glenmd

Looking through the bookstore shelves for a travel guide can be a daunting experience in and of itself these days - there are so many choices!

When selecting a travel guide, what do you look for?

One thing I look for, is how much space is devoted to accommodation/restaurant listings. I book my hotels long before I go and generally prefer to rely on on-line sources for making that decision anyway, and my eating habits on holiday tend to run to the cheap and quick variety (so not a foodie). For example, my eating plan for Italy consists of gelato and pizza (with some fresh fruit thrown in so I don't die of scurvy. ) So, having a quarter of the book devoted to these things decreases it's appeal to me.

boots08

As an artist and visual learner, I like pictures, maps, charts, icons, etc. If I leaf through a guidebook and see that it's all text, it goes back onto the shelf.

I also like suggestions for walking tours and nearby hiking trails.

mabern2

I think it depends on how you travel. We for instance travel with our young kids and like to go it on our own so we rent apartments rather than book a 5 star hotel, we picnic or eat at the apartment more than eat at restaurants, we use the public transportation rather than taxis, and we want to see things at our own pace so no tours.

I also don’t like too much text … I appreciate pictures and maps, gives me the “feel” for the area.

Lynn77079

I, too, prefer maps, photos and suggestions for walking tours along with descriptions of historical buildings and outstanding landmarks. The hotels and restaurants don't interest me as much, as we generally browse the country's websites for lodging and dining.

Also, I like a guidebook that's small enough to carry around.

pammers04

I also do my hotels using the Internet but in the past have used travel guides. The problem with eating suggestions is that you end up with other tourists filling the establishment. What I want from the book is the cultural and historical background to a country or area. Also walking tours are a wonderful addition to a guide. If a guide can clue me in to off the beaten track sites or activities, it is even better. Also what small towns of interest are close by for a day trip.

Cruise_2_Much

I look to see if the book is an account from an actual visit or is it just another advertisement in book form. Good reviews covering both the positive and negative aspects are far more valuable in good planning. I'm not into the sugar coated versions that lead you to false beliefs.

Today, when it comes to travel guides, I prefer the online versions with actual reader comments like found here on Foders or at places like Trip Advisor. Those printed catalogs from the state tourism departments and travel associations are far to biased to the businesses that place the advertisements in their brochures. On the other side, the online forums offer a lot of reader content that is invaluable in making a decision on where to go, where to stay, where to eat and so on. These forums have made the difference in many of our latest trips from cruises to scenic drives in our RV.

Honest, non-commercial info is always the key to finding the best in an area before you arrive. Recently we booked a campground that advertised in one of those state tourism brochures stating that it was on the river and offered great river and mountain views. What they didn't mention was that the river was across the street and behind some private homes and fishing lodges, and the only views were from the main road in front of the campground, the campsites were blocked by a lumber yard and building supply store. We later read the review on trip adviser that would have warned us that this was so. What ever happened to truth in advertising?

navgal

Here's a new twist om what to look for. Make sure it is solidly made, compact to hold, and has sharp corners. I recently beat off a would-be mugger in Belize City after he knocked me to the ground with my guide book. I am in my 60s, he was in his 20s. I think it was a case of poetic justice as I am a professional travel writer - what better weapon than a travel book. I had scrapes, a lump on my head, a ripped blouse, but I kept my stuff, and left with more "book marks" than I had bruises!

Tuli

GUIDE BOOKS:
Me too, I don't care for too much Accomodation & restaurant info - it is easy too find in other resources; I prefer a SMALL / LIGHT book that I can carry (the guide could come in 2 separate parts: sightseeing and "room & food").

MAPS are important, but pictures not necessarily: The internet is loaded with pictures of every place in the world so that one can get an impression of the place and have a lighter book. After the trip, I prefer my own. Most pictures in books & magazines show the places & surrounding FROM the air, RATHER then show the view SEEN when IN location!

One BIG PROBLEM with guide books, i.e. Fodor, is that every town, view point, falls, castle etc. is "Spectacular", "Magnificent", "Unsurpassed Beauty" and so on. I need PRIORITIZING of sights, since one typically doesn't have time in one trip to see everything. Some things are a matter of personal preference, but if one is, f.i. interested in scenery (architecture, art, history...) it would be helpful to grade / prioritize places by these criteria (even just a plain list of names - the description given elsewhere in the book).

I AM LOST! I am now planning a trip to Berner Obeland. I do not know what to CHOSE and visit in BERNER OBERLAND, being interested in Scenery, Photography, Nature, Architecture. I would appreciate prioritizing of the following, based on these criteria (I am planning on staying in LAUTERBRUNEN unless INTERLAKEN is more time/transportation efficient for my following plan, coming & returning to Zurich, is it?):

Please put in PRIORITY order the groups and in the groups, or any other grouping:

A) THE VALLEYS, MOUNTAINS(2 days).

