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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No surprises, but a useful reference, October 28, 2009
This review is from: Fodor's Paris 2010 (Full-color Travel Guide) (Paperback)
If you're considering this book, I assume you're going to Paris and want a multipurpose guidebook in English with annual editions. You would probably also consider Rick Steves, Frommer's Paris and
Michelin Green. My short recommendation among these is Fodor's is best for an American inexperienced international traveler, Steves for an experienced traveler with little knowledge of Paris, Frommer's for a business traveler or someone anticipating a short residence in the city (such as a student) and Michelin for the experienced Parisian visitor. Of course, there are many other good books in English, such as Culture Shock! Paris, Gault Millau, Time Out Paris and The Traveling Professor's Guide To Paris but these are not as up-to-date or comprehensive.
Fodor's has the best map insert (except that the subway map will challenge readers with less than perfect eyesight), the best index and the most comprehensive listings. It has no surprises, for example the list of museums will be completely familiar even if you have never been to Paris. They are pretty good about weeding out recommendations of things that have disappeared or closed, but not things that have declined in quality. The traditional tourist sites and areas are covered heavily, there is only sketchy information about rest of the city, including business areas, suburbs and areas of new interest. There is little for visitors with specific interests beyond seeing the main sights, shopping, eating and drinking.
Prices, hours, telephone numbers and other specific information is largely accurate. The writing is clear and concise. You can trust relative comparisons in words like "spacious," "attractive," and "nearby," unlike some guidebooks with poor editorial control, written by people with varying standards.
This is a very competent execution of a straightforward task, compiling the basic information most Americans will want for a first trip to Paris. If you do not look for much beyond that, such as insight, edge, opinion or novelty, you will not be disappointed.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent advice, just like an old friend would give you, October 18, 2010
This review is from: Fodor's Paris 2010 (Full-color Travel Guide) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
A dear old friend presents Paris, tour the city with Fodor's. The advice in this book is rock solid, following a recommendation will likely turn out well.
I love Paris and France. I lived in a suburb of Paris for almost two years. I have visited the city many times, most recently the summer of 2009. I drive in Paris (something no American should try on their own). My first visit to the city was accompanied by a very old copy of Fodor's guide to Paris. How in the world do I critically review an old friend? It was difficult.
Sadly, I write this review well past the tourist season of 2010. This book might be on sale and would be an excellent find at a reduced price. Not much changes in one year for this beautiful city, so a 2010 guidebook for a 2011 trip would be relevant. For the really adventurous traveler, Paris in the winter is still a beautiful city - rainy and cool, but free of any tourists and home of some great deals.
How to choose between the big three, Frommer's, Fodor's, and Lonely Planet? Frommer's guidebook is more vibrant, exciting, and better for the first time visitor ( Frommer's Paris 2010 (Frommer's Colour Complete Guides)). Much of what I wrote about Frommer's volume applies to Fodor's guidebook. Lonely Planet, focuses on the cheap, almost to the exclusion of anything else. Their target audience is the young backpacker trying to get by on the least amount of money possible in this gorgeous city. I'm not certain I agree with all their advice, sometimes you just have to spend money. Fodor's is a cannot lose book, follow the advice and you will have a fantastic visit. For me, Frommer's wins, by a very small margin.
The book starts with an overview of Paris. The intention is to broadly define the city and direct further reading to the more detailed chapters. The meat and potatoes of the book are the thirteen chapters on major monuments or areas of Paris (not the physical arrondissement, but an arbitrary selection). These are all excellent descriptions of each area. If an area sounds interesting, you will probably enjoy that area very much. Fodor provides accurate descriptions of these places. They give a very detailed excellent description of bicycles for rent.
The middle section of the book is devoted to entertainment, shopping, nightlife, eating, and sleeping. The shopping section is one of the largest I have ever read. In general, good advice is given. The sad but true fact with so much globalization, most of what you find in Paris stores can be bought back in the US for less money. This is especially true of any major stores.
The problem with the book is the restaurant and lodging section. The reviews are outstanding. I can vouch for several restaurants and hotels, Fodor and I agree on their assessment. This is the most confusing layout I have ever seen in my life. I am very familiar with the arrondissement in Paris and I'm lost trying to find a hotel or restaurant in this guide. The first section is prefaced with a list of outstanding restaurants, with no indication of where they are located. Then there is an arrondissement by arrondissement listing of restaurants. And finally there is an index of restaurants referencing an arbitrary map (map page and letter / number coordinates to find the location) set between the restaurants and hotels. In order to read about that restaurant, you now have to divine the arrondissement, and then go back to that section and search for it. It is a twisted complex mess. Hotels follow the map and have the same abysmal organization.
The section on the outside of Paris covers Versailles, Chartres (a really lovely trip, but fairly far from Paris), and Disneyland. The advice given is brief, familiar, and not particularly revealing.
Fodor does get to the point very quickly about the practical side of visiting Paris, internet usage, cell phones, etiquette in restaurants and out and about, language, and interactions with people. The advice is solid and useful.
