Customer Reviews

Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I must begin with full disclosure - any time I travel, I always look to see if there is a DK Eyewitness Travel guide for my destination. I was won over years ago by their Roman guidebook while living in the Eternal City. In addition, I have used the books for Madrid and Sicily with great success. I came to the Paris guidebook with high expectations, which were exceeded by its quality.

The guide begins with a brief overview of Parisian history. Next, it covers fourteen of the city's districts - the Ile de la Cité and the Ile St-Louis, the Marais, Beaubourg and Les Halles, the Tulieries, St-Germain-des-Prés, the Latin Quarter, the Jardin des Plantes, the Luxembourg Quarter, Montparnasse, Invalides and the Eiffel Tower Quarter, Chaillot, the Champs-Elysées, the Opéra Quarter, and Montmarte. There is also a section about some outlying areas.

The thing I like most about this series of travel guides is the amount of information that is given. For the novice, there is probably too much "stuff" packed into this guide. There are many sites and cultural tips that one could not hope to see in a week-long trip. It would be easy to be overwhelmed. This is also not the guide for those who want to study the life of the modern Parisian. Although it provides a lot of info, this guide does not do much more than scratch the surface.

There are those travelers who fall in between the novice and the expatriate, such as myself, the "Joe Friday" type - "Just the facts, ma'am." When I travel, I prefer to walk around a city until I'm lost. Then, and ONLY then, will I pull out my guidebook. As with the other DK Eyewitness Travel guides, I can whip this book out, find the section of the city in which I am lost, and find out one or two interesting things about everything around me. Armed with this little bit of information, I can decide whether I want to find out more by asking the locals. Invariably, when I have decided I am "done" with being lost, the excellent maps in this book get me back to wherever I want to be in a snap.

This book is well worth the cash. It will make of your trip an experience to remember!

This is a very good guide with lots of explanations on history, geography, etc. for those who really want to learn about Paris. As with other EyeWitness guides, sites indicate if there is a metro line, but they never tell you which line it is so you have to look at it in a metro map (same holds for London, Berlin, New York, Madrid, etc.)

I bought several travel books for my trip to Paris. This was by far the best. The pictures are crisp and clear. I have not found inaccurate data. It's worth the money.

BEWARE of this 2010 Printing, the pictures an illustrations of this edition lack vivid colors, I own several other EYE WITNESS guides and all are printed with very good quality and excellent vivid colors, great guides, but this one it's not, maybe its a printing defect of this edition or perhaps they are going "green" using less ink ???, I dont know, but I would stay away of this particular 2010 printing.

I ordered this book because we are spending four days in Paris this summer. I felt this book had too much information for the average person who never vistited. It divided the sites by regions or areas. Since I have never been to Paris I do not know one region from the other. I really just wanted some reference as to what to see in a short period of time. This book has a lot of information but too much for me to cypher. This is not the book for someone who is taking a short trip. If you want the history,maps and hundreds of places to chiose from then this is the book for you. However it does have some useful information in the back regarding public transportation and lots of photos. I will be returning this book and buying the top ten destinations instead.

This never arrived. Bummed.
Amazon said to contact the post office. yeah, right. Imagine trying to Contact your post office in a major city.
Good Luck.

Anyways, to Amazons benefit, they did issue me a refund.
Good on ya Amazon!