Frommer’s Paris 2010

5 Responses to “Frommer’s Paris 2010”

1. Emily Glickman says:

   May 7, 2010 at 10:40 pm

   I permanently bought Frommers for the information, and TimeOut or some additional guidebook for the pictures. For the first time, Frommers has upgraded its guide to include both. Gorgeous, useful book inspires excursion to Paris.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
2. Kathleen Brothers says:

   May 8, 2010 at 1:04 am

   Frommer’s travel guides contain hundreds of color photos, foldout maps, exact prices, directions, and candid reviews of hotels and restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. The guide also contains itineraries, walking tours, trip preparation thoughts, insider tips from local experts, and many additional beneficial tips to get the most out of the location a name is traveling to. Frommer’s has an simple to read structure that allows for well-organized traveling and smooth navigating, and while it may sometimes be an overload of information, overall, it’s well worth the fee and will enable the traveler to have an brilliant experience in an unfamiliar location.

   In the Frommer’s guide to New York City, there was a list on page two entitled “Most Unforgettable New York City Experiences,” which was a very eye-catching way to start off the guide. Moral of the tale; Frommer’s doesn’t waste any time. Straight away they list some fantastic things for first time visitors to consume in, including some smaller things that additional guidebooks might miss, like “Take the New York City Subway.” That’s a no brainer to a name who’s been to New York City once or twice. It’s something everyone should do, yet something most guides might forget about. The guide also suggests to walk up 125th street (Harlem Boulevard), and run around the Central Park reservoir. (Two additional admirable suggestions.) Then of course, the guide lists some of the huge, more obvious guns, like visiting the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Frommer’s Paris will undoubtedly inspire a name to want to visit Paris. In the “Most Unforgettable Paris Experiences” section there are references to Ernest Hemingway’s memoir of Paris “A Moveable Feast,” and it has a list of a few bars and cafes he loved writing and drinking at, which is something many travelers, not tourists, would be interested in visiting.

   A review on the website [...] states that Frommer’s guides specialize in European countries. The travel guides taking place in these countries are said to be of privileged quality, although not much of a difference in quality could be noticed between New York City and the Paris guide. Both seemed reasonably similar in structure and style. Granted, they were edited by different people. Perhaps in the past it came down to how well the editors really knew the area in which they were studying.

   The guidebook contains very useful pictures on nearly every page, along with list after very useful list, including best buildings, restaurants, and things to do for free. Copious maps are scattered throughout the book, and tucked away in the back is a fold out map of Manhattan. Granted, “New York City” consists of all five boroughs, and Manhattan is simply “The City,” but that’s something to be forgiven. A name traveling to New York wouldn’t find too much worth outside of Manhattan. It isn’t a subway map, but persons are all over the city, so it would have been unnecessary. The language of the guide is very simple. For the most part, fleeting, concise sentences are used. For example, on page 90, referring to Union Square, the guide states that “Union Square is the hub of the entire area; the N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6, W, and L train stop here, building it simple to reach from most additional city neighborhoods.” Within this fleeting introduction to Union Square, a lot is said in simple words; the reader knows of all the trains that run through the square, and the area is defined as a busy, well loved place with a lot of activity going on. This use of simple language enables teenagers, as well as older folks, to use this guide with relative ease. The language, as well as the simple-to-use lists and references, is why Frommer’s is one of the most well loved and bestselling travel guides in the world. One downside is that Frommer’s may be more geared for high rollers in the economy department. Although Frommer’s does do their best to offer cheap and free things to do, the guide doesn’t go too far out of their way to do it, and there are plenty more expensive hotels mentioned than cheap ones. The guide itself runs for about twenty dollars. The smaller sized Boston edition breaks down Hotels into three categories; very expensive, expensive, and moderate. Notice how there is no “Cheap” section. There’s permanently a few cheap hotels to be mentioned, so why not include them? A few teenagers venturing to Boston would most certainly want a cheap hotel that they could just crash in for a few hours each night. Additional lists, such as restaurants and bars contain lists labeled as “Inexpensive.”

