Review

Travel Roundup: Best Travel Series of the Year, 2008. Hooper, Brad (author). FEATURE. First published September 15, 2008 (Booklist). We select the Little Black Travel Books as our travel guide series of the year. The main reasons for designating these guides as best of the year are their portability and user friendliness. (The spiral binding allows the reader to keep the book open to a certain page.) Individual volumes are small enough to fit into a pocket, but in terms of helpfulness, they are twice their physical dimensions. The other reason these guides are so worthy of praise is the fact that each volume has a neat, tidy, and nicely detailed foldout map to the particular area under discussion. The chapters in each volume correspond to the geographical areas into which the authors divide the city for the tourist. Each chapter gives basics on places to see, available art, and entertainment venues, places to eat and drink, where to shop, and where to stay. You can study a range of guides before your actual trip, but this is definitely a commendable candidate for carrying with you on site. Little Black Travel Books (Peter Pauper Press). –Booklist (American Library Association) –Booklist (American Library Association)

When I buy a guidebook, I usually look for the Frommer’s $ a Day budget guides — Washington D.C. from $80 a Day, Paris from $95 a Day, etc. Why? Well, mostly because I’m a creature of habit. I started buying the Frommer’s and Let’s Go guides years ago because they focus on budget travel. Let’s Go is great for backpackers and those on a really tight budget. Frommer’s is a bit more mature but still budget-minded (think hotels rather than hostels), and I like their ”Suggested Itineraries” section and their maps (Frommer’s maps are among the best). But now that there are so many other guidebooks to choose from, I buy Frommer’s mostly because I can be in and out of the store in minutes rather than hours and I know I’ll come home with a reliable guide. Then, just this past month, everything changed… I discovered something new… You see, when I went to the bookstore to pick up guidebooks for my upcoming honeymoon, I got an idea… Since we’re going around the world with stops in Milan, Lake Como, Dubai, Shanghai, and Tokyo, and I needed to buy a guidebook for each destination. Why not, I thought, buy five different guidebooks (from five different publishers) and compare them to find my favorite. So that’s what I did. I bought one brand for each stop and then, on my way out, I saw a little Paris guide I’d never seen (or heard of) before. So I picked that up too. (I go to Paris at least once a year so I can never have enough Paris guidebooks.) Here’s what I found… and it surprised me: My favorite book of all — for both pre-trip planning and on-the-ground support — is The Little Black Book of Paris. The other guides I bought are all divided into sections this way: Where to Stay, Where to Eat, What to Do. But The Little Black Book of Paris is divided by area. And each area has its own fold-out map (which, to be honest, blows the Frommer’s maps out of the water). While the guide doesn’t have an entire history or culture section like most of the others do — Lonely Planet, TimeOut, Fodor’s, etc — it’s well written and there’s an overview of each area at the beginning of each section. I liked the guide so much I went back to the bookstore to buy more. Unfortunately, they don’t have guides for my other destinations as they’re a fairly new series. They do, however, have one for Washington D.C., where I live, so I bought that. After reading both guides — Paris and D.C. — cover to cover, I got so excited about these guidebooks I called the publisher to see what other books they have in the works. Turns out, Paris, D.C., New York, and Rome are the only guides on shelves to date. But San Francisco and London are due out later this year (July and September respectively). And they hope to publish four a year from now on, with Boston and Disney World on their 2008 list. These books are a real find, and I’m glad I stumbled on them. I encourage you to check them out. –Lori Appling – The Travel Writer’s Life –Lori Appling – The Travel Writer’s Life

Product Description

Newly revised and updated! This ”Essential Guide to the City of Light” is eminently portable and offers the very best of things to see and do in Paris. Targeted foldout area maps guide your explorations through the sights and neighborhoods of Paris, both on and off the beaten path. Insider tips accompany this compilation of must-not-miss landmarks; arts and entertainment venues; and places to eat, drink, shop, and stay. You can’t do without it! 216 pages; 4-1/4 wide x 5-3/4 high; 10 foldout maps; concealed wire-o binding; book lies flat for ease of use; elastic band place holder.

Review

Product Description

See all Editorial Reviews

Review

Steves preaches a low-cost, low-to-the-ground style that not only saves money, but gets you closer to the real Europe, the way Europeans experience it.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This ebook is a handy and usable travel guide to Venice. It was adapted for the Kindle from wikitravel.org*, which was named by Time magazine as one of the 50 best websites of 2008. This ebook has been prepared by Dolphin books specifically for the Amazon Kindle, and includes careful formatting and a hyperlinked table of contents. In length, this ebook is roughly equivalent to 60 printed pages.

This ebook contains no paid advertising.

Among other things, this guide provides:

information about travelling to from and within Venice, by plane, train, bus, car, and of course boat.

useful telephone numbers

lists of events, landmarks, museums, and things to do

information on shopping, dining, drinking, and hotels

*wikitravel.org is not affiliated with Dolphin Books and provides no endorsement for this product.

Product Description
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. While you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Paris!

•Updated annually, Fodor’s Paris provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guide book.

•Fodor’s Paris features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Paris.

•Experience Paris like a local! Fodor’s Paris features choices for every traveler, highlighting ways to dazzle the senses with mouth-watering food; how best to explore the city’s magical neighborhoods, magnificent museums, and spectacular gardens; where to laze the day away at a café; and where to find the city’s best shopping.

