best guidebook for Europe
 

I would like to do my homework and research the places that I will be visiting in Europe. There are many books available for this but I have no clue which are really good and comprehensive.Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Tx.

Do you know where you'll be going yet? You can get books for individual regions and countries, which will give you more specifics about the place(s) you're going. If you don't know where you want to go yet, and just want an overview to get ideas, you can save yourself the trouble and expense by clicking on the "Destinations" box here on fodors.com. Frommers.com has great online resources as well. If you prefer a book for the portability, I like Frommers for it's comprehensive, practical information. Lots of people like Rick Steves (especially those new to European travel). He provides more not-so-objective commentary, although I feel he's not as comprehensive.

Hi Sagaboy!

I've read your previous posts, and I think for you Lonely Planet would be the way to go. They have general "Western Europe" books, but if you're just visiting a few countries, perhaps try getting a country guide for each country or even region. Also check out the forums on the LP website. Have fun!

Thanks for the quick responses. I will be going to Germany, Italy Spain and Portugal for 3 weeks in July of next year. I do not want to do really cheap hotels but would like to stay in reasonably priced with decent amanities and close to areas with nightlife.

Go to your public library. Check out several kinds of guidebooks. Once you start reading them, you’ll be able to judge which ones suit your needs best. There are some that concentrate on low budget travels. There are others that might be too extravagant for your taste.

Once you zoom in and know where you want to go and how much you want to spend, you can start buying what you need. I would recommend you review Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door. It will give you an overview of itineraries, how to pack, sightseeing, etc. Hapy travels.

That's happy travels. Ooops.

Ok, look for more expensive accomodation elsewhere (like on this board or tripadvisor), but Lonely Planet stays good for advice concerning sights and nightlife and bars etc.

Hi saga,

>I will be going to Germany, Italy Spain and Portugal for 3 weeks ...<

I urge you to rethink this.

France and Germany
Germany and Switzerland
Germany and Austria
Austria and Switzerland
Austria and Italy
Switzerland and Italy
Italy and France
France and Spain
Spain and Portugal

Do you detect a pattern? :)

((I))