Apple Maps was the correct one.
This is not an experience I’d have expected in 2024 for a large city in a Western country. With Googles apparent embrace of enshitification as a goal instead of a warning, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.
Not too long ago, I was looking for a shop which, it turned out, was at the next junction of a very short street. Like, I could've seen it but for a signpost and restaurant outdoor furniture blocking my view.
Google Maps recommended I walked to that junction, turned left, walked halfway to the next junction, got on the underground, took the underground to the next stop, got off the underground, and then walked back.
As for navigations it's either Apple Maps or Waze, depending on the country.
Especially for walking and in less common places.
In Ghent, Belgium, Apple Maps wanted to let me walk a ~20min detour and follow car streets whereas GMaps correctly allowed me to walk on pedestrian-only roads.
But for walking outside cities, both are really terrible. Mapy.cz (previously maps.me) is an order of magnitude better
And for driving, Waze is usually the best. Police controls will be shown, and in some countries, especially outside EU + US, Waze is better at finding a car road, while GMaps may sugges a shortcut through a river.