I have been driving in Thailand for almost 2 years now but generally no further than Kanchanaburi city from Sangkhlaburi, about 2 to 3 hours and so I now know this route well.

 

Next week I have a road trip planned to Mae Chaem in Chiang Mai area via Tak for an overnight stop, en route to a friend's wedding.

 

Most of the route looks like long runs on highways but I am wondering how much to rely on Google maps for directions, especially in and around the towns?

 

Thanks

 

 

IMO excellent, has improved a lot.

Everyone I know uses it every day, including myself, even if we know the routes inside out. The reason is the traffic monitoring and alternate routing it gives you is invaluable. I'm not sure who uses GPS in car units anymore, as everyone's life is on their smartphones and connected in later model cars with apple carplay or android auto now.

 

Yes, it's mostly excellent, Occasionally it screws up a left or right turn, but mostly works. Not sure how the mapping is in Chiang Mai region, someone from there will have to advise.

41 minutes ago, Saltire said:

wondering how much to rely on Google maps for directions,

Excellent use it a lot to miss highways and towns as much as possible, there's a lot of good roads and scenery off of main route's.

Works good

But you should pay attention to where it sends you if you go into remote areas, especially in mountains. It might send you somewhere serious offroad, because for some reason it thinks that's a normal road

We use Google maps all the time if going anywhere new or approaching from a different direction, ie: next week we will be going from Korat to Kanchanaburi on route 2, been to Kanchanaburi many times but only from the Pattaya area so we will rely on Google maps, it is miles better than the heap of crap GPS that Toyota puts in the Fortuna ????

 

And it is also very good at suggesting alternative routes in real time to avoid delays.

5 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Works good

But you should pay attention to where it sends you if you go into remote areas, especially in mountains. It might send you somewhere serious offroad, because for some reason it thinks that's a normal road

Great advice thanks as the last 2 hours or so, I have been told, is very twisty and hilly. On the other hand on the maps for that area there looks like few alternate routes anyway.

It varies. Works well in most places but occasionally you hit an area where it doesn't and sends you in circles.

 

I would say, 80 - 90% fine. The key is to maintain some skepticism  if it starts to send you on what seem like really unlikely routes. In that case, pull over and check the map itself.

 

The other thing to be aware of is that some businesses and establishments in Thailand have wrong location shown in Google Maps.  Likely their own error. So going somewhere for the first time may pay to check both the name and by the actual address, or at least verify with the place that their Google Maps listing is correct.

1 hour ago, Saltire said:

I am wondering how much to rely on Google maps

i ride all over Thailand 32k kilometers on my motorcycle using only Google maps. almost 100% accurate for navigation. including right down to small dirt roads in the middle of no where.

 

also traffic data can be extremely accurate.

 

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

but occasionally you hit an area where it doesn't and sends you in circles.

yes you are right. for me this happens when it just can't find a way to the location towards the very end. two left or right turns is the warning sign. 

13 minutes ago, Saltire said:

Great advice thanks as the last 2 hours or so, I have been told, is very twisty and hilly. On the other hand on the maps for that area there looks like few alternate routes anyway.

Google street view is very usefull to see if it's a paved road

3 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

So going somewhere for the first time may pay to check both the name and by the actual address,

i study my route on street view to see the final location and any stops like PTT to make sure they are really there.

 

 

11 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

The other thing to be aware of is that some businesses and establishments in Thailand have wrong location shown in Google Maps.  Likely their own error. So going somewhere for the first time may pay to check both the name and by the actual address, or at least verify with the place that their Google Maps listing is correct.

I am aware of this foible! I am meeting some friends who have been to the final destination, an hour out in Chom Thong at Tesco Lotus. A look at Street View shows a piece of spare ground where Tesco should be, but the Google camera car  was there several years ago so am pretty sure it will be there now.

I help with car tours lasting several days and covering 100s or 1000s of kilometres. The group relies solely on Google maps and it's location sharing function to get the service team to them.

We are based in Chiang Mai and it has never failed (except in a few mountainous regions), we have also found it very accurate in those countries surrounding Thailand.

I agree with post 10

Very accurate. Use it all the time on the motorbike. Both when cruising around the country, down south, and during occasional visits to BKK. Of course, it definitely helps to keep one's brain on (just in case), as others have observed.

8 minutes ago, Saltire said:

I am aware of this foible! I am meeting some friends who have been to the final destination, an hour out in Chom Thong at Tesco Lotus. A look at Street View shows a piece of spare ground where Tesco should be, but the Google camera car  was there several years ago so am pretty sure it will be there now.

yes the street view data can be from 2014-15 in some areas. satellite view is typically current. you can see the date at the bottom.

