About
The idea for A la Carte Maps evolved – where else – while traveling the world.
Fed up with bulky and impersonal guidebooks as well as unhandy maps that fell apart after two days, two entrepreneurial Swiss flashpackers decided to combine travel guide, city map and a piece of art in one unique product in order to meet their own needs.
The idea is simple: Imagine you had a local friend in exciting cities all over the world. Not only does this friend provide you with the most important information about his or her city, he or she also reveals the city's best-kept insider tips by writing them on a beautiful hand-drawn map.
- Would you like to hang out with some "neighborhood uncles" in an authentic Singaporean coffee shop?
- Where can you find the most beautiful, customized Guayaberas in Miami?
- Want to go on a "tour de chocolate cake" in Shanghai?
- Have you ever thought about going to a cemetery in Zurich for educational reasons?
- How about joing an extraordinary dinner, where 50 strangers meet every Sunday in the City of Lights − Paris?
No matter what you're looking for, with A la Carte Maps you will find it.
All local guides are anonymous. A la Carte Maps prides itself on a strict "no tea money" policy: We don't accept any paid advertising, free services/products, goodies, bribes and so on. All the things and tips on our maps are there, because we like them.
As simple as that.
Launched in August 2009, A la Carte Maps are now sold in over 20 countries and have been featured in publications such as New York Times, Travel & Leisure, GLAMOUR, ELLE, London Evening Standard, NZZ, Lufthansa Inflight, Stern and many more.