When you stroll through Graz with a BikeGraz Walking Tour, the navigation should feel as natural as possible.
Not just:
"Turn left in 50 meters."
But rather:
"Walk through the archway."
"Take a look up."
"Turn right into the courtyard."
Especially in the Graz old town, this makes all the difference. Many of the most exciting places are not directly on the street, but hide behind gates, in courtyards, or in small side alleys.
For such instructions to work reliably, our software needs to calculate routes significantly more often than in a classic bike tour.
And that's exactly where we hit the limits of the free OpenRouteService.
The simplest solution would have been to give less precise instructions.
But we didn't want that.
So we decided on a somewhat... let's say unconventional path.
BikeGraz now simply operates the OpenRouteService on its own server.
Yes, that sounds a bit crazy.
But it has a big advantage: We are no longer dependent on the limitations of a free service and can develop our tours exactly how we want to show them to you.
You hopefully won't even notice it later.
And that is actually the biggest compliment for us.
Because good technology only stands out when it doesn't work.
Now we can plan our walking tours even more precisely, develop new features, and guide you step by step through Graz – all without having to constantly look at the display.
And who knows...
Maybe one day not only visitors to Graz will benefit from this.
After all, there are still some other cities that deserve a really good self-guided sightseeing tour with audio guide and GPS navigation. 😉
