No comments about Out of Paris: Days Out and Weekend Breaks Around the French Capital (Passport's Regional Guides of France).

No comments about London-Paris (Europe Popout Maps).

5 comments about Time Out Paris 7 (Time Out Paris Guide, 7th ed).

1. The Time Out Guide to Paris has to be just about the worst guide I have read.
   
   The maps are worse than useless and are impossible to read. The guide book itself extreemly bulky and heavy to carry, and it is illogically ordered so that you can never find the information that you need.Not to mention the fact that the text is written almost incomprehensibly, as if a person of certain years is trying to write through the potential eyes of a 15 year old. It fails and makes the whole book unreadable and uninteresting.
   
   The hotel suggestions are entirely useless, as they fail to mention that some areas of town are perhaps not such a good idea to stay in if you are on your own, female or with young children and the list is far from exhaustive.
   
   I will stick to Rough Guides in future as I have yet to be let down by them, and I never feel that I am on my own in a strange city with one in my pocket. Not so with a Time Out however, as I have been lost so many times and missed out on so many interesting sites and events that I have been forced to buy a Rough Guide and a map of the city and the Metro.



2. I've made >20 visits to France all together. Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!
   
   Time Out
   The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!
   
   Let's Go
   Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
   Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
   City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
   PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
   MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)
   
   Michelin
   Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
   
   Fodor's
   Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
   The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
   SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
   PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
   UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
   CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
   Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide
   
   MapGuide
   MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the Metro. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.
   
   Blue Guides
   Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.
   
   Lonely Planet
   Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.



3. This book has a very inadequate index, rendering the guidebook very frustrating to use, even though the book has so many listings of different things in Paris. I guess you just need to know how to look it up, often in the French language. So if you are looking up "St. Sulpice church", you have to look under "E" for Eglise St. Sulpice. Or "Egouts de Paris" instead of Sewers of Paris. To look up Luxembourg gardens you have to look up under "Jardins du Luxembourg". I'm only now figuring this out now that I'm home from my vacation! Cross referencing is sorely needed. I did use the street maps, street indexes, and metro map in the back though, and didn't have to buy a Paris Par Arrondissement guide.
   
   I ended up liking the Eyewitness Travel Guide better. I like the little photos, and it talks in more depth about the major and semi-major sights.



4. This book has been a great resource on what to see and do in Paris and an overview of the different arrondissements. A great city map is included. We used the Time Out NEW YORK book when we went to NY and that was so helpful. The pictures help you look for landmarks which is useful when you are not familiar with your surroundings. The book is highly accurate.



5. If you are a person who buys three guide books when you take a trip, you only need this ONE book and it should meet all your needs. It is compact and can fit into a backpack or bag fairly easily. It does a good job of covering the attractions of Paris while offering nice "back ground" information about each. Their resturant selections are mid-range to upper-range in price and have a pretty nice variety.
   
   With that said, here is what I don't like about the book: It's a bit TOO comprehensive for my taste. Though I thoroughly enjoy "back ground" information, I'm not the type of traveler who purchases thick travel books in order to gain "back ground" information. Thus, it was a bit too much for me. However, it would be perfect for those who do. The print is also smaller then the average travel book making it a "tough read" at times. I also don't like how there is no rating system for sights, resturants or activities. Though I'm not one who NEEDS to be told what's important and what's not, it IS nice to have some sort of rating system when you're trying to see as much as possible of a city in a short period of time. The descriptions of sights, activities and food are given with little emotion - the way you would read a AAA book - basic information without too much personal opinoin. Consequently, you are forced to read the book "cover to cover" and do a lot of highlighting in order to find important information or you'll never find it again.
   
   This book is a strong 3 stars and perhaps even a 4 stars for some. It's a valuable resource if you like a lot of information without too much commentary, but I think there are other books which are easier to read and more benefical. I enjoyed Loney Planet-Paris, which offered some background information along with personal recommendations. For the Budget minded traveler who likes a VERY easy travel book (it lacks a lot of background information, but gives PLENTY of personal recommendations and great resonable resturant choices), I suggest Frommer's Paris from $90 a Day. You can't buy it directly from Amazon, but you can buy a "new" one from one of their other sellers. I bought it for $5 and it included shipping! A great deal!

1 comments about Paris Was Yesterday (Virago Modern Classics).

1. How can you not love Janet Flanner? By reading this book, you begin to understand how Americans like Janet or Genet loved Paris and how the city loved them back. It was a different time in Paris to be young and artistic, I don't think that exists now as much in Paris. But between the wars, Paris was a place where people like Janet Flanner, Natalie Clifford Barney, Ernest Hemingway, and other talented artists went to flourish and mingle with each other. Is there a place like that now for us, artists, writers, actors, etc.? I don't know but this book makes me long for Paris through Janet's writing.

2 comments about Time Out Paris Eating & Drinking (Time Out Paris Eating and Drinking).

1. This is a great book for someone who is really looking to sample the restaurants of Paris. It is divided by types of cuisine, but also has a great section you can flip through to find a great place to go on a romantic date, or for the best live jazz, or even the best decor. The only things I'm not satisfied with are the maps, which are small and complicated, and the fact that most restaurants listed are on the pricier side. There is an entire "Budget" section, but that seems to be the only place where the reviwers sought out food that is affordable on an every-day basis. If you're spending a long time in Paris, this is a great buy. The maps won't be a drawback for you if you have another street map (don't try to rely on this one!), but then again, this is a restaurant guide, not a guidebook. There is an amazing array of restaurants, bistros, bars, and cafes reviewed in mouth-watering detail.



