Linda

First trip to Paris in early Sept. Can anyone recommend and exceptionally good tour book? I went to book store but too many books and didn't know which would be best. <BR>Thanks!

xxx

Linda, <BR> <BR>I have Rick Steves, Michelin Green Guide, the Fodor's, and Patricia Well's food guide book. <BR> <BR>Of course, what guide book you like depends on your intersts and tastes. The Steves book is well put together, has lots of easy to reference practical information, and is geared toward the average tourist. He has several chapters on various walking tours that are more in-depth than the Fodor's. The Fodor's lists sights alphabetically, gives brief descriptions of walking tours, has some interesting background info that is not in depth. Nice pictures. <BR> <BR>The Michelin Guide has lots more history, discussion of art and architecture, good maps. It's well organized, easy to read. I like how I can just open it up and read something interesting about a church or the quays. <BR> <BR>The Wells book lists restaurants and other food related stores by type and by arrondisement with a few paragraphs of description. She includes recipes. It's a fun read, and if you are a real restaurant lover I would definitely get it. It can be fun to just read too. <BR> <BR>If I had to pick two, I would get the steves and the michelin. <BR> <BR>Have fun on your trip. <BR>

Laura

Hi Linda, <BR> <BR>We have used Eyewitness books for every country we have been to where there is an Eyewitness book available. They are perfect in every way....and we have always, always been happy with their restaurant recommendations. The street by street maps are worth the cost of the books. Do yourself a favor and get an Eyewitness book!

NoName

Linda, I also used the Eyewitness book, but would recommend in addition to it (please don't be put off by the title) "Paris For Dummies". In addition to very basic info on the city, it gives the pros & cons of staying in each arrondisement, restaurant suggestions, hotel recommendations, kid-friendly tips if you're bringing the little one(s), and a veritable wealth of other great information. Someone gave me mine as a gift, & I was a bit put off by the title, but once I got into reading it...wow! (Same company, Hungry Minds, also publishes the larger "France for Dummies", which includes all the info in the "Paris For Dummies" book, plus covers the rest of France.)

elaine

I respectfully disagree with the above. <BR>I find Eyewitness books to be beautifully illustrated, they are to me wonderful for pre-trip reading or post-trip reminiscing, but for carrying around, their format make things indivuidual entries hard to find, I find myself constantly flipping pages trying to find what I'm looking for. The restaurant and hotel info is pretty limited as to details. I also find them heavy to tote around. Their included maps are very good. <BR>I think the Fodor's guide to Paris is excellent. Just enough cultural and historical info on museums, churches and other sites, a good deal of restaurant and hotel info, although not too many at the lowest budget level. <BR>Michelin is great if for you there's no such thing as too much cultural or historical info. I love the details. Michelin books tend to have terrible indexes however--not enough individual sites/sights are listed in the index in my opinion, and some are listed under their French names while some are listed under their English names. The Green guides however have no hotel info, and very little restaurant suggestions--you need the Red Guides separately for those. <BR>Take some time to browse through guidebooks. Pick one topic <BR>"Notre Dame" is just one example, and see how the various guidebooks discuss the subject. You will find that some guidebook styles appeal to you and some don't. Rick Steves' books, for example, are not my cup of tea, but many people swear by his books. <BR>If you are history or art buffs, go with Michelin plus an all-purpose one <BR>like Fodor's or Rick Steves or Eyewitness. <BR>If you are not into the infinite details, just one of the all-purpose ones would be enough. <BR>Plus a good map. Again, these range from infinite detail to more general, but I swear by my "Streetwise Paris" <BR>map.

andi

I like the Access guides to cities. I used one for Paris a couple of years ago and have one for my upcoming visit to Rome. They're organized by area of the city, and have great hotel, restaurant and shopping ideas, places that are often a little off the beaten track. They wouldn't be my only guide, I'd also get an Eyewitness or Fodor's but they're a really good second guide.

Peg

I also like the books mentioned above, but had great success on my first trip with just Access Paris and the Paris MapGuide. Access Paris is divided into neighborhoods and includes hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions. I studied it quite a bit before my departure and felt very familiar with each area when I got there. The MapGuide by Michael Middleditch is a great tool and small enough to carry in your purse. The maps are very detailed, including every tiny street and alley and I really like the fact that the bus numbers and direction are included for each street.

Peg

Sorry Andi, we were typing at the same time!

