our property (partida la solana ....) and Google maps coughed and couldn't find us!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Ha, ha, you're joking of course!
> 
> For those of us (and we are many) who don't (won't) live in towns, we don't have an address so we have to rely on other means of identifying where we are.
> 
> Just tried using the town hall address for our property (partida la solana ....) and Google maps coughed and couldn't find us!


No, I live in a town, work in towns or cities and have no desire to do otherwise. I love the country, but not to live in. I wouldn't want to live in a place that doesn't have an address.


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

kevin plym said:


> Do expats and the Spanish use google maps and street view etc to find places and get directions as much as they do now in the UK.
> 
> Just curious and to know if it works as well .
> 
> ...


I use my pocket size TomTom even when walking if I'm not sure where I'm going. You can look up the building or restaurant or park etc from Google earth and get exact coordinates to enter into TomTom and it covers all of Europe! 

Steve


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> There's just one postcode for our town - all 35000 people have the same code!
> 
> Far better to use GPS coordinates.


And we have 4 post codes for just over 33,000 - although everyone seems to use just one of them....


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## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

We use it all the time , it got us to a specific motorbike dealership in Valencia the other day and great for providing walking maps in new places , I always check streetview too for landmarks. Its always seems better to use the address though as OP's mentioned postcodes in Spain cover large areas.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Do not forget Here Maps as they are loaded onto the device & can then be used offline.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> No, I live in a town, work in towns or cities and have no desire to do otherwise. I love the country, but not to live in. I wouldn't want to live in a place that doesn't have an address.


Our location is often described by suppliers as "lugar diseminado." I think that, roughly speaking, this translates as "in the back of beyond!" Our car sat nav doesn't recognise our camino and the Maps.Me app on my Smartphone shows our house as being 500 meters from the nearest road. Because our camino isn't mapped giving people our GPS coordinates doesn't help much!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

The Skipper said:


> Our location is often described by suppliers as "lugar diseminado." I think that, roughly speaking, this translates as "in the back of beyond!" Our car sat nav doesn't recognise our camino and the Maps.Me app on my Smartphone shows our house as being 500 meters from the nearest road. Because our camino isn't mapped giving people our GPS coordinates doesn't help much!


Exactly. Sounds like a nightmare to me. 
Give me a quiet street in a quiet town with a view of the mountains, a nearby path to walk the dog and a shop/ bar within 20 mins walking and that'll do me just fine


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Exactly. Sounds like a nightmare to me.
> Give me a quiet street in a quiet town with a view of the mountains, a nearby path to walk the dog and a shop/ bar within 20 mins walking and that'll do me just fine


We have mountain views in all directions and plenty of places to walk the dog. In fact, the dog roams free as there is no traffic to worry about. The nearest bar, however, is 45 minutes away on foot and at least an hour back (uphill all the way!) But still my dream location!


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

The Skipper said:


> Google maps and street view work fine in Spain but, of course, you need to be online (unless you download a specific area map in advance). As I don't like paying for data on my Smartphone I use Maps.Me when navigating on foot. I have maps for the whole of Spain, Portugal, France, the UK and Ireland saved on my phone so can navigate without needing to be online in any of these countries. Maps.Me is totally free and available for download in the Google Play Store (I download, of course, at free WI-FI zones or at night at home when my data usage is uncapped!).


You can download huge areas now using google maps, so you never need to be online when using it.

I've got most of Spain and southern France downloaded onto a tablet. Takes up plenty of disk space but worth it when going on holidays, etc.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Exactly. Sounds like a nightmare to me.
> Give me a quiet street in a quiet town with a view of the mountains, a nearby path to walk the dog and a shop/ bar within 20 mins walking and that'll do me just fine


20 mins to a bar is a bit extreme but otherwise I'm with you on that.


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