Frommer's Paris 2012 (Frommer's Color Complete) [Paperback]

Joseph Alexiou (Author), Lily Heise (Author), Sophie Nellis (Author), Kate van den Boogert (Author), Meg Zimbeck (Author), Barbra Austin (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2011 | Series: Frommer's Color Complete (Book 915)

• Full-color throughout.
• Free full-color, foldout map.
• Completely updated every year.
• Insider advice on avoiding the crowds as you explore some of Paris's greatest gems, from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower. Plus tips for exploring some of Paris's more offbeat sights, from the eerie Catacombs to the avant-garde Palais de Tokyo museum.
• Where to find everything from the coolest neo-bistros to the most gourmet Michelin-starred French restaurants. Plus, recommendations for the hippest wine bars and the best food markets, from the Marché d'Aligre to the grand, upscale food halls of Fauchon.
• Insightful commentary on Paris's dazzling array of art and architectural masterpieces, from the Cathedrale de Notre-Dame to the Arc de Triomphe, and from Rodin's The Thinker to Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
• Opinionated reviews. No bland descriptions and lukewarm recommendations. Our expert writers are passionate about their destinations--they tell it like it is in an engaging and helpful way.
• Exact prices listed for every establishment and activity--no other guides offer such detailed, candid reviews of hotels and restaurants. We include the very best, but also emphasize moderately priced choices for real people.
• User-friendly features including star ratings and special icons to point readers to great finds, excellent values, insider tips, best bets for kids, special moments, and overrated experiences.

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From the Book: Street Food in Paris

Falafel stands line Rue de Rosiers in Paris. Photo by Maarten (Superchango)/Flickr.com

As appealing as it is to indulge in a three-course meal at a Paris bistro, you can also savor many French specialties on the street.

Where to Eat:
By day, sidewalks in the Left Bank's Latin Quarter around Saint Michel get crowded with sandwich vendors selling baguettes. In the Marais, you'll want to try the falafel stands on Rue de Rosiers. At night, the air is filled with the aroma of freshly prepared crepes, especially around Montparnasse, in the Latin Quarter, and near the nightclub areas.

How Much:
A Nutella or chestnut-puree crepe will cost about 4 Euro; a jambon et fromage baguette is around 6 Euro.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• Hundreds of color photos

• Free pocket map inside,plus easy-to-read maps throughout

• Exact prices, directions, opening hours,and other practical information

• Candid reviews of hotels and restaurants,plus sights, shopping, and nightlife

• Itineraries, walking tours, and trip-planning ideas

• Insider tips from local expert authors

About the Author

Joseph Alexiou works as a freelance journalist, and he is the author of Paris For Dummies. His work has appeared in the New York Press, the New York Observer, and Paper magazine. He holds an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and he lives in Brooklyn.

Lily Heise has been living in Paris for more than 10 years, having studied art in both Italy and France. She has extensive experience in the travel and culture sectors, from trip planning to leading tours and from exhibit curatorship to teaching fi lm studies. She regularly reports on Paris culture news and events for local and international online and print publications. She lives in Montmartre and spends her free time exploring off beat Paris and visiting the latest art exhibits.

Sophie Nellis came to Paris for a summer adventure in 2007. Four years later, she is still here. After completing an undergraduate degree in English Literature and History at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, her love aff air with Paris led her to a Masters in Paris Studies at the University of Paris in London (ULIP). Here she specialized in 19th- and 20th-century Paris and wrote a dissertation on the history of Algerian immigration in Paris. She currently lives in Belleville and divides her time among writing, teaching, translating, and leading walking tours of Paris.

Kate van den Boogert is founding editor of the popular Paris blog gogoparis.com, an insider’s guide to fashion, food, arts, gigs, and gossip in the French capital. Kate moved to Paris from Melbourne in 2000.

Meg Zimbeck is a food and travel writer and the Founding Editor of Paris by Mouth (www.parisbymouth.com), an online resource about eating and drinking in Paris with contributions from some of the most respected food and wine writers living in Paris.
Originally from Kansas City (followed by Chicago and Boston), Meg has been based in Paris for years and has contributed to Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, Budget Travel, BlackBook, and Hemispheres.

Barbra Austin is a food writer, a pastry chef, and the Assistant Editor of Paris by Mouth. She conducted extensive research and wrote a dozen listings for the dining chapter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 18 edition (September 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118045971
• ISBN-13: 978-1118045978
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Travel > Europe > France > Paris

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book makes me feel VERY prepared for my vacation April 1, 2012

By Esther Schindler TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

It's an odd hobby, but I love to read a good guidebook even when I don't get to visit the destination. I think it's because my own writing style (for computer technology books and articles) has been strongly influenced by great travel guides and cookbooks. The best of them make you feel as though the author is standing right by your side, pointing out the things you might not notice otherwise. If I say, "Oh! I'd never have thought of that!" when I read a travel guide, I know it's going to be a good one. And it's even better when the travel guide shows some personality and gives you a peek at the authors' own values. I have kept an ancient (from 1983!) Moneywise Guide to California because Vicki Leon's described Solvang as "the gift shop kitch is so thick you can cut it with a pastry knife" and of Carmel as, "If you had a nickel for every time someone referred to Carmel as 'quaint,' you could probably afford to stay here." A good travel guide gives the reader confidence that she can see what she must, learn what those things are, and do it on her budget.

And even though I have not yet made my trip to Paris (this summer! finally!) I feel very good about giving this guidebook a 5-star review.

