The cadre of tools American cyclists have to help us figure out routes has been expanding rapidly in recent years from GPS to app after app. Now six European countries are adding to their cadre too with Google Maps’ latest expansion: bicycle directions in Germany, France, Poland, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. And they’re right on time for post-graduation dreaming about touring Europe by bike.
Just like the American counterpart many of us have enjoyed for the past three years, the European version points out bike friendly routes, bike paths, roads with bike lanes, alternate routes, etc. There’s no app yet, but surely it can’t be far behind. The fact that it’s web based, however, means you can double check or alter your route and still run other apps like Visit Europe, Spotted by Locals, Rick Steves’ Europe, Word Lens, BikeBrain or CycleMeter.
