No comments about Maverick Guide to Berlin.

2 comments about Insight Pocket Guide Munich.

1. I love my Insight Guide to Germany (we use everywhere we travel here in Germany). In fact, no one will let me leave home without it! As a result, I purchased the Pocket Guide to Munich for this summer's round of weekend trips. Very helpful and informative. I appreciate the effort made to include historical points and the wonderful photos, along with sample agendas.



2. If you're planning on spending just a few days in Munich, then this compact little guide will be indispensible in locating the famous beerhalls and tourist sights. The maps are more than adequate and the walking descriptions to each locale are precise and accurate. There is also corresponding material on how to use the U-Bahn in the city and which station to take for each particular site. There is a separate chapter on the beerhalls of the city with a brief ranking system for the nosiest places, the friendliest, the cheapest beer, etc.

   If you're planning a lengthy sojourn in Munich or if you already know the city well, then this book would not be as helpful. It is solely intended for the casual tourist and there is little, if any, information on the intriguing environs of Munich, including Bogenhausen, Haidhausen and areas of Schwabing. Many of the best sites are neglected because most tourists don't want to bother or simply don't have the time to stick around. Still, this is a thrifty guide you can stick in your pocket and consult when you need to find a restaurant, beer haunt or hotel. In short, if you're a first timer to Munich, enjoy the greatest city in Europe and be sure to tuck away Latja's guide.

3 comments about Frommer's Germany 2005 (Frommer's Complete).

1. I emphatically do not want to find out where all the sleaziest bars are. Travel guides are too full of this sort of thing. However, if you want to visit Germany and come away with a better understanding of the history and historical sites of the country, this book is for you. It offers an introduction to art and architecture, which, although minimal, is better than the Lonely Planet's and other competitors' offerings. The lack of an appropriate series of maps is a definite downside. The section on lodgings is too large. What we really need is for a Rick Steves-type to write the definitive guide to historical and geographical sites of interest.

   Not perfect, but better than the competition: thus, four stars out of five.




2. I've used the Frommer's 2004 Japan with great success, and this book has many of the same traits that I enjoyed. The recommended sites are grouped in easy-to-visit clusters (and regions of large cities are described with easy to read maps nearby). Sidebars include listings of favorite activities (not always visiting the most prestigious museum either) and interesting tidbits about areas (including a memorial to Nazi book burnings that I haven't seen in any other travel guide...and it sounds like a very touching place to visit!). Definitely would recommend this book over any others.



3. I had a great experience with my Frommer's Tuscany, so I tried this one. Frommer's Guides usually have very thorough descriptions of history and interesting tidbits. This aspect was reasonably, if cursorily, done; thus, being the only reason I gave the book 2 stars in stead of one. I disembarked from the plane this morning and could barely wait to write a review. I knew the prices were way off from the moment I received the book. I was looking at the recommended hotels online and the Guide was consistently 25-45 Euros low. That's a huge difference... sometimes nearly $100, but I was willing to let that slide. I found my own hotels. When I got to Berlin, for example, I discovered, with ease, fantastic, mainstream, hotels, pensions or resorts and spas a block or bus/tram ride away from ones that the Guide recommended. These surprisingly (relatively) inexpensive hotels were never even mentioned, though they were far superior. This happened again and again. The restuarants recommended, without exception, had the insanely terrible service (by German standards)or extremely mediocre food or both (but flashy!) and here the prices were surprizingly off as well. It made me feel as though all of the places mentioned had paid to be in the book! Thank goodness I brought 2 back-ups guides and started asking people (since I speak German)! I suggest, in lieu of this book, the Rough Guide and/or Let's Go Germany. Yes, they are also very mainstream, but their recommendations never failed. I was there for nearly 3 weeks and writers Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince were *so* wrong, I am returning their book to the publishing company.

No comments about Exploring Rural Germany (Exploring Rural Series).

No comments about Traveler's Guide to Jewish Germany.

2 comments about The Hungry Traveler Germany (The Hungry Traveler Series).

1. It's a pleasure to browse through this guide.

   It's just the thing to use to translate Deutsche Spezialitaten, the German-language version of Culinaria Germany, the lush, big food book that describes the delicious cuisine of Germany, region by region, or you can use it in a German supermarket to decipher labels. Plus, it's handy for translating German menus.

   At 289 pages, it's a bit too thick to carry in a pocket, next to your body. Plus, it's a bit fragile, with its paper covers and perfect binding. So carry it in a purse, fanny pack, jacket- or cargo pocket.




2. I may know the names of typical German dishes, but that doesn't help me decipher a menu when I'm visiting a restaurant in Germany. With a limited amount of time (and thus a finite opportunity to pig out on regional specialties), I wanted to make sure I was picking the best stuff to eat.

   We took this slender tome with us on our last trip, and we were extremely glad we did. What's this dessert prepared with Muskatnuss? Ah, nutmeg! How do I ask for a hard-boiled egg at breakfast? (If you don't specify, I learned, you get it soft-boiled.) And so on.

   We definitely had fewer surprises. And we able to order what we really wanted. The book also includes a section on regional specialties, so we knew enough to order Maultaschen when we had the opportunity to do so, not to mention an idea of what would arrive on the plate.

   In addition to the Hungry Traveler Germany, I also have the Marling Menu-Master Germany (which appears to be out of print, alas). Both are very good, earning 5-stars unquestionably, though this book is a bit larger (and thus may be awkward to carry; it fits okay in a fanny pack). If I had to choose, I'd take the Marling book with me on a trip, because it's organized by restaurant menu sections, rather than alphabetically. It's also small enough to fit in a pocket.

   This one, though, has little extras that make it worth reading all the way through. For example, it warns you not to try to bring back any meat products (which I should have read before trying to bring home Black Forest Ham), and suggests made-in-Germany food related specialties that won't bother Customs at all (ranging from Christmas gingerbread to cutlery and table linens).

No comments about Simon & Barklee in Germany.

1 comments about Frankfurt Insight Fleximap (Insight Flexi Map).

1. We used the Insight Fleximap while traveling around Frankfurt and found it to be VERY useful and easy to use.

No comments about Through the German Waterways (Travel).

No comments about Hitler's Munich.