The basics, first. The guidebook is organized much as you would expect, with chapters devoted to The Best of Paris; Paris Today (history, when to go); Suggested Itineraries; Exploring Paris (starting with top 14 sights/attraction); Strolling Around Paris; Where to Eat; Shopping; Entertainment & Nightlife; Where to Stay; Side Trips (e.g. Versailles, Fontainebleau); Trip Planning; Useful Terms and Phrases. Most chapters are organized by neighborhood, making it easy to explore-and-eat in the same area.... Every listing has the address, phone, prices, hours, and metro stop, and most include a URL; I'm surprised by how often guidebooks leave out these things.

The book's strengths that warm my heart mainly come from the authors' clear strong opinions, such as "The summer is the worst time to visit, since most Parisians flee the city while most tourists crowd into the city then." (Tough, that's when I'm going. But now I know.) It is not chamber-of-commerce writing. A restaurant review says, "It's the oldest Alsatian brasserie in town, but it's grown tired and stale over the years. Nonetheless, it's packed every night because of its stunning interior." They are also remarkably cognizant of what it's like to travel with a family. For instance, they include a restaurant recommendation for an American burgers-and-fries restaurant, for when kids (or adults) get tired of tasting new things. Small sidebars include tips ("Leaping Over the Louvre Line") and cultural asides ("Five New Wave [French] Films").

As you'd expect, the most popular destinations get plenty of explanation; the Louvre gets four full pages. The "Where to Eat" chapter is over 50 pages, organized by neighborhood, so it's pretty extensive. There are plenty of maps, including a full city map meant to be pulled out of the book.

This isn't a guide targeted at budget travelers, though it tries hard to find affordable options. And there are things I wish for (or maybe haven't found yet), like "Things to do on Sunday when just about everything seems to be closed" or "best choices for going to a laundromat" (since I'll be on the road long enough for that to be relevant). This won't be the only book I take along (I'm putting a Marling Menu-Master for France in my shopping cart, and checking several foodie books out of the library; I also expect to be grateful for the Kindle reader on my iPad), but I feel confident, now, that the five days I've devoted to Paris will be time well spent. Read more ›

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great travel guide- very useful February 19, 2012

By Dragonfly4797

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Frommer's Guides have always been my go-to guide for a trip to a foreign destination, and I haven't been disappointed yet. The Frommer's Paris 2012 met my expectations for my 8-day trip to Paris, and was very helpful. The book is divided into 12 chapters, including The Best of Paris, Paris in Depth, Suggested Paris Itineraries (if you have limited time), Exploring Paris, Strolling around Paris (suggested walking tours), Where to Eat, Shopping, Entertainment & Nightlife, Where to Stay, Side Trips from Paris, Planning your Trip, and Useful Terms and Phrases. Paris is divided into neighborhoods, or arrondissements, and the chapters on exploring Paris are divided by arrondissement. This makes it easy to see where things are located and to have an idea of how far an attraction is from where your hotel is located. The descriptions of monuments, museums, cathedrals, and other attractions have opening hours, cost of admission, and the nearest Metro and bus stop listed, which makes it easy to plan your day. The restaurant descriptions are fairly accurate, with opening hours and prices listed as well. I do recommend visiting the website of restaurants and attractions a few days before your trip to verify that hours are the same, and that something isn't closed for renovation at the time you will be in Paris.

The Frommer's Guide is a great resource, and I definitely recommend it for research before your trip so you can get the most out of your days in Paris. Many places are closed on different days throughout the week, and it's best to go with some sort of plan in place. (i.e. the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays) I would also recommend The Eyewitness Travel Guide to Paris. I purchased both books and they each have slightly different information, all of it being helpful in trip planning.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect city guide May 17, 2012

By Stacy Alesi VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I am a long time fan of Frommer's guides. They are thorough, easy to use and come with those terrific fold out full color maps. The city guides offer so much in depth info that I can't imagine traveling to Paris without it. Since they update annually, the information is always current and spot on. What more could you want from a travel guide than that!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Issues with the Kindle edition that Kindle purchasers should know about June 25, 2012

By Steven Birnbaum

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've always liked the Frommer's guides and, editorially, I liked this one as well. However, there were several problems for me with the Kindle edition.

First, obviously, the attached fold-out map of Paris does not come with the kindle edition. The text in the Amazon sales page says, "Free full-color, foldout map." I assumed that there would not be a paper map, but thought that there might be an expanding map that I could zoom in on. (I wanted this so I would have a map without a wi-fi connection.) This was not the case, and I had to buy a book in print form with maps. False advertising cost me another $10.

Second, when you expand the small maps that *are* included, you just get useless fuzzy images.

Third, I used this on my ipad. To find restaurants and tourist destinations, I wanted to be able to tap on the address in the book and have the address open in maps. However, addresses were not hot links. Also, you cannot copy/paste text with the Kindle. To find addresses on the map, I had to manually type the address into maps. (This was particularly annoying because I had to go back-and-forth to get the spelling right.) Some might say that this is not a big deal for them; maybe it's not. But it undermines the exciting features we should get from a digital copy of a book.

I gave the book 3 stars. I liked the editorial content - 5 stars. I didn't like the kindle implementation - 1 star. For me, these three items listed above defeated the purpose of having a digital copy of the book. If you can live with these limitations, you might like the kindle edition. However, next time I will get a paper copy.

(Note to Amazon: If you read or scan any of these reviews, please allow us to copy/paste short passages from kindle editions.... Even just a few words.)

Thanks. Read more ›