(Obviously Fodors, but...)

I have always been partial to the Eyewitness Guides, maybe (?) because I have a short attention span and the little snippets of info. are nice.

We will be in Ireland for about 10 days, mostly driving through the west.

We intend to bring 2 guide books- we already have a good Michelin map, so we are really just looking for the most up-to-date info, i.e phone numbers, etc.

Fodors? Frommers? Lonely Planet? Eyewitness? Something else? What would you recommend?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hmmm ! I never thought I would be plugging a Rick Steves book, but his book with the detailed driving itinerary of the Slea Head drive is the best. You may be able to get it from his web site. Otherwise, I am a big fan of the Michelin Green books.

katya, I have not yet found one publisher whose books are uniformly the best wherever I go. I think they are all about the same in regard to how up-to-date the contact info is, assuming they were published the same year.

Why not check out a bunch of different guidebooks from your local library, and see how you like the way they are organized? Then you can buy the latest editions of the ones you like best.

katya, I love Fodor's Gold Guides & I love the Cadogan Guide (they seem to have the most complete opening & closing times) to Paris as well as Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris. I think the Eyewitness Guides are nice for the photos.

My library has recently started getting a series of guide books called the BLUE GUIDE which I like.

Go to your library and look at them all. Each series seems to have its own strengths and weaknesses. I copy out the bits I want and then have my own little custom made guide. Later, when I am doing a photo album I have information about the places I visited.

I think it's pretty idiosyncratic. I also like the Blue Guides, but I know a lot of people don't.

I think you should visit a good travel section in a bookstore, check out the lot and pick the ones whose style you like best.

I recently bought Frommers Best Road Trips that we will be using for Austria and Germany. I gave the one for Northern Italy to my daughter who liked it when she was there.

I find Rick Steves to be the best, especially when it comes to being up-to-date, especially on important stuff like hours/times/prices at the sights. I've used many others, including Lonely Planet and Let's Go, and found them to be on the young side for me. Frommer's was so bleeping inaccurate and flowery with information I didn't need in the Greece book we got, I vowed never to buy theirs again.

Fodor's is pretty good too, but I like Rick's approach, which is budget travel with an emphasis on the backdoor stuff that most people miss, including taking time to meet locals in the country you've travelled so far to see. His walking tours are top-notch.

Happy travels.

Jules

Rick Steves' books on other countries might be fine but Ireland -- NO! He skips over huge areas of the country. I was especially amused by his "recommendation" of the West Strand Guest House in Portrush: "15 tight, musty rooms none with a private bathroom". Who would want to stay there? Why recommend such a place? Leave it out and recommend a good guest house in its place.

I disagree with lots of his advice about Ireland especially about Killarney.

I agree with Marylin about going to a library or bookstore and then choosing one.

I think the "best," most serious guides are the Blue Guides. But for my purposes I like the Cadogan guides and Michelin green guides best. Fo a superficial intro and to give me some idea what places will look like, the DK Eyewitness guides are nice becaue of the photos. I find things of value in many diffeent guides of various publishers, e.g., Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Baedeckers, but I don't like the Rick Steves ones at all because they make decisions for the reader.

Truly, go to a large bookstore and look at what's available. I think up a couple sample questions that I know the answers to, then look 'em up. Both to see if I agree with the answers but also how easy the book is to use.

For instance for Amsterdam I did use Let's Go and it was perfect for that city but not a series I usually use at all.

For telephone numbers and pricing I use the internet over a guidebook.

Started out with Rick Steves, liked his style, then went to the library and checked them all out and it seemed as if each one listed something interesting. I now have the AAA Ireland book, if you are a super member (or whatever it's called) you get these for free. Tear out important #'s

Was glad I had started with R.S. book first as I am a first timer to Europe and Ireland and was cluless about how to even dial a phone. It was a great start, but Irish Eyes is right on his skipping a bit.

Now, it seems as if the internet is the best. Call me a nutcase but I love the planning and learning almost as much as the going but have realized that I have way too many things saved in the computer and all techno stuff will be left behind (on purpose!)and printing it all in their formats way to much.

Bought a slimline, sewn 3X4 notebook, stuck stickers all over the outside, tabbed the inside by overnight stay, have all the info written or reduced copies of where staying, back-up stay, sights and hours and a few blank pages for notes. Added a pocket to the back for my heritage card and phone card.

Since it's so small, this will be added to my photo/scrapbook to become part of my travel memories.

I don't agree that Fodors is always the "best" guide and think Suze gives excellent advice is terms of browsing through several different ones in a bookstore.

I particularly look at the included maps to see which ones are more detailed. A lost also depends on the style you prefer. I've used Rick Steves, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Fodors, Michelin Green, Michelin Red, and the DK series with their wonderful pictures and detailed depictions of sights. All seem to have good and not-so-good points.

This post makes me realize I really have a lot of Ireland guidebooks. Yikes.

DK Guides are my "dream books," (their Dublin book is virtually the same as the Dublin section of the Ireland book, so no need to buy them both), but when I'm actually traveling I find them quite general and their accommodation listings lacking enough detail to make a good decision.

For Ireland, Lonely Planet covers the most small towns and includes more budget accommodations (sometimes very heavy on the hostel listings...but they present mid and high end places as well)...the small town listings make it good for self-drives at a leisurely pace.

The Rough Guide for Ireland is very good as well. They cover a lot of sites and their accommodation listings have a good amount of detail.

Frommers (I use their $60 A Day version-which has dated info...the newer $80 has since come out) covers less than LP and RG, but has more detailed descriptions. Their "finds" are always right on.

Rick Steeves and AAA Spiral Guides only cover specific areas, but they don't have much info on the areas in between.

The Green Guide is good, but it's format is alphabetical, so it's more useful when you have an itinerary set and want to learn more about each town rather than what to see in a region.

When it comes to accuracy, I've found the date of publication to be the best measure. I usually find sites and accommodaitons in the guide book and then go online to confirm details. I'm in the habit of jotting changes right in the book (and since I'm there at least once a year, I note the date I checked it).

If I had to choose, I'd probably choose two books with very different styles like Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or Frommers and tie it in with a Green Guide or a specialized book like Frommer's Ireland's Best Loved Drives.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already responded!! I intend to hit the library today, and Barnes & Noble tomorrow!

: )

See www.irelandexpert.com

Pat's book is fabulous too.

Oh yes, I forgot Pat's Take a Break in Ireland. It is one of the best for self-drive tours of Ireland...it includes nice walking tours of many towns as well. She includes restaurant, pub and other "diversions." There are no accommodation listings, but she does include some off-the-beaten-path sites and several unique shopping opportunities.

You won't find it at B&N though, it's only available from her website or in Irish bookstores. Order it online and you can have it within the week.