the guidebook you could NOT live without
 

Please list it here and tell why..

also do you use the City Secrets books and do you find them useful.

I could give any of the guidebooks up except my Michelin Green Guides. They are well organized, pack a lot of information about sights and their history, give a nice assortment of general information and they are small enough to be easily packed.

Viva la Michelin!

Time Out guides always tell it like it is! Great hotel and restaurant guides!
cheers,
CC

largely it depends on the country, quite honestly

we like frommers for a general planning guide....fodors for more detailed info

we love the michelin green guides for specific must see info and an organized way of presenting it, plus it ties in with their maps nicely...my wife likes them the best actually

lets go is low budget info if you need that and accurate touring info

access is organized by street/neighborhood which is great for actural walk around tours...it is a favorite...

we like the treasurers and pleasurers guides from impact because we like to shop and like the upscale info on eating and shopping too

I swear by my Michelin Green Guides. Since I don't like organized tours, I can follow my green guide and get ample information and history while sightseeing. I also find them helpful for planning the amount of time to allocate to a given site/area/city. They don't give a great deal of hotel or restaurant info, but that's what I have you guys for!

The Michelin greeen guides to France and, for Provence, the Cadogan guides.

lonely planet

Another fan of Michelin Green guides. Have them for every region we have visited.

Michelin Red Guides. I have all kinds of guidebooks, some for sights, some for hotels, some for restaurants, some general. Whenever I want to check out what one of them tells me about food, accommodations or distances, I go to the Red Guide for a second opinion. If I can get an Access Guide to any city, that's the one I take with me to find my way around for sightseeing.

For a true guidebook, I agree that Michelin Green guides are the best.

Just ordered Michelin greeen guides to France from globecorner.com for $16.00

However they have to let me know if avail in 48 hours.

Anyone knows where IS available in case they don't have it ?

(Stinking Amazon wanted $36.00 and will ship in 2month - never liked 'em :)

Amazon has the 5th edition available in Used Book section for $14.99.

The 6th edition is advance orders only, w/ public. date of December 2005.

Do a book search for ASIN # 2060000645 to see the one for $14.99

Good question, since my Time Out Paris is now four years old (prices still in francs) and needs replacing.

I buy a lot of books to read ahead, but prefer to take just one with me. I think I'll try the Access series this time, and pick up the Time Out offprint when I'm there.

I always take an "Eyewitness" guide and a "Steetwise" map. They have served me well for Europe and the US.

I think the city secrets books make for lovely reading before a trip, but I don't think of them as guide books.
More like a collection of little essays and tips.

If I had to choose one guidebook most of the time I suppose it would be Fodors, but I don't rely on only one. I almost always have a Michelin Green as well (plus sometimes others) because I like detail on art, architecture, and history.

DK Eyewitness guides every time for me.

robbie,

Allow me to chime-in with an enthusiastic vote for Rough Guides. When it comes to background information on sights to see, Rough Guides are second to none. In addition to being informative, Rough Guides are frank and well written.

The RG to Ireland, now in its seventh edition, is especially good. On the other hand, however, the guide to Germany hasn't been updated for three years, and I anxiously await a new 2004 or, at worst, an '05 version.

Concerning the well regarded Michelin Green guides, the main drawback is in the organization, listed alphabetically and not by region. This is a real drawback to an otherwise exemplary series of guidebooks.

Green Guides and DK/Eyewitness Guides are top-notch. I'll gives Lonely Planet, Fodors and Frommers their props as well.

But the internet is by far the most valuable resource now. Including (and especially) this board.

I usually take a few different guides with me, but if forced to only take one, it is Cadogan. It always has the perfect mix of background, facts, practical info and excellent restaurant recommendations for me. Good size, not too unbearable, fits in my bag without breaking my back. Plus, the wit in the dialogs is usually priceless. I don't need the glossy color photos if I'm standing in front of the site myself...so the lack of pictures is a non-issue for me. Try Cadogan!

Ziana - check out overstock.com. They have a lot of travel guidebooks and good prices. I've only ordered from them once, but it was a good experience.