Cadogan guides may not be Holy Writ, but they are certainly written
in a more thorough way than any American guidebook I've read (and
I haunt the travel sections of bookstores). Perhaps Cadogan is
hard to find in the US b/c I've never read any comments about their
books on this site. Well worth hunting for IMHO. If you take one
of their guides with a Michelin choice you should be totally 'good
to go'.

Really, you need to pick ones that work for YOU. Go to your nearest big box book store (Borders/Barnes&Noble) and browse through the guidebooks before you decide.

I don't think the DK Eyewitness books are that heavy. I only carry the one I need that day, anyway. I have one each for Florence, Rome, Venice and Paris. And I absolutely love them. But I am a "visual" person and IMHO, these are the best if you are a visual person. 3D maps of the city streets/structures. Split out by area, etc. And, yes, lots of glossy pictures.

But you need to find what works best for you. Buon Viaggio!

if one is looking for guidebooks, my assumption is that the "looker" is a first time visitor. As such, the internet is hard to beat. These boards are an enormous help, with details not found in any hard copy guidebook.

How can any book gve the kind of inside knowledge offered by franco (italy), josele (spain), not to mention maribel (spain also), ... you get my meaning.

As for posters recommending books other than Fodor's ... why not? One can get Fodor's guides right here too, and print the relevant info if one chooses to do so.

Sorry Aduchamp1, but if anyone looks for background or insight about art, a travel guidebook is the wrong research material ... just saying :p

To Asterodeia - I call it as I see it. The Fodors forum is the best travel forum I've ever used on the web, it's truly addictive and so informative. Frommers is good for destination information and Lonely Planet books are good. That's just my opinion. To say I should recommend Fodors books because I'm on the Fodors forum is complete rubbish. Surely an honest opinion, gathered from years and years of travel and book reading, is what the original poster wanted and deserves?

Kay

Like suec1, I prefer the sampler platter. Months before a trip, I check out all of the travel guides I can find at the library, then read, copy & scan my favorite portions into the computer. . .whatever floats my boat as I'm in the info-gathering stage. I simultaneously pull stuff off the web and scour Fodor's forums. (Unfortunately, my library doesn't carry Cadogan and I have to flip through it at the bookstore to decide whether it merits a purchase for a particular destination.)

Closer to the trip, I sometimes buy what I deem the best guides and maps to actually take with me; but my main, personalized "guide" is the word processing document formed from the amalgamation of all the other sources cobbled together. That way, I end up with the "best" of everything.

I realize not everyone has that kind of time, but it is one reason I start the planning wa-a-ay in advance.

Sorry Aduchamp1, but if anyone looks for background or insight about art, a travel guidebook is the wrong research material ... just saying

At least the Michelin Greens are accurate in their descriptions.

I'm quite interested in this opinion that the Fodor's forum exists separately from the Fodor's books. That you feel comfortable flogging a competitor's product on their own site. Perhaps they have a very liberal business philosophy, but if someone came on to my business' blog and started talking about how great my competition was, I would edit and remove that posting!

I agree with a lot of you that with so much information on the web, the value of buying a physical book is waning. I also create my own document, culling information from various sources, and it can be a good way for a really personalized experience.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to go test drive a Chevy, and spend the whole time talking to the salesman about what a great car Ford makes. It's just tacky. But, as some of you have said, that's just my opinion.

How fortunate, then, that Fodor's has a broader point of view than you do and has never to my knowledge removed a discussion of guidebooks...

We are not employees of Fodor's. And Fodor's is run by Randon House which is turn owned by Bertelsmann which is privately held, so you cannot even have a financial stake.

People are also critical of Fodor's as well and one of the attractions of posting here is the relative freedom of these boards as opposed to the heavy handed Slow Travel or the often commercially tainted postings on Trip Advisor.

There censoring policy can be capracious but for the most part the freedom to express one's opinion is the benefit.

Aduchamp, I don't understand your posting. Who cares who owns Fodors, or Random House, or Bertelsmann? All I'm saying is I think it's tacky. But then, it's also tacky to use the wrong "there" ... so call me crazy.

Aduchamp1 - yes, Michelin greens are very good. I'm just about memorizing the one on Italy (I've read it so often ...)

Asterodeia, I agree that your opinion is as valid as anyone else's here, but aren't you thankful you and I can post whatever we want? I find it refreshing and valuable. You never know who might benefit from something or other posted freely in these boards. And if someone recommends a rival site, hey, I'm certainly checking it out.

Asterodeia

Correcting the spelling and grammar of others is the sign of an insecure and inferior mind.
____________

Simply because you are afraid of your competition does not mean Fodor's is as well. It is a sign of confidence and maturity to accept the fact that others exist and produce fine guides.

Some adults appreciate those traits.

Thank you for the helpful recommendations.

I do not recommend Rick Steve's guidebook for Italy. I had one and it was my first international trip. In retrospect, it was awful, very limiting in its options. His hand-drawn maps were confusing.

I would think that Fodors would use the info posted here - whether about experiences, raves, or criticism - to improve their books, so it's a win for them either way, when people discuss it.

Oh, and personally I like to start with the EyeWitness books when starting to plan a trip...the pictures get me interested in sites, which I then research through other books/forums..

Rick Steves seems to pick out only "his" favorite cities to list in his guidebooks rather than sharing from other cities in the country that you might want to visit.

I LOVE THIS FODORS FORUM-have recommended it for years to friends,passengers on my flights,etc. That said,although I buy alot of Fodor guidebooks I find that Eyewitness and Rough Guides are my go to books for researching and traveling.

Aduchamp: "Correcting the spelling and grammar of others is the sign of an insecure and inferior mind." Thanks for making this a personal attack. I really appreciate that.

screen_name_taken: Thank for accepting that my opinion is valid -- it's really nice to read that on this forum, which can tend to be a bit negative and personal.

It would be nice to have a logical discussion about a question (which was what my original post was, btw). I AM glad that Fodor's doesn't police the forum more, because it allows for conversations like these, but I still question the business sense of that. Although, now the Fodor's editors can read what it is you like about other books, and copy those features, so you're really providing free market research for them. Maybe that's their angle.

Hey, I like Fodor's guidebooks, but then I have quite a collection they've sent me for free (because I'm quoted in Travelers Like You features)!

That would be ridiculous to think there is only one brand of guidebook that would be best for all travelers for all destinations and all types of trips. Thankfully they realize that as well, I guess, since this thread stands.