isabel

Hello, I need some advice on a good guidebook to take with me to Paris. I have 5 days to discover the city, what would you suggest is the best for me? There are so many of them....HELP!!!

Kathryn

We enjoyed Rick Steve's guidebook for the irreverent commentaries on his museum highlights tours. We took several guidebooks with us from the library but weren't satisfied with any regarding restaurants. Wish we'd taken the Cheap Eats guide so often recommended on this forum!
Kathryn

Christina

I think this question has been discussed several times on here before if you want to search for old threads. I think that's a tough question as I visit Paris more than any city and have for many years to I have about 10 guidebooks to Paris, several special interest (ie, one solely for Paris Cafes, etc). Overall, if I had to choose one guidebook for about any city, I would choose Frommers as the best bet, you can't go wrong for any I've seen (Cadogan's probably as runnerup, espec if you've booked hotels). I dislike Eyewitness Guidebooks, although they are pretty for the photos(but lots of inaccuracies and little useful hotel and restaurant info IMO, also VERY heavy). I like Access very much, but they are best as a supplement I think for specific hotel and restaurant info (and unusual sites), but they are organized by neighborhood rather than by subject. If you really like details on the places you go (museums, etc), I'd suggest the Green Michelin guide as a must. I myself only take the Michelin Green Guide and photocopied pages or notes from others on restaurants I want to go to, etc, as I travel light. I review restaurants from guidebooks and various sources (International Herald Tribune, etc) and make notes on places to try based on where my hotel is. For visits where I will do daytrips, I also copy pages from Earl Steinbick's Daytrips in France for the places I plan to go. I'm not very familiar with Rick Steves' books and I don't like Fodors very much.

elvira

I'm with Christina on this - I don't really take a guidebook with me on any trip - I get a bunch from the library and do the research before I go, then make notes or copy particular pages. I do take my Paris par Arrondissement whenever I go to Paris, which is a street, metro and bus guide.

If you have just 5 days in Paris, you're better off doing your planning before you go rather than on the fly; museums are closed one day a week, so are many sights; some are open late certain evenings; some have reduced rates on certain days (or are free). Nothing more disappointing than to arrive at the Louvre on Tuesday.

Bob Brown

No one guide book does it all, particularly a complex, varied city like Paris. I like the Fodors guide, the Michelin Green guide for descriptions of so many places, and the Lets Go Paris guide is surprisingly good, even if it is student oriented.
It has a great listing of museums, A to Z. In that respect I found it to be better than other guides, and better than other Lets Go books.
If you want comprehensive guides to Museee d'Orsay and the Louvre, you need a separate book if you are seeking depth. If you are in a hurray, and just want the highlights, Rick Steves has an 18 page quick tour that might suffice for someone who is seeking an introduction.

Carl

Isabel I can sympathize with your plight, I ran into the same problem on my 1st trip to Paris. My suggestion is to visit a bookstore like Barnes and Noble(nice big stuffed chairs and starbucks coffee) and pick up 5 to 6 guidebooks, plop yourself in a chair and look them over. Convince yourself that planning is half the fun and it will be(though I was overwhelmed and confused at 1st). I looked over Lonely Planet, Frommers, Fodors, Eyewitness, Rough guide and Rick Steves Paris guide. They all had their good points and I ended up taking notes from all, but bought Steve's Paris guide because it fit my travel needs for a 1st trip(ie suggested itinerary, self guided museum tours, Self guided Paris walks, how to for metro/RER, day trips from Paris, ect) and I felt comfortable using it. It was even small to fit in my back pocket(barely). I used it the whole week I was there and was extremely pleased. I also used this forum for suggestions on restaurants, hotels and shopping areas(loved the Ille of St. Louis shops). Is this the guide book for you, maybe but sit down with a bunch of them and find out which one works for you. Afterall your investing a good amount of money for your trip, so invest a little time and sweat and you'll find a guidebook that fits your needs. Good Luck!

Brian in Atlanta

I too like Access for its maps and for quick reference, but if I had to choose one (for any large city), it'd be Time Out Guides. I find they have the best combination of history, culture, information, restaurants, hotels and sites. And I like their subjective reviews. All this and good pictures too.

alan

Hi Check out the Michelin Green guide. I use diffferent guide books and have never been disappointed by iy. It is not strong on hotels and restaurants, but its discriptions of the sites and the diagrams are hard to beat. Barnes and Noble used to have a site where you were able to compare various guide books. I haven't checked it out recently. It was good.
alan