Hey, just so I'm not traveling around with 8 diff guide books, what is everyone's favorite for budget travel? I just ordered Rick Steve's Europe through the back door, but I also want to get books for Italy, France, and Switzerland. Any preferences?

It really depends on where you are going and what you are doing. For Switzerland I wanted to hike so I purchased a hiking guide. As far as places to stay, I stayed in huts near the Matterhorn which were listed in the hiking books but not in any guide books. The Zermatt hotel was with Frommers or Fodors. For apartments in Switzerland the best & truly only source is the local tourist office. For Finland I found the only good information was from Lonely Planet. I liked the overview of Frommers for Tuscany and Umbria. Fodor has a better website and the overview of Italy in the guide book is good. The green guide is good for details. What do you want in a guidebook? The answer to this question determines what guide book is best for your trip. I many times start at the library. That way I can at least look at 3 or 4 books (usually outdated) to get an idea of what is most interesting to me. I also do a search on Fetch.com for guidebooks on an area to get an idea of what is available.

There isn't one book that will satisfy everyone- we all have different tastes and interests. The best thing to do is to read a few in a bookstore or library. I like to pick a subject I'm particularly interested in, them see how each book handles it. That usually makes the choice easy.

You should know that the Europe through the back door is more of a gereral manual, than a guidebook. RS does also offer guidebooks for various areas. I like them because they have good info about my level of travel (budget), and are updated every year. Most others aren't.

Hmmm...I suppose I want the book that gives me the run down of the things to do in each place, and when the best times to do them are, and if I need reservations, etc. Also, I'm on a budget so I need to know what not to waste my money on, etc. That may just come with experience though, I'm not sure. I have browsed the bookstore (not very throroughly yet) and was overwhelmed with the selection. I guess I just need to take a Saturday and read through some books!

Go to the library if you don't want to but them and if you find some pertinent information Photocopy it and start making tour own guide with the sheets. Thats what I do to combine the best info without taking every book I own.

Look, if this is a "backdoor" gambit for more raving about Rick, I'm just going on record at the outset - I simply do not like his haircut! The tonsured look is out, and apparently he is having some unintended effects in the Seattle area, because posters there are complaining that decent cuts and salons are not available to them. We should also expect to hear from clothiers as well, since the pineapple plantation hue green shirt is dominating Seattle shelves again this year.

There is a very simple explanation for Rick Steves' "looks." In terms of his attire, he obviously took the Fodor's Fashion Police advice when he asked that "What should I wear on TV in Europe?" question a few eons ago. That explains the colors he chooses, etc. I will say I am relieved that he decided NOT to go with the $285 jeans or the capri pants.

As to the haircut...well, a few years ago long hair was in and that's gone so.....

The glasses and squint are obviously a result of drinking all that Starbucks coffee and living near Seattle where you have to continually look up and wonder where the sun went.

I like the books that lean more towards historical walks. I don't like to waste too much time stumbling around looking for a "must do" restaurant except if it's spectacular. So much information about hotels and restaurants is available over the internet that I look these up ahead of time and make my reservations. Then study the history.
Your interests may differ, so go to the library and read all you can find.

When I first went to Europe it was Fodors all the way.

After a few years I realized that Lonely Planet is more in tune with how I travel. LP has lots of budget options. It lists things like supermarkets, laundromats, several 1 & 2 star hotel options.

What I like most about LP is the many very detailed maps. Not just the big cities either like Paris & Lyon, but down to smaller towns like Le Puy-en-Velay and Beaune in France. I like to study them before I go so I have a feel for a town before I get there.

If LP has a specialty guidebook for a particular area then it's even better. For example I've thoroughly used their "Loire Valley" and "Paris Condensed" guides.

Another guidebook I use for a few more obscure places and lots of pretty pictures for inspiration is the DK Eyewitness. It was one of the few guidebooks I found that had a small blurb on Dôle. However, I would never lug that heavy brick of a book around. Do they use concrete to reinforce their pages?

Rough Guides for Youth, Michelin for those who want every detail and don't care about the latest cheap restaurant news, Fodors for decent mid-range to high-range hotel info and good city walks, Cadogan for the Greek Islands. BUT...Since you said budget travel, I'd have to say Lonely Planet, hands down. No other series lists as many laundromats as L.P.!!
I experimented with the Fodor's for PDA (Palm Pilot) on a trip to Budapest and did NOT like it. I got much more use out of the "guidebook" I made myself by transferring web pages and notes from this board to my computer and then to my Palm Pilot.
Also, if you like well written guide books with a sense of history and humor, don't overlook those published in Britain. I think by-in-large they are much better than American ones.

Vera

I don't care for Fodors or Frommers so much, as they seem to be very heavy on restaurant and lodging suggestions, which may be what their target consumer wants. I want itineraries, must see lists, interesting factoids, maps, drawings, pictures, etc. I like Rick Steves and Lonely Planet for stuff like that, but I also like the DK Eyewitness guides. However, as someone mentioned before, I wouldn't haul around the Eyewitness guide, as they tend to be quite heavy.

aduren,
Along the same line but much better than Steves' Europe Through the Back Door is Bermont's How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook. Not available in bookstores. At Amazon.com search ISBN 0940792699.

Awesome! That is exactly the kind of info I wanted to know - thank you!

I love Rick Steves personally, and as a college student backpacking around during the summers Let's Go was a lifesaver.

I seem to "collect" travel guides, DK Eyewitness being a favorite due to the lovely pictures.
Last year though I found a fabulous book called Rome In Detail and put out by Rizzoli Press.It does have some hotel/restuarant listings,
but is heavy on details of historic places, etc.
I found it very interesting and I already had 5 travel guides on Rome.

They also put out a Florence and Venice version.

For a real guide book (not restaurants, not hotels, not Mary Poppins or Sound of Music tours), we still rely on Michelin Green.

An excellent series of guidebooks was put out by Knopf Publishers years ago. It wasn't the best resource for hotels and eateries but was great for history, art and architecture and culture. For that reason, even an old edition is valuable to me.

Hi
How come no one has recommended the "Rough Guide" I like it better than Lonely Planet.