Customer Reviews

Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris (Irreverent Guides)

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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.