Google Maps for Slovak Travel Plans
The Google Maps application is amazing. Not only do you have the option of how you want to view your map (satellite view, terrain, or traditional), but I discovered that in looking up street addresses in Bratislava, you can find public transportation information, with the numbers of bus, trollejbus and trams that stop along routes.
IMHD, a public transportation website for Bratislava, has teamed up with Google Maps and so this information is automatically available when you do a basic search in Bratislava. This is extremely helpful for the person who is traveling to or through Bratislava and who wants to know where to look for public transportation route information to plan their way around.
Additionally, Google has added “user created content” to Google Maps. If you type in something like “Bratislava Castle” into the search bar, a list will show up in the left-hand navigation menu of photographs that people have made available. This could also be helpful if you plan to go to a tourist location and want to know what it basically looks like.
I checked other larger Slovak cities on Google Maps and so far only Bratislava has public transportation information displayed. The “user created content” feature can be found for all parts of Slovakia, however.
Google Maps is a powerful tool. It’s also can be extremely helpful in assisting a foreigner become more familiar with new surroundings.