Lexma90

I have pretty much the same list as xxx. If you like art, but aren't an artophile, consider Rick Steves' "Mona Winks." It's a great way to learn about the important pieces without getting overloaded. <BR> <BR>I like the Michelin green guide for learning about the details of sites, though for Paris there are all sorts of publications that have the same details. (I like the green guide more for small towns, where that sort of information just isn't available other places). <BR> <BR>I love looking at Eyewitness guides, but I do find them too heavy (and expensive). I usually want more detail about places than they provide (though their maps and layouts of interiors are good). <BR> <BR>I am planning to buy, for this next trip, Fodor's guide to Paris. They have good descriptions of the smaller museums and good walking tours of more out-of-the-way locations (like Bois de Boulogne). <BR> <BR>One helpful suggestion: see how many of these books you can check out of your local library. Look at them, then buy whichever you find the most helpful (that's how I came up with Fodors).

elvira

Budget travel and some offthebeaten path recos: rick steves, let's go <BR>Succinct and precise detail for sights (not opening times), geography, good tour routes: Michelin Green Guides (work well with the Michelin maps w/coordinates) <BR>Hotels and restaurants (high end): Michelin Red Guides <BR>Good general info, including hotel/restaurant recos: Fodor's, Frommer's <BR>Detailed descriptions of places and sights: Baedeker's <BR>Art and art history: The Blue Guides <BR> <BR>My recommendation? Go to the library and use all the guides they've got to gather information. I don't depend on one or two guidebooks for any trip; I use the library's resources to get all that info for FREE.

BTilke

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the TimeOut Paris guidebook. I prefer it to Fodors or Frommers, which have a blander, more "corporate" tone. TimeOut has sharper writing (and often sharper opinions). I also have the Access, Eyewitness (which I like, although its coverage of areas outside the tourist/commercial core is weak), Let's Go, Secrets of Paris, Gault Millau, and about a half dozen others, but I usually reach for TimeOut first. The one guide I will NEVER use is Rick Steves. Hack writing, trite observations. <BR>BTilke

ger

And just to add to your confusion, Linda ...I think you should check out two more! <BR> <BR>I have recently discovered the National Geographic series which have the most incredible pictures, as you would expect, and are excellent if you love history, architecture & art. I have also picked up ParisWalks (I could only find them on-line from Barnes & Noble) - have not used it yet, but the walks look terrific. <BR> <BR>Neither will help you much with planning your trip. However, I have found that searching this site for hotel & restaurant recommendations is far superior than any of the guidebooks that I have bought. <BR> <BR>Enjoy Paris. Make sure you book your hotel asap to avoid disapointment. The 7th is very popular on this site and my own favorites are the 1st and the 14th. <BR> <BR>Regards ... Ger

Capo

Hi Linda. If you're interested in doing any self-guided walking tours, I highly second Ger's recommendation of <I>Pariswalks</I>, five different walking tours by the mother-daughter team of Sonia & Alison Landes. <BR> <BR>Another of my favorite books is <I>The Companion Guide to Paris</I> by Englishman Anthony Glyn. I have the first edition and thought the book was now out-of-print but, according to the website below, there's a new edition out, which has been fully revised by his widow. <BR> <BR>http://www.boydell.co.uk/823.HTM

jane

Eyewitness books are beautiful and thoroughly illustrated. This can be helpful in identifying places and things, especially in cities like Paris that have so much to look at. This also makes it the best for post-trip reference. <BR> <BR>However, I often want to know more about what I'm seeing than the brief descriptions in the book. For that, the Michelin guides really are unsurpassed. <BR> <BR>And I confess, I'm a Rick Steves fan, too. I've enjoyed his accommodation recommendations, and I appreciate his opinionated assessments more than the vague one-star, two-star ratings you see in many guides. <BR> <BR>When I travel, each of my companions buys a different book and we pass them around. (Fortunately, this has never been a problem for anyone.) The Rick Steves tends to get read the most, then the Michelin, and lastly the Eyewitness (just so heavy that no one wants to carry it.) <BR> <BR>However, if I could only pick one, I'd probably buy the Eyewitness and read the others in book store or library before I left.

