Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris (Irreverent Guides) [Paperback]

Darwin Porter (Author), Danforth Prince (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2006 | Series: Irreverent Guides (Book 42)

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. "Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times. "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world.

The City of Light has never been viewed with more humor, honesty, and style than it is in Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris, which presents the insiders' Paris, blemishes and all. Get the lowdown on where the real artists hang out, where to find atmospheric and affordable bistros, and how to uncover treasures in the city's famous flea markets. Find out how the French smoke and drink their way through meals and still look très stylin'. And what's behind this mass lovefest for Jerry Lewis anyway? No other travel guide so deftly and wittily deconstructs the French penchant for posturing; on the other hand, no other guide offers such incisive takes on the old-fashioned 19th-century heart that beats beneath all that attitude. With Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris, you'll have the smartest, funniest, hippest companion guide to a complex and magical destination.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Full of solid, insider information with just the right amount of cynicism."
—Travel Savvy magazine

Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the IRREVERENT GUIDES—the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend.

Look inside for the lowdown on:

• Where to stay if you're allergic to gilt and cherubs
• The chefs everybody's talking about
• Tourist-free neighborhoods and secret gardens
• The best places to part with your money, from magasins to markets
• How to stand a chance of getting into a fashion show
• Coping with surly waiters, aggressive dragueurs, and the famous French hauteur

Visit us online at Frommers.com

About the Author

Darwin Porter, a native of North Carolina, and Danforth Prince lived in France for many years. Darwin worked in television advertising and as a bureau chief for the Miami Herald. Danforth, who began his association with Darwin in 1982, worked for the Paris bureau of the New York Times. They are also the authors of France For Dummies, Frommer’s Paris 2006, and Frommer’s France.

Product Details

• Paperback: 267 pages
• Publisher: Frommer's; 6th edition (April 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471773360
• ISBN-13: 978-0471773368
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good for those who've been to Paris a lot, or those with surly teens, June 2, 2009

By 

Bachelier ""1004"" (Ile de France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris (Irreverent Guides) (Paperback)

There are a host of guides to Paris on the market, and many of them have their strengths. This one is for those who have been to Paris before and want to begin to feel at home in the city on an offbeat agenda. I also recommend this one for folks with surly adolescents and teenagers, as it contains a host of suggestions for those who suffer from their passive-aggressive and ironic snarls at all things touristic.

The guide is broken into the somewhat artificial left-bank, right-bank division that so many people assume is important, but in the increasingly expensive blur that is Paris and her fabulous Metro and RER system, it is hard to justify the artificial division.

I've found the hotel and restaurant recommendations spot-on, and the suggestions of things to see are always fun. One caveat: this is not in any way shape or form like a Michelin Green Guide, with narrative paragraphs chock full of history and dates. This is more of a few well-crafted sentences that direct you to something interesting and let you absorb on your own.

I have an edition that is long and slender and fits well in my pockets or daypack. The index is detailed and quick, and the table of contents is well broken down with good, quick, logical sections. The maps are okay, and provide enough detail to get you around, but you may want a supplemental map as well.

In short, for a frequent Paris visitor that still wants a broad guide but wants offbeat selections as well, the irreverent guide is a solid choice.