 

i have planned many trips on my notebook computer, compare all locations to satellite and street view, make "my places" labeled way points for instant recall on my phone. Typically divide a long day trip into two or three parts.   

Way better than Garmin - and free, which sweetens the deal.

Had the stock head unit and screen in our Teana ripped out and installed an Android head unit and new touch screen. Stock unit was an absolute POS.

One thing tho' - GMaps wants to send you via the shortest route. In town routes can be on very narrow Sois. Check if this is so, and drive past them. Reroute will take larger - (wider) roads usually.

Regularly traveled roads 100% accurate.  When looking for specific addresses on alleys and single lane dirt roads...can get confused...

5 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

 

One thing tho' - GMaps wants to send you via the shortest route. In town routes can be on very narrow Sois. Check if this is so, and drive past them. Reroute will take larger - (wider) roads usually.

 Thanks. See attachment - I have 2 of these partial restricted usage roads on my route - a Google search says just normally a small road or I think in my case, a one way exit/entry road to a shopping centre etc. Some also say it's when the camera car ended up in a road it wasn't supposed to be on. Not too worried about it TBH.

lol. I still use paper maps and directions from locals when I'm near the destination. Never failed.

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

One thing tho' - GMaps wants to send you via the shortest route. In town routes can be on very narrow Sois. Check if this is so, and drive past them. Reroute will take larger - (wider) roads usually.

Very true.

For example I used it to get out of Udon Thani (where I am only sproradically) from Central to the eastern ring-road and it sent me through a complicated twist/turn route on small streets.

In the meantime I have evaluated a much easier route on major roads and I bet it's not taking longer.

 

Before doing a planned trip I always do some preparation at the desktop.

For that I also use HERE maps for better readability traditional map style.

It's also available for the mobile and has an offline/downloadable map for Thailand.

Always a good backup.

https://wego.here.com/?map=18.63277,100.51722,7,normal

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps&hl=en

 

Had good results with Google Maps and Navigator on phone/tablet.  Certainly better than the in-dash GPS in the car, now 6 years out of date. 

 

Before I got familiar with the in-dash unit's quirks and still new to Thailand driving at the time, it caused a bit of confusion the first trip down the AH2, through Saraburi, headed for the left transition onto the #9 Toll road toward Swampy/Chonburi.   For several miles before that junction, GPS saw every left-side entrance opportunity into the parallel, business access frontage road, as a Left Turn off the AH2.  Miles before I needed to be that far over to catch the #9 turn off.

 

Don't recall that when using the Google/Navigator App.

 

My main complaint with Google maps is that sometimes is stops giving verbal directions even thought that option is enabled. I have no idea why.  The screen is often black backdrop during those times.

 

It's biggest advantage vs old fashioned maps is no need to take your eyes from the road while navigating, but that's lost when the narration stops.

Google maps online is invaluable when driving in Bangkok. Especially in terms of avoiding congestion. It shows the fastest route and where and how long time the traffic is jamed. Further more it's very accurate in time prediction. So before going further distances in BKK I browse gmaps so I have a good idea of when I'll arrive at destination.

I used car Navi and Sygic but my experience is Google maps by far the best...

Have just used it to get to Sirikit Dam from Bangkok ... no problem until the last bit where there was a choice of two ways ... it choose the shortest way ...  bad news ...so if it suggests you take a road with four numbers ... look for an alternative that has three or less .... roads with four numbers can be narrow and have many many bends.

11 hours ago, JAS21 said:

roads with four numbers can be narrow and have many many bends.

Just right for bikes !!!

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

My main complaint with Google maps is that sometimes is stops giving verbal directions even thought that option is enabled. I have no idea why.  The screen is often black backdrop during those times.

 

It's biggest advantage vs old fashioned maps is no need to take your eyes from the road while navigating, but that's lost when the narration stops.

I have that problem while using Bluetooth. Maybe check that setting.

19 hours ago, Sheryl said:

My main complaint with Google maps is that sometimes is stops giving verbal directions even thought that option is enabled. I have no idea why. 

 

If there is no turns to make other than following the road, then there will be no notification. This can be for 40 kms !!! or more.

 

Also depends on mobile phone coverage? No signal no instructions.

Signal can be an issue, try to download the maps you need for offline use incase your signal goes which it often does when you need it most.

Cars tinted windows seem to block gps signal sometimes along with cloud cover and for random reasons

49 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I have that problem while using Bluetooth. Maybe check that setting.

Thanks. But nt using Bluetooth. And it happens only sometimes, unpredictably, with no change in settings.