which paris guide book is better between these...
 

i am debating about the DK Top 10 Paris and the Fodor's Citypack Paris as my main everyday street guide. any opinions of which has proved to be more useful or other similar "pocket" guides. thank you.

i should have qualified that with the fact that i am looking for something that will also have a decent map.

I'm familiar with DK guides but not their &quot;Top 10&quot; series, so no opinion about those. However, I've used the Fodor's Citypack guides for both Rome and Venice, primarily for their maps which I find -- for the most part** -- very well done. <BR><BR>** In a subsequent version of the Rome Citypack guide, Fodors eliminated the helpful more-detailed map of Rome's Centro Storico on the reverse side of the main map. Very poor move, IMO.

ucsun, I have found that another very good series of city guides that includes excellent maps is the AAA Spiral Guide series.<BR><BR>I first used one in London when right after they came out and it was VERY handy. It was small and light enough to fit in my bag and it is broken down into specific areas of a city to help group sights, dining options, entertainment, and shopping in a logical manor. Each section has a basic map and then there is a very detailed street map in the back. Also, due to the fact that it is spiral bound, it lies flat when it is open, which is great when you are trying to plan your next route while having a cup of coffee at a cafe. <BR><BR>I have since used the Rome AAA Spiral guide and will be using the Paris guide in June. Hope this has helped.

I swear by my Streetwise Paris map for 90% of the locations I need (and recommend the Fodor's guide book.)<BR>However, for a compact map plus some very basic tourist info, the Paris Mapguide is an excellent thingy to carry around. It includes an alpha list of streets to find on the map grids. Weighs practically nothing.<BR><BR>

There are three book that I think are excellent for Paris.<BR><BR>1. The Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch. This is a little map book (booklet) which has readable size page of Paris by neighborhood. I usually like the Streetwise Map but for Paris the writing is too small because the city is sooooo big. <BR><BR>2. Bistros of Paris by Robert and Barbara Hamburger. This is a must for anyone who enjoys French food. Great reviews and listings of bistros by district.<BR><BR>3. Frommers Paris - Opppps sorry, but I think it was very user friendly.<BR>

For Paris, the best map guide is L'INDISPENSIBLE, Plan de Paris. Easily fits into your jacket pocket and the only guide which lists cross streets and the nearest metro when you look up a street name. And it has street #s as well. Find at most street kiosks in Paris. Downside; the type is quite small.

Good to hear about the Bistro book. I bought it from Amazon a few months ago, and now I will really look forward to using it.

There are three book that I think are excellent for Paris.<BR><BR>1. The Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch. This is a little map book (booklet) which has readable size page of Paris by neighborhood. I usually like the Streetwise Map but for Paris the writing is too small because the city is sooooo big. <BR><BR>2. Bistros of Paris by Robert and Barbara Hamburger. This is a must for anyone who enjoys French food. Great reviews and listings of bistros by district.<BR><BR>3. Frommers Paris - Opppps sorry, but I think it was very user friendly.<BR>

The Paris Mapguide is really terrific. The maps are very detailed and even show bus lines on major streets. There are also listings galore for monuments, museums, attractions, churches, markets, etc etc. Amazon has it. 32 pages.

ucsun - Last summer I took the DK Top 10 Paris with me. I like that there are area by area maps, that there is a metro map, and that it is light and compact. Not to mention that it gives you the top ten EVERYTHING in almost every area of the city...<BR>When I was in Munich I took the Fodor's Citypack and found the map to big to be useful, and that there wasn't half as much info packed into the travel guide.<BR>I've used the Top 10 Guides for London, Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona.<BR><BR>Hope you have a great trip!

p.s. I also took a streetwise map with my but didn't use it much...

I never go to Paris without my Paris Mapguide and my Paris Pratique (which you can buy at any magazine kiosque). The Middleditch Mapguide is quite readable and shows buslines; the Paris Pratique divides Paris by arrondissements (5, 6, 7, etc.) so is sometimes easier to find an area in, and it indicates street address numbers. <BR><BR>Oddly enough, I was just in Borders looking for a new guide (esp. on sights) and after considering all the smaller ones, decided on Lonely Planet's condensed guide. There seemed to be a lot of practical info, as well as maps. Both covers fold out into very practical maps, by area, and I think it would be very useful to a traveler not armed with others. All the sights have good detailed info re opening times, costs, etc. It looks like quite a deal to me and like a small guide that I might use quite a bit. (sometimes they are just too perfunctory)

I have used a variety of different pocket city guides. Knopf has lots of maps but lack details. Lonely planet has nice sturdy easy to use maps with good detail. The Dk books are better than Knopf in general. Fodors pocket books are pretty good with a very detailed map which unfortunately is hard to use. None of the pocket books are particularly good for details on places to see, places to eat etc. My favourite <BR>pocket books tend to be Lonely Planet followed by Fodors Citypack.

