Anyone who has traveled knows the importance of having maps available while in a city they are unfamiliar with. Along with that, most people know where they can find road maps, practically any store or gas station has them, but what about detailed city maps? City maps are just as easy to find, if a person knows where to look.
One of the first places to consider is the internet. On a map site, all a person has to do is type in there desired destination city, and depending on the website, can get a lot of information regarding that city in terms of where hotels, restaurants and other points of interests to travelers are located. This type of printable map becomes very handy to those that are traveling on short notice and does not have the time to obtain maps in other ways.
Another good source for city maps is a local travel agent. These offices have many different types of maps available for many cities both in the United States and around the world. If they do not have a specific map, they usually know how to get them. This is only an advisable venue for acquiring maps if the traveler has a little bit of time to wait for a map, in case it is not immediately available.
Another source, which often time may be overlooked, but is probably the most reliable source is the cities travel and tourism office. These offices can be found online and often times can be contacted by email or by the phone. They will be able to provide a person with not only good city maps, but also other brochures and information that would be interesting or evEn valuable to a traveler.
If renting a car is part of the trip, the car rental agency can also be a help in obtaining city maps. Talk to the agency either before traveling so the map can be studied, or upon arrival to pick up the car.
Hotels are also good for getting smaller city maps once arriving at the destination. Often times these maps are available in the room, and if not, the front desk should have them or know exactly where to get them.
If it is a real tourist city, there will be city maps practically at every turn, on the back of brochures, at gas stations, restaurants and anywhere else a tourist might go.
City maps are probably the easiest to obtain, depending on the actual city. They can also be of the most value to travelers who are unfamiliar with a city and do not want to waste time exploring the city on their own. Many people like to plot out their trip, know where there hotel is in relation to the specific sites or attraction being visited along with where other establishments are located that will make their trip more enjoyable. That is the purpose of city maps, and that is why they are probably so easy to get.