There's no such thing as "the best guide book." Different people expect different things from their guide books
and each range of books is geared towards a different audience.
These are merely comments on guide books I've used over the
years. Generally, I prefer
Rough
Guide books
- although the
Lonely
Planet series
can be very good as well. Quality and depth of coverage does
very quite a lot by by destination and guide.
Rough
Guide - Usually excellent on background, historical and cultural
information. Generally poorer on places to stay or eat /
drink out than the equivalent Lonely Planet.
Lonely
Planet - Does an excellent job of packing a lot of information
into one book. Strong on practical information such as
accomodation, restaurants, transport etc. Generally thinner
than the
Rough
Guide
on historical information but better in the accomodation
/ dining out stakes.
Dorling
Kindersley (DK) Eyewitness - The Eyewitness are universally very well illustratred.
Great for for figuring out what sights to visit. Thin on
actual information. Includes excellent maps and floor plans.
Not really the book for hotel / dining recommendations.
Frommers - Like Fodors, a
mainstream guidebook with information on major sights, restaurants,
hotels. Strong on good-quality hotel and restaurant recommendations.
Not strong on historical background.
Rick
Steves - People tend to be passionate about Rick Steves -
they either love him or hate him. Generally opinionated,
they're not comprehensive guide books but, instead, cover
Rick Steves perceptions of highlights. Appear to be geared
towards the lesser experienced traveller. People have commented
that the hotels he recommends tend to be full of other
people also using the books.
Time Out -
Well-regarded guides to specific cities, with useful information
on restaurants, cafes, and other "hang-outs". Usually very
thorough and current.
Fodors - Mainstream guide book with information in sights,
restaurants and hotels. Some find it too upscale and it's
not the best for budget travellers. Generally pretty good
on the restaurant recommendations but not strong on historical
background. "If you have one day...", "If you have three
days..." feature is very handy for travel planning.
Michelin
Red - Hotel and restaurant recommendations. Some find
them too upscale. Others point to the non-starred but "good
food at moderate prices" listings as a way of balancing
price and quality.
Michelin
Green Guides - Good site information, with a star rating system
(3 stars: worth a journey; 2 stars: worth a detour; 1 star:
interesting) Very useful for planning a trip
Europe - recommended guide books
There's no such thing as "the best guide book." Different people expect different things from their guide books and each range of books is geared towards a different audience. These are merely comments on guide books I've used over the years. Generally, I prefer Rough Guide books
- although the
Lonely
Planet series
can be very good as well. Quality and depth of coverage does
very quite a lot by by destination and guide.
Lonely Planet
- Does an excellent job of packing a lot of information
into one book. Strong on practical information such as
accomodation, restaurants, transport etc. Generally thinner
than the
Rough
Guide
on historical information but better in the accomodation
/ dining out stakes.
Dorling Kindersley (DK) Eyewitness
- The Eyewitness are universally very well illustratred.
Great for for figuring out what sights to visit. Thin on
actual information. Includes excellent maps and floor plans.
Not really the book for hotel / dining recommendations.
Rick Steves
- People tend to be passionate about Rick Steves -
they either love him or hate him. Generally opinionated,
they're not comprehensive guide books but, instead, cover
Rick Steves perceptions of highlights. Appear to be geared
towards the lesser experienced traveller. People have commented
that the hotels he recommends tend to be full of other
people also using the books.
Time Out - Well-regarded guides to specific cities, with useful information on restaurants, cafes, and other "hang-outs". Usually very thorough and current.
Michelin Red
- Hotel and restaurant recommendations. Some find
them too upscale. Others point to the non-starred but "good
food at moderate prices" listings as a way of balancing
price and quality.
Michelin Green Guides
- Good site information, with a star rating system
(3 stars: worth a journey; 2 stars: worth a detour; 1 star:
interesting) Very useful for planning a trip
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