I would go for the DK Top 10. They are the small sister guides to the Eyewitness series. So similar content but far less bulky. Perfect for a short trip to Paris.

Timeout Paris i think is a worthwhile guide book.

For guide book--DK Guide to Paris and Michelin Green Guide for museums. For streets Paris Par Arrondisement. But have heard so much about Paris Mapguide and particularly having the bus lines shown on the street they go on--it is going on my next trip.

DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris is great for its street finder and detailed maps. As we all know, Paris has lots of those tiny one-block streets - without a street finder you can't find anything.

so would it be prudent to buy something like the Paris Mapguide before going or just buying one of the maps at a kiosk there.

Buy the Mapguide here and hit the ground running. The DK map in the guike book is good but it is bulky unless you take it out of the book. My husband used that last fall. He was willing to carry it!!

Uou won't be sorry about buying the Paris Map Guide book. The text is larger and easy to read. The book is small and easy to whip in and out of a backpack or bag. Those plans you buy in Paris are tiny and hard to read in my opinion. <BR><BR>You can pick it up at www.half.com for under $10 including shipping. Thats a bargain.

May I also add...<BR><BR>I always print out interesting page from websights and sort of compose my own book. Sometime I cut and paste the text into another text document and cut out all the stuff i dont want. At the end of the trip I simple toss it before I leave. <BR><BR>Good resources for this are--<BR><BR>frommers.com<BR>fodors.com<BR>timeout.com< BR>avantguide.com<BR><BR>May i also add the the Avant Guide book for Paris is excellent and offers some off beat experiences and a lot of the typical stuff. Check out their websight too.

For a month's stay in Paris, I used the Streetwise Map exclusively. It's smallish, plastic and easy to read, shows all metro stops and sites. The only time I needed a larger map was when I went slightly outside the central Paris area.

DK Top 10 Paris is great, compact with a lot of information.<BR><BR>Try Time Out, as well. the top 10 will travel daily, easier though.

i did a borders run to look at some of your suggestions first hand. and i must say that the AAA Spiral guides were awesome. it lays out the city area by area and hits highlights as well as details. it is slightly bigger than the DK top 10, but then again it is in between a full guide and a pocket guide. i guess i will try this one out and see how it goes.

as to maps, i've always used free city maps (usually sponsored by say galleries lafayette) found at the front desk of any hotel in paris.<BR><BR>they have the advantage that one may draw out a given day's route and later discard it for another. generally they are pretty accurate and have a list of street names which can be found in a referrence grid and have the bus, metro and rer station superimposed.<BR><BR>i might add that i don't like toting heavy guides (which i leave in the room) or multipage map books. one can easily slide one of these freebos into one's back pocket and off you go.

unscun, I am so happy thet you found the AAA Spiral Guide to be what you were looking for. As I said previously, I have found these guides to be extremely useful. Have a great trip!

We are leaving for Paris on the 4th of May for our 12th trip to Paris and hoping for someting new I bought Fodor's &quot;Exploring Paris&quot; I am not impressed.. The bookstore and several other books --Oh well.

Sorry Fodors - I do find most of the guidebooks mentioned above useful, but my favorites are the Rough Guide series because they're blunt and comprehensive. I don't need color photos - I'll be seeing the real thing.

Here's another recommendation for Bistros of Paris by the Hamburgers. Chock full of gems. You'll save the price of the book and then some.<BR><BR>Paris Mapguide is fantastic because it has so many buildings, museums, even the bus routes. It's small, but very detailed.<BR><BR>One of my must-haves, though, is also the Access Guide. I like this one because everything is on one neighborhood map (shops, restaurants, sights, etc.) and it's not to heavy to drag around with you. It's great for seeing what else is nearby when you've got time and you're at a sidewalk cafe.

I second the recommendation for the Spiral Guides--I've used Rome and Paris and found them helpful, easy to carry, and pretty comprehensive. I buy and read the Rick Steves guides, but only take photocopies of the pages I want( I can't bring myself to rip them up as he suggests) His brief tours through major museums are worth the price of the book.

The metro maps you may get at any metro station are invaluable.

would the 2 pages of handy french phrases that are found in the spiral guide be sufficient or should i get an additional phrase book?

Highly recommend Barron's &quot;French At A Glance&quot;. It has phonetic pronunciations and lots of other useful practical advice and information. And, you can slip it in your pocket.<BR><BR>Another fabulous resource is &quot;French in Five Minutes a Day&quot;. You'd be amazed at how much you really can learn in five minutes a day, or on the plane on the way over.