Christina

I think I am in Elaine's camp on most of this. I dislike Eyewitness guides very much although they do have pretty photos. But they are about the most expensive guide, heavy, not good for hotels or restaurants, and extremely limited in nearby daytrip info. Also, they have erroneous info in them; in the Paris guide their description of metro passes/carnets etc is simply wrong (at least in edition I have from a couple years ago). If they can't get simple stuff like that correct (which is right on the www.ratp.fr website) who knows what else is wrong. I like Frommers as an overall guide, or Cadogan, supplemented by a Michelin Green Guide for specific site info (you must look in index for something specific, I agree, although I find their index adequate). Truthfully, a lot of people don't need guidebooks for the hotel/restaurant info that much for places like Paris where it is so easy to get that elsewhere (online, specific guidebooks for that, etc). I think a good guidebook should also have good historic information on the place. I like Timeout guidebooks very much but I think all the info is free online--but I do like their opinions and info very much. I dislike Rick Steves, I think his info is biased (or just peculiar from his point of view, maybe) and limited, espec. hotels and restaurants (I think he only gives a few choices in a couple places in Paris), although he may be ok for sightseeing tips, not sure, also I think his guidebooks are unattractive. I don't like Fodors, they are old-fashioned, more so than any guide to me, and the worst thing is their new paper and printing layout is cheap and ugly and hard to read (about like newsprint). I also like the Access guidebooks very much and use one, but I think they are best for people who know Paris somewhat already, and as an adjunct to other guides. For specialized interests, I like the Michelin green, Patricia Wells' Food Lovers Guide, Cheap Sleeps in Paris, Cheap Eats in Paris, and Access.

Carol

Everyone keeps talking about how expensive Eyewitness is so I thought I would throw out my budget tip! COSTCO! The Costco warehouse near me sells these for about half of the list price! It is a great deal! <BR> <BR>I really like these books, but do not use them for hotels, resturants, costs or time. I don't think they are updated enough. I do use Rick Steves for the informaiton since his are fairly current.

Robin

Many people on this website suggest that we go to our local library to check out travel guidebooks. <BR> <BR>Well I have to say that those who suggest this must have a very different library than the one I go to. If I'm lucky I might come across a travel guide book that was written in late 1990's. Granted the attraction information won't change much but as far as using these books for hotel, restaurant, shopping recommendations; I would hardly consider these books a reliable tool for planning my trip. At least to use them exclusively. <BR> <BR>Travel information seems to be outdated by the time a book is published. That's why Fodor's and all the other guidebooks publish a new edition year after year. <BR> <BR>I think some of your best travel references can be found on the web. I know there are many websites for Paris mentioned here on the Fodors website. Do a scan under Paris and I'm sure find lots of useful and current information.

YS

I also dislike the Eyewitness series. Although I did get mine at Costco for $13, not very into details and providels limited hotel/restaurant/practical info. It is very heavy making it ineligible (at least in my eyes) to be taken with me on the trip. Yes, the pictures are nice, it is printed on glossy paper (thus the weight), but this is not what I expect from the guide. Information is my top priority. <BR>I found National Georgaphic quides work better for me (although they are also heavier then should be) and Michelin's Green guides. For hotel info (the stuff I need at HOME) I check out various web sites.

Nancy

Rick Steves' does an excellent job for walking tours and restaurant recommendations. I rented an apartment so don't know about his hotel recommendations. His walking tours cover many areas and the highlights. His guides to museums cover the highlights which are usual what you want for a short trip. Also, you can easily rip out sections of his book (he recommends this) and carry just that portion with you. I read several guide books and liked his and Frommer's best for city guides. For the 3 major museums, Louvre, d'Orsay & Rodin, he has the same stuff as in Mona Winks. Any other suggestions I can offer, please write me.

KenCT

Very interesting thread, but with so many opposing opininions, I don't know if it's going to help the original poster. Put me in the camp of those who like the Eyewitness books, but prefer looking at them before or after the trip. And I sympathize with the person whose library's selection of travel books was out of date. Travel books are expensive and many public libraries have serious funding issues. I personally use the Access Guides for a reason mentioned previously - they break up sections nicely by district so that you're not bouncing all over the place. There are two things about the Access Guides that I don't like, however. First, because of the way they're organized, you can sometimes be a street or two away from something but not know it because the writer has but it in a different section. And I've also noticed that there is a big difference in quality among the different books. The one on Paris is excellent, but I didn't like the one on London at all. You can use the fact that travel books go out of date quickly to your advantage. The wholesale bookstores often sell the previous year's version very cheaply. You can buy several to skim through, then check for updated information on the Web when necessary