Schmap

Schmap publishes free digital travel guides for destinations throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The company’s travel guides are available at the website and can be viewed with the help of the Schmap Player, a small and easy-to-use piece of freeware which can be installed on any Windows PC. The Schmap player allows users to dynamically explore a city, island or region, and play virtual tours of recommended hot spots. There are currently 199 city guides available for download from Schmap. Schmap generates revenues from sales from its travel store and advertising.

The Schmap Guides come with dynamic maps, playable tours, top picks, plus photos and reviews for hundreds of sights and attractions, hotels, restaurants, bars and parks. Information is available on local transportation , weather, events, activities and services. Schmap allows users to download an entire group of travel guides in a “Schmap Pack”. Schmap Packs are currently grouped by geography and theme. The former include European Capitals, California, or Canada, and theme packs include “Vineyards and Vintages”, and “World of Golf”.

Schmap guides are dynamic, which means that when a user rolls a mouse over the reference, a review plus a slideshow of photos for this place instantly appear. One click and the user can zoom in to a detailed map, read user reviews, or book mark the place for his own customizable, printable guide. Most photos in the guides are provided by Wcities, while others are taken by talented local photographers.