2. Rosa Jackson, the editor, writes a monthly restaurant column in Paris Notes. We have enjoyed her selections for years. Most restaurant guides contain only good recommendations - not that we always agree with them, and sometimes we are disappointed no matter how much the author raves about the restaurant. In this book, Rosa Jackson writes negative reviews about some of the restaurants - food, service etc.. I find that so refreshing and so helpful. All of her reviews, good or bad, are full of details, down to the decor of the restaurant. This book has many sections, haute cusine to budget, and numerous international restaurants, all in easy to find sections - not clumped together for you to figure out.It has sections for various areas of Paris (arrondissements) and an A-Z index also. No matter what area you are in, there are numerous listings. I just found out that the 2007, 8th edition, which is completely revised, is due out towards the end of 2006. I am hoping that it will be available before we leave in December. If you are going to Paris in 2007, wait and get the newest edition. Restaurants in large cities, tend to close, change owners or chefs, and can go from excellent to mediocre in a short period of time - or visa versa. Get it this book as far in advance of your trip as you can ....it contains A LOT of reviews, restaurants, bars, cafes, wine bars, tea room, shops and markets, etc..

5 comments about Fodor's Around Paris with Kids, 2nd Edition: 68 Great Things to Do Together (Around the City with Kids).

1. I had spent a lot of time in Paris in the 1980s and recently went back with my 1 1/2 yr old son. This book was immensely helpful. As other reviewers noted, it highlights areas like Arenes de Lutece and Jardin des Plantes that are less touristy but great for kids. In fact, we met many Parisian families by going to the areas that the Parisians used. In regards to the one negative review, we did buy the 2nd edition (2003) so didn't have any logistical issues...although you should always call ahead in whatever city you may be traveling. As a plus, it's small and easy to travel with. (One minor complaint, we felt that the aquarium wasn't worth the time it took to get there, it is "modest" in size and scope). But the book - Strongly recommend.



2. One exaple: After arriving at Versailles with my sleeping daughter in her stroller, we found out no strollers were allowed inside. There were 3 other parents with babies/strollers spending there time outside the palace as well, probably wishing they wouldn't have made the trek.
   
   Nothing was listed to this effect, it said it was a great place for kids. I'm sure it is, but that is a relevant piece of information for parents of small children.



3. We ordered this book and started to look it over on the plane. Our daughter's first trip to the CITY OF LIGHTS! The attractions are listed in reverse order of interest, we slowly and with great anticipation read #68 Aquaboulevard, then #67 Arc de Triomphe, #66 Arenes de Lutece, #57 Champs-Elysees.......wait, that's not right!!! Attractions 58 through 65 ARE MISSING!!! I guess it didn't matter that the Centre de la Mer wasn't too exciting, since that was #59 in the table of contents, which was NOT INCLUDED our book. #65 Bateaux Parisiens, must have sunk, not there. #64 Bercy Village, we are back from a summer in France and still don't know what that is. #63 Bois de Boulogne, I thought that was the red light district, but apparently there is supposed to be something for kids too, just not included in our book. #61 Catacombes, I visited this once before, I loved it and wanted to take the family, it was closed this summer, no mention of anything like that in our printing. #60 Cathedrale de Notre-Dame-de-Paris, I admit, if you go to Paris and can't find this one on your own then a book isn't going to help any, but still it would have been nice, just for continuity. #58 Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, I can't imagine what a kid could enjoy about this, maybe if it was included in the book I could tell you, but it wasn't. So if you wan't to do 60 things in Paris, by all means take this book, but if you plan on anything more than that, buy something else.



4. Just finishing a month in Paris with my 7 year old and used this book daily as a starter for planning our activities. As with any travel book, double check the opening times and days on-line for EVERY place you want to go. Even with the big museums, various exhibits are often closed on certain days even if the museum says they are open. (Ex: Louvre doesn't have enought staff to keep every gallery open every day. Their website tells you what's open when so you don't take your future Egyptologist to the Louvre when most of those rooms are closed.) If you are from the United States, also take with a grain of salt when a commercial venue (not historic monument or museum) is rated as 'great' in this book. As my older boys observed on a visit to Paris with me 13 years ago: Europe does "old" really well and the USA does "new" really well. You don't come to Paris to go to water parks and toy stoys!



5. Fodor's gives the basics needed to travel with kids in Paris, but the information about days in operation and opening hours is not always accurate.
   
   Alan Safani

No comments about Paris Noir: The Secret History of a City.

2 comments about Special Places to Stay Paris Hotels, 3rd (Special Places to Stay).

1. Paris is a wonderful city, with an incredible variety of places to stay. Searching online makes a choice hard; most hotels either have only third-party pages, or a page that fails to give you a real sense of the ambiance.

   This book helps. It gives a selection of one-page reviews, each with a photograph (and Web site, when available), that capture the feeling of the hotel. Cooke-Yarborough aims to find smaller, friendlier establishments, with an emphasis on charm and personal service (as well as a penchant for sizing up the breakfast room of each).

   Many (if not most) of the hotels presented are of excellent value; it's easy to find a number of candidates that fall between 800 and 1000 FF / night, as well as more expensive and luxurious accommodations. They represent both on the left and right banks, with a number in the desirable St. Germain area. While all of the possibilities aren't captured, there is a good representation here, and it makes a fine starting point for finding that perfect place to stay in Paris.

   One word of warning; because of the quality and value presented by Cooke-Yarbourough's selections, as well as Paris' nature, the more desireable hotels fill quickly; book well ahead.




2. This book is now useless as it is totally out of date (published Jan. 2001) Do not waste your money on this book. I recommend Romantic Paris by Thirza Vallois instead.

No comments about Medieval Paris (Journey to the Past).

No comments about Private Diary of Travels, Personal Services, and Public Events, during Mission and Employment with the European Armies in the Campaigns of 1812, 1813, ... of Russia to the Capture of Paris. Volume 2.