One Travel Book
 

If you could pick just one travel/ tour book to buy for Paris and one tour book to buy for Italy, what would they be ?

Of course everyone will have their favorite, but I personally like the Frommer's series as they include many out-of-the-way places that other guide books don't. They give you lots of technical info such as "How to get from the airport to the city center." I find them well organized with very little superfluous information.

I only buy one guide book. It's a decision I make after I go to the library and check out all of them and decide which one is best.
Or if I didn't have a library I would choose the one that had the best map. All the other info you can get on-line.
If a restaurant looks good I simply I jot it down in the inside my travel notebook or on the edges of the map.

Hi
I go to a bookstore and browse through different books until I find usually one that gives me what I want. Our interests are independent travel. We like guides that offer walking tours and the occasional driving tour. The last one I bought was the Cadagon Rome. Michelin green guides are very good also. I find the European guidebooks are closer to our way of travel.
alan

Shh...I also like Frommer's and prefer it to Fodor's. I feel that Frommer's has its information better organized. It also gives exact rates and prices.

If there's a recent edition available, I'd buy the Access guide to Paris. It goes neighborhood by neighborhood rather than separating hotels from restaurants for sights. For all of Italy ether Fodors or Frommers is good.

I also prefer the Access guide to Paris--arranged by arrondissement, it lists monuments, restaurants and interesting shops by each area of Paris--makes for great walking. We also photocopy pages of articles or guidebooks that have something specific we want to do and then throw the pages away as we go--sounds wasteful, but it allows us to take all our info and make room in the suitcase as we go along. Also, we just fold the paper and carrry in purse or back--lightweight and tossable. Hope u have a good trip.