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•Pull-out map and 8-page color insert

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Product Description

The perfect companion guide to Karen Brown’s Guide to France Hotels, this guide introduces you to the country’s wonderful bed and breakfasts. Meet the French and experience their exceptional hospitality in homes ranging from quaint farms to luxurious chateaux. Explore ancient towns’ history and culture or move beyond to the royal forests, romantic castles, rose-filled vineyards, and meadows of fragrant lavender. France is a bounty of tradition, culture and history-all waiting to be discovered. 14 Regional Countryside Driving Itineraries, Recommendations of over 150 charming Bed & Breakfasts

Product Description

Austria is a glorious country-much like Switzerland, yet less touristy and less expensive. This book gives the traveler a wealth of information with destinations that range from the popular Tyrol and the Danube to the lesser-known castles of Burgenland and the glorious lakes of Carinthia. To supplement the itineraries, there are delightful places to stay along the routes, including former castles, ancient monasteries, alpine chalets and cozy farmhouses, all selected for their charm and the highest standards of service and quality. 5 Regional Countryside Driving Itineraries, Descriptions of over 80 Places to Stay.

Product Description

Italy is magical and this guide continues to be the best seller in the Karen Brown series. Truly a tourist’s paradise-within its boot-from its tip to its famous toe, travelers will experience memorable and romantic accommodation, incredible dining, a wealth of history, incredible culture, enchanting towns and villages as well as a landscape that varies from picturesque lakes to tremendous mountain peaks and the rolling hills of Tuscany and Umbria. Let this guide introduce you to the magic and romance of Italy. 7 Regional Countryside Driving Itineraries, Descriptions of over 270 Places to Stay.

Review

“The most valuable series I’ve ever found for travelling independently in Europe.” — John Flinn, San Francisco Chronicle
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

Review

Steves preaches a low-cost, low-to-the-ground style that not only saves money, but gets you closer to the real Europe, the way Europeans experience it.

Product Description

Product Description

Storybook Switzerland is breathtakingly beautiful, from its rugged mountain peaks to its scenic lake district. Itineraries lead the traveler through this delightful country, recommending a combination of car, train, boat and bus as means of transportation. Experience everything Swiss from dazzling mountain top villages and romantic lakeside towns to cheese and chocolate! Accommodation includes elegant hotels in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and charmingly simple Emmental chalets. 4 Regional Countryside Itineraries, Descriptions of over 100 Places to Stay.

Product Description

From the snow-capped Alps to the sand dunes of the North Friesian Islands, Germany is a cultural wonder. Travelers can indulge in a wealth of sightseeing and exceptional accommodation in every price range. From luxurious castles to simple family hotels where the linens are hung from shuttered windows to air and the breakfast buffets are heaped with a tempting assortment of breads, salami, cheeses and jams, Germany offers something to enchant even the most discriminating traveler. 7 Regional Countryside Driving Itineraries, Descriptions of over 140 Places to Stay.

Review

Today’s tourists are as likely to be toting Rick Steves as Giorgio Armani, tasting the good life without burning through the Kids’ college fund.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

Review

Today’s tourists are as likely to be toting Rick Steves as Giorgio Armani, tasting the good life without burning through the Kids’ college fund.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in France!

•Updated annually, Fodor’s France 2009 provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s France 2009 features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in France.

•Experience France like a local! Fodor’s France 2009 includes unique photo-features that impart the country’s culture, covering food and wine, history-rich Versailles, Provence’s Lavender Route, magical Mont-St-Michel, and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•8 page color insert and a full-color pullout map

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

About the Author

Each Fodor’s guide is researched and written by resident experts

Product Description

Product Description
America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series

• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides

• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries

• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

You’ll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer’s. It’s like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go–they’ve done the legwork for you, and they’re not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer’s Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You’d be lost without us!

• Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer’s Germany features gorgeous color photos of the dazzling baroque architecture, picturesque villages, and beer gardens that await you. Come along with us and discover some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery, from the medieval towns and half-timbered houses along the Romantic Road to lovely vineyards along the Rhine River. Frommer’s offers up-to-date coverage of all the country’s highlights–music festivals, hiking in the Black Forest, Oktoberfest, cafes, castles, and Berlin’s vibrant, cutting-edge cultural scene.
• Inside you’ll find candid, detailed reviews of the very best dining and accommodations for any taste and budget. We offer a wealth of sightseeing, sports, shopping, strolls, and special moments–from highlights for the first-time visitor to off-the-beaten-track discoveries that will impress even the most seasoned traveler.
• From beergarden to Bauhaus, charming villages and über-modern cities, the Alps to the Zeppelin-Museum, our authors help you plan your perfect trip to Germany.

From the Back Cover

Frommer’s. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

• From the beer garden to Bauhaus, charming villages to über-modern cities, the Alps to the Zeppelin-Museum, our authors help you plan your perfect trip to Germany.

• Outspoken opinions on what’s worth your time and what’s not.

• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.

• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

Product Description
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Italy!

•Your vacation never looked better. This Fodor’s full-color guide paints an unforgettable picture of Italy with vibrant maps, vividly illustrated features, and stunning color photos.

•Updated annually, Fodor’s Italy provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s Italy features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Italy.

•Experience Italy like a local! Fodor’s Italy includes Rome, Florence, Venice, and much more!

•Fodor’s Italy includes unique photo-features that impart the country’s culture, covering Ancient Rome, Venice’s Grand Canal, the Cinque Terre, and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•Full-color pullout map.

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

About the Author

Each Fodor guide is researched and written by resident experts