Let’s start our tour to discover the most useful applications when traveling with ViaMichelin.
I used it a lot in the past when I switched from a PC user to a Mac and the Autoroute program-incredible in the years in which it was conceived-stopped working.
Autoruote and its Route 66 counterpart for mac was by far the best product I ever used for trip planning, and Viamichelin in the desktop version had proven to be a viable alternative managing to plan my on-the-road trips especially a decade ago when Google maps was not that advanced.
Viamichelin’s mobile app is free that allows you to plan your travel route with travel times and costs, but it also gives you the opportunity to access-taking advantage of Michelin guides-to a wealth of essential information such as restaurants, hotels and POIs, points of interest (POIs).
Also by using the App as a navigator you will always be updated on traffic, tolls and the presence of speed cameras or safety tutors.
Download the Viamichelin app
The ViaMichelin app is available on both IOS and android app stores, and is easily downloaded and installed on the phone. In less than a minute it is ready to be used without the need to register.
How to use the main functions of ViaMichelin on app
The main function for which ViaMichelin is used is route planning, basically the best route to take to get from one place to another.
After launching the application with a tap on the ViaMichelin icon, a map will be accessed on the main screen of the application.
Immediately you will notice how accurate the maps of Michelin, the historic map maker, are, even house numbers are shown.
When you first start it will ask you to authorize access to the phone’s location, approving it will allow you to enjoy all the functions of Via Michelin to the fullest.
You will probably get an ad screen, the only annoyance of a free app, but you can simply close it with the X icon in the upper left corner.
How to place an itinerary on Viamichelin
After a few moments, your location will be indicated, and you can switch to the itinerary searchwith a tap on the bottom-right red icon that says “itinerary” and the double signpost.
Via Michelin Pathways
On the next screen, if your starting point is where you are right now, you can leave the first line as “current location.”
Viamichelin itineraries
In Via Michelin itineraries, with a tap on the second line you can indicate your destination, writing the address or simply the place such as “Teatro alla Scala,” the application will also offer you a list of suggestions to locate the destination more easily.
Insert intermediate milestones
You can also enter an intermediate stop, which is very useful for an on-the-road trip with a tap on the gray flag icon.
Just be careful choosing the type of vehicle you use, at the bottom you will have to choose from 4 options: car, motorcycle, bicycle or walking.
Entering intermediate stops allows you to calculate times and distances to plan visits to the places on your trip.
Understand the costs right away
What is interesting is the ability to immediately see the costs of the route by typing the type of car with which you will tackle the route and to the type of power supply.
At this point a tap on the red button that says “CONFIRM” is enough to get the requested itinerary, even with three different options. A geographical map appears with the itinerary in blue and the letters A (departure) and B (arrival).
Info and travel sheet
A very useful function, is the trip sheet which can be accessed with a tap on the icon with the sheet in the upper left corner, is the one that provides information about the route, such as travel time, distance in km and cost, the latter divided between fuel and toll (if provided by the route).
Other than chronological list of directions to our destination with added information about maximum speed and speed cameras. With a tap on the icon in the upper right corner with the image of the road map in white we return to the route map.
With Viamichelin you can add routes to favorites by clicking on the star icon. To customize the car type, registration is required, which you can also get with Facebook.
On the bottom bar in dark gray color are icons indicating POIs (hotels, restaurants, places of cultural interest, and parking lots, along our journey. We could thus take advantage of the application to take a detour for a stop at a pizzeria or to visit an interesting museum.
How to use ViaMichelin as a GPS navigator
The main function of this app, however, is GPS navigation. By tapping the red circle icon with GPS written on the bottom right, navigation starts with typical voice and visual information to follow the route correctly.
During GPS navigation we are informed about our location, the speed limit and the speed we are keeping, the travel time and arrival time, as well as the remaining distance in km.
In GPS navigation mode, by tapping the blue icon in the lower right corner we can report any accidents, traffic jams, hazards or roadworks on our way. Useful feature for other users as well!
Our rating of ViaMichelin
It is an excellent application, but I consider Google map currently superior for ease of use and traffic info. Viamichelin also reports fixed speed cameras, and until recently this feature was not supported by Maps.
Today it not only shows them, but indicates the speed limits of the roads you are traveling on and any traffic jams by suggesting alternate routes.
Also on the subject of integrations with other apps google map is a step ahead by integrating with the music player and dedicated apps such as spotify.
The only thing google maps today does not have is the cost of travel useful when we need to track costs especially for work.
Viamichelin is also integrated with information from the eponymous Michelin guides, so on POIs (points of interest) it is more specific!
There are also imperfections in the viamicheli maps, a symptom that they are not so up-to-date.
However, it remains an excellent application as an alternative to Google map, which, however, in my personal opinion is the best application today.
by Roimax ltd