   The regular sized Frommer’s travel guides for New York City and Paris made very excellent use of pictures. More than half of the pages in the guide had at least one picture. When discussing architecture, restaurants, or even fun activities, there was usually at least one picture to give the reader an thought of what they were in store for. This makes a picture in the mind of the reader, and the mere aesthetics of the visuals could be enough to draw the reader to want to commit to either buying the book, or listening to the writers advice. The portable Boston guide didn’t have any pictures at all, and it certainly was harder to navigate because of it. The pictures help structure and help the reader find things a lot quicker. If the reader wants to find a excellent restaurant and they see a picture of a restaurant, chances are they’ve establish their section lacking having to look in the pointer.

   The size of the travel guide is manageable, and reasonably lightweight (weighing just under two pounds). It won’t fit in a normal-sized pocket, but a bag or a purse will do, and the weight allows one to carry it around with relative ease. An older crowd would find this The audience may be written for more of an older crowd. It isn’t overwhelmingly written for an older crowd, but if there was any lean, it’d be more towards the older crowd. Frommer’s has a variety of locations to choose from, including, but not limited to; Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Rome, Chicago, Dublin, London, Las Vegas, and Hong Kong. Typically, Frommer’s gears its guides towards point cities as oppose to generalizing them towards countries, as some additional guides occasionally do. The guide is riddled with many appealing sections that the reader would like, including ones such as “Where the Editor eats,” which is a list of restaurants that the editor personally writes about and recommends.

   There are a few places that Frommer’s doesn’t seem to take in, such as Australia, Alaska, and additional regularly overlooked locations if a name wants to do some sightseeing or hiking and camping. The purpose of the guide focuses on the overall experience of a city. Frommer’s answers the question of how a tourist can get the best overall experience. For Frommer’s, this seems to be the main objective; experiencing a city or country as much as possible as quick as possible, and that’s something to be admired, because the organization of the guide allows for an simple sense of navigation and direction throughout the destination in order to get as many of these things done as possible.
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
3. Pikmin says:

   May 8, 2010 at 3:49 am

   Sample itineraries are included! I don’t need to reflect what places and sightseeings I should go because the guide provides a variety of itineraries depending on part of the trip. Some out-dated-information is how to use pay phone. Excuse me, the last time I can recall using a pay phone was 9 years ago. These days everyone uses mobile phone.
   
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
4. Terry Sanders says:

   May 8, 2010 at 4:43 am

   Like additional Frommer guides I’ve consulted, this up-to-date guide of Paris provides all the practical information needed to maximize a trip. It’s a bit heavier than I’d like in a book I travel with, but for an unknown city that large, it’s worth it. If you take only one guide, this would be the appropriate choice.
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
5. Steven A. Peterson says:

   May 8, 2010 at 4:57 am

   Between 1972 and 1983, I had the excellent chance of visiting Paris four different times. Alas! Not once since then. So, I must confess that I regularly buy these tourist guides to renew my acquaintance–from afar–with the City of Lights. Personally, I have establish Paris to be one of the most delightful places that ever I have visited.

   Frommer’s is a dependable publisher of such guides. And this one surely does not disappoint. The first part of the book whets one’s appetite, by summarizing some of the experiences one can have in Paris–”whiling away an afternoon in a Parisian cafe,” “window-shopping in the Faubourg St. Honore,” a brief suggestion of fine hotels and restaurants, things to do, and so on.

   Part 2 focuses on the history of Paris, and provides nice context for exploring the city today. There is also some consideration of art and architecture, well loved culture, and (exquisite!) eating. Part 3 lays out what you need to prepare for your visit (useful information indeed). Part 4 is an brilliant resource–laying out itineraries. Want to see a lot of sites in one day? Starting at the metro stop by the Louvre, here are places to visit–the Louvre, Pont Neuf, Sainte-Chapelle, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Place de la Concorde (crossing can be a breathtaking adventure!), Champs-Elysee, to the Eiffel Tower. This will give you your 10,000 steps for a day! Additional itineraries ensure as well.

   Part 5? Where do you want to stay? Expensive hotel? Moderately priced venue? Part 6–where to dine. Elegant cuisine at top restaurants (e.g., Alain Ducasse’s place, La Grand Vefour, Taillevant). Or visit a cafe (I permanently loved La Deux Magots). Subsequent sections examine exploring Paris, shopping in Paris, and Paris after dark. What about side trips? I have loved two of these–to Versailles and to the wondrous cathedral at Chartres (the soft blue of the windows is breathtaking).

   The volume closes with some quick facts and a set of useful phrases in French.

   In the final analysis, this represents another fine guide by Frommer’s. Thinking of going to Paris? This would be a excellent companion. . . .
   
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5