1. Jungfrau (Kleine Schydig, Mannlichen -can be visited w/o Jungfrau)
2. or Schilthorn (Stechelberg, Grimmevals, Murren falls-can be visited w/o Schilthorn)
Wengen and Murren definitely
3. Grindelwald First, Schynige Platte (Wildersville)
4. Falls: Traumelbach, Staubach , Murrenbach,


B. THE TWO LAKES - 1 day (is any of these in priority to anything in A - in The Valleys & Mountains?):

1. Brienze, Rothorn, Ballenberg, Iseltwald …
2. St. Beatux Hohlen, Harder Kulm, Unterseen….
3. Thun, Spietz, Hilterfingen, Oberhofen…,

Plus 2 x 1/2 days for any of A or B.

4. BERN (on the way back to Zurich) - priority to any of the above?

In the Lucern area:
Pilatus, Titlis, Rigi, else?...

jdtravelbug

I have to say it depends on the destination as to what kind of guidebook is suitable for ourselves. Even though there are many websites to look up reviews and info on hotels and restaurants I still very much value this section of recommendations in guidebooks such as Fodors and others. I often cross reference one source (Fodors) with another to see if they both recommend a restaurant and that often sways me to visit that particular one.

I don't care for photos (extra space, extra pages, extra weight) unless they are diagrams or photos that will assist me when viewing for example the interior of a cathedral or some historical site such as Pompeii. Then I want more than just a quick overview about the sight and a diagram is helpful to point out the highlights.

I also very much like walking tours particularly in large cities. I have taken more guidebook walking tours than I can count.

I also appreciate very basic information about a city. For example where is a good laundery facility (self serve and drop off) in each of the neighborhoods; supermarkets/delis to buy items for an impromptu picnic; or, if I'm renting an apartment or hotel room with a kitchenette, what is close by to purchase basics for breakfast. Also the restaurant section I like it if they specify cafes or bakeries that are good for breakfast. True, I need to know the restaurants where I can have dinner but I also need to know the simpler little gems that are great to stop for a cappuccino and croissant.

suze

I like to look up a couple sample questions I already know the answers to and see how easy the information is to find, and if I agree with their comments.

LSky

I look at the guidebooks with pictures and then I read. Like the OP, I don't need restuarant guides and my hotels are booked ahead of time.

I like books that provide history and I go to websites that specialize in my interests to determine what I want to see in the area.

sassy_cat

Photos and maps are most important to me. I like to see interior and exterior shots of sites. DK does this very well.

A BIT of historical information (if appropriate) is useful too.

I usually take a guidebook with me so I like them to be small, light and colourful.
I research on the internet for accommodation so I don't need that. Restaurants I tend not to worry about as I pick something that suits me each day and I have no interest in gourmet food. (I eat to live rather than live to eat.)

whoknew

I'm mostly interested in guidebooks with diagrams and layouts of streets and sights, along with some history thrown in. DK comes to mind...I just wish they weren't so heavy.

I also like a guidebook that has some walking tours or daytrips included.

I'm not interested in reading up on accomodations since I research that online. I'm not a foodie either so tend to ignore guidebooks and just see what is recommended online there as well.

ellenem

While I appreciate the DK guides for their beautiful design, they are lacking in the amount of actual written information that I prefer. I think Michelin Green has a good balance for my interests--just enough text with some helpful diagrams and maps. I've traveled with friends who had DK guides who liked it for the diagrams, but always sidled up to me and had me read aloud so they would learn more from my Michelin. On the other hand, while I found another friend's Blue Guide to be packed with information, it was often more information than I really needed. Every person has their own priorities, I guess.

I usually get a Michelin Green guide but also get a guide like the Let's Go series (a leftover habit from my younger days) because it has excellent practical information--train and bus stations and major routes from a particular city, internet cafes and post offices, and the like.

Because I'm a graphic designer, I'm somewhat picky about how the actual typography looks--some guides I just can't buy because they are ugly to my eye even thought they are packed with information. And a good fit in my shoulder bag is also a plus.

I loved my Fodor's See It Venice guide that I used for some recent trips--another great balance of comprehensive information, maps, walking tours.

spcfa

For years I bought the Frommer's and the Rough Guide for each destination. Frommer's primarily for restaurant recommendations (we are foodies and I still think Frommer's does the best job on restaurants) and walking tours, and the Rough Guide for history (the writing is always good) and maps of small towns. Lately I've gravitated toward also buying a Knopf Maguide if I'm going to be in a major world city. Finally, for my special interests, I check to see if there are books on art, architecture and gardens at my destination. I have never expected one book to serve all my needs. Like other readers, I prefer to choose my accommodations from reading recent on-line reviews from other travelers. I especially like Trip Advisor for these.

djkbooks

There is just no one "optimum" guidebook. All have their plusses and minuses, and the "latest" editions of some are dreadfully disappointing with regard to lack of "updating".

With the plethora of guides available, not to mention tons and tons of websites for dining, seeing/doing, getting around, you have such broad resources for planning a trip!

To my observation, nearly every tour guide has something not found in any of the others.

My favorite endeavor is to peruse all those guidebooks in the cafe at the bookstore and take lots of notes.

But, even so, years ago, I bought every guide on the shelves for Paris, and, together, they were well worth the investment.