The book contains a fold out map of Paris and a Metro map. The fold out is pretty good.
Maybe I've used Fodor's guides for so long they just feel like a nice comfortable old friend. I didn't learn a lot new by reading this book. But it did reinforce all the right things a tourist should think about in this beautiful city. Use this book; you cannot go wrong with the recommendations.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Focused, on-point writing. Color photos on every other page., June 9, 2010
This review is from: Fodor's Paris 2010 (Full-color Travel Guide) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
FODOR'S PARIS 2010 is a 488 page guidebook on the sights, shopping, restaurants, and hotels in Paris. Tads of history are provided here and there, and for every section doting on a museum, famous monument, or famous garden, there is a small map, as well as blurbs on nearby cafes. At the back of the book, attached via perforations, is a 12 inch X 20 inch map of downtown Paris, showing roughly a 20 square mile area. One can see from the map that the street layout in Paris is a confusing mess. In America, most city blocks are rectangles, where the rectangles are the same size, and where the streets go north-to-south or east-to-west. But in Paris, many of the city blocks are triangles. And while many city blocks are rectangles, not one of the rectangles has the same dimension as another. Hence, this map will be essential to any traveler.
Now I know why the Germans lost WWI and WWII. It was not because of the superior tactical and technical advantages of the Allies. It was really because when the Germans invaded Paris, they got so confused that they turned around and went back home.
The book begins by providing a thumbnail sketch of the ten top attractions in Paris, e.g., Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Jardin du Luxembourg, and various museums (pages 16-17). Then the book dives into details of the Latin Quarter, an area where many famous authors penned their masterpieces (pages 22-23). Pages 30-31 provides a list of museums, including museums of history, photography, glass, and weaving. Pages 45-50 are devoted to Notre Dame. The Louve is detailed on pages 79-104, which includes a 2-page history of this museum. Other museums include a museum of antique weapons, doll museum, Picasso museum (pages 147-149).
The book describes "Place de la Bastille," and is careful to state that the Bastille prison was demolished long ago, and that tourists continue to ask for directions to the Bastille (page 149-164).
The book tells about Roman ruins in Paris (Lutetia Amphitheater), the address where Jean-Paul Marat ran his newspaper, a museum devoted to Monet, and a museum of wine.
Pages 213-232 disclose bars and nightclubs, including a bar where waiters wear revolutionary hats (Bar Du Marche), a bar that is also a bookstore (La Belle Hortense), a tugboat turned into a nightclub (Le Batofar). A moment on the internet will provide any interested traveler with a picture of these real places. The internet pictures will reveal that La Belle Hortense is a funky hole-in-the-wall, while, in contrast, Le Batofar is elegant and beautiful.
The shopping section (pages 245-296) discloses shops for bags, antiques, second-hand books, discount clothing (elegant clothing that was in-fashion the year before, but no longer fashionable), vintage clothing, department stores with fashion shows, chocolate shops, elegant lingerie (Chantal Thomass), and perfumes. The restaurants section of this book (pages 297-324) is probably way too short to do justice to this particular subject. Here is a quotation about a restaurant located up in the Eiffel Tower: "Spend more and you'll be entitled to lobster with celery root and black truffle, and fricasse of Bresse chicken with crayfish. For dessert, an unsinkable pink grapefruit souffle with grapefruit sorbet." (pages 337).
CONCLUSIONS & OTHER COMMENTS. The magnitude of the subject matter, and the modest size of this book, do not permit the disclosure of very many unexpected or obscure facts. For this reason, the writing is workmanlike and to the point, with few anecdotes. Actually, one useful anecdotal comment concerns entering nightclubs (page 223): "If you're friends with a regular or you've modeled in Vogue, you'll have an easier time getting through the door." There are only a couple of full-page color photographs, and there is no attempt to "pad" the book with artistic-looking color landscapes. Perhaps the most beautiful large photograph is the interior of Versailles.
The book actually discloses MUCH MORE than just the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. We learn of specialty museums that are devoted to one particular artist, such as Picasso or Monet. If I had the opportunity to visit Paris, I would certainly read a book like this, in order to learn of the plethora of museums. Since I am interested in inventors, such as Nikola Tesla (AC generator, AC motor), Robert Watson-Watt (radar), Gordon Gould (laser), and Elisha Gray (telephone), I would probably head for the MUSEE DES ARTS ET METIERS, which contains 80,000 instruments, machines, and gadgets, from 16th century astrolabes to camera prototypes by the Freres Lumiere (here I am quoting from the Fodor book).
For any person interested in visiting Paris, I recommend the following book. The book is a large one, but it never books down into academic obscurity. What I recommend is: CITIZENS A CHRONICLE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION by Simon Schama (948 pages). If you read CITIZENS by Simon Schama, and then go to Paris, you will likely have a more interesting visit, because you'll understand the meaning and history behind many of the old buildings.
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