Customer Reviews

Streetwise London Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of London, England

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

During our eight days in London, this map was our constant guide. Laminated in plastic, and fan folded, like an accordian, I carried it in my hip pocket. I could whip it out and open it in two seconds. My 51 year old eyes had no trouble reading the print. All of the information you need for locating and navigating the Underground is also included on the map. When finished with the map, you can snap it shut, and tuck it back in your pocket, again in about two seconds. We developed true affection for this helpful map, and it is now among our keepsakes from the trip.

I ordered "Streetwise London" based on reviews such as "must have" and "don't go without it."
Luckily, I also ordered "The London Mapguide" because I found "Streetwise London" a big disappointment... The map is from the early '90s. The size is handy, but too small to legibly show enough detail to be much use.
"The London Mapguide," for about $1 more, shows tube routes and stations, bus routes, and lots of other useful detail and it will also fit in a big pocket.

The Streetwise London map is very convenient if you limit yourself to central London and only need to find important attractions and/or streets of major or moderate significance. But many smaller streets in central London are NOT even named on the map and are not listed in the index. This was definitely a problem for me in finding smaller hotels, restaurants, etc. and lesser tourist attractions. In addition, the map includes some decent subway information, but nothing about buses. The reason for these inadequacies appears to be that the map is not detailed enough for there to be room to label the smaller streets and lesser tourist attractions. In summary, I suspect that this map will work better for first-time visitors than for repeat visitors.

A week in London, and this map was with me on every outing. The Streetwise Map is a great help in navigating Central London, but if you want to go beyond "Zone One" on the London Bus and Underground system, this map will be of no help at all.

I have seen their Amsterdam, Paris and London maps. They are unparalleled for the walking tourist. Laminated to protect from weather and trifold to fit your coat pocket. Shows mass transit route maps and overlays stops on street map.

I have used many Streetwise maps throughout Europe, and they remain my favorites overall for ease of use and utility of information presented. Some have criticized this map as only being of central London, and that's true: that's also why the official name of the map is "Streetwise London Centre City." Certainly maps covering more of London exist, but they would be illegible if reduced to this size. Likewise, more detailed maps exist, but to retain the convenient size the area of map coverage would have to be greatly reduced.

All maps are designed for a purpose, and in this case the purpose is for touring central London's major streets and attractions, and for that purpose this map excels. It is an excellent balance of comprehensive information and good legibility and should suit most tourists well. The map was revised this year (2008) and contains current information in my experience. I had no difficulty finding popular (e.g., Buckingham Palace) and less known (e.g., The Dali Universe) destinations alike with this map. Although I had several maps with me, after a day or so this was the one that I reached for first. The map does have an inset map of the London underground routes and stations, and the stations themselves appear on the main map as well. I recommend the "London Underground" map by Streetwise as well if you plan on making use of the tube a lot.

I have used many brands of maps all over the world, but for ease of use, legibility, and durability, I prefer the Streetwise series of maps.

Could stand to cover a bit more area. Don't plan on using it outside the center of London.

Very good map for the first time traveler...It is waterproof & will fit in your pocket..Many small streets are not listed & the Mass-transit system needs work...If you use the underground, don't buy this map...

We just returned from nine days in London and I have to say that this map is the most useful thing we brought with us. It's laminated so that it didn't get ratty like our tube map. (There is also has a tiny tube map on it.) It was easy to slip in the front pocket of my swing pouch and it's small enough so that we didn't look so much like tourists unfolding a giant map when we had to consult it. The map had all the tiny streets in Covent Garden, the City and other areas, so I'm not sure what another reviewer had a problem with. As for covering all of London, maybe you'd need a different map if you were visiting the outer neighborhoods, but for all of the major and minor tourist attractions, this was more than adequate. It's like expecting a tourist map of New York City to cover the outer reaches of Queens and Staten Island. They're technically New York City but the majority of attractions are in Manhattan and the nearest parts of the boroughs. I would definitely buy this map again and I have already purchased a Streetwise Paris map for our upcoming visit.

We found this map virtually indespensible on our recent trip for locating underground stops, major points of interest, etc. Only wish it would fold one more time to make it a bit more convienent to carry.