Customer Reviews

Frommer's Paris Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket)

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

 

 

This guide is awesome - I wanted something that would give me relevant suggestions on what to REALLY do in Paris - not just the touristy stuff. Paris Day by Day includes the author's own suggestions on places to eat (some are out-of-the-way and non-touristy) and the best times of day to be at certain places depending on the atmosphere. Other benefits of this guide:

-up-to-date admission fees and operating hours of attractions
-restaurant descriptions and average meal prices (in actual numbers, not just $$-$$$)
-walking directions from place to place on each tour
-a fold-out map of the city (in its own pocket - it can be separated from the book), and a map of the Metro system.

There's a tour for everyone in this guide, from the monument afficianado, to the gourmand, to the shopper, to the outdoorsy-person, to the nightlife-lover.

I bought the book thinking it would help me make the most of 3 days in Paris. On net, I would say it added very little. The section on Monmartre was useful -- most of the rest not very. As much as I hate to say it, Rick Steves does a much better job in helping one make the most of their time in Paris. In addition, some of Christi's picks were just bizarre. For example, if you had two days in Paris, the gastronomic capital of the world, why would you make one of your meals a falafel sandwich, no matter how good it was.

I zone out when I read dozens of restaurant and hotel descriptions in other guides, so I found this book to be really refreshing. Is it comprehensive? No. Which is just as well, since Paris is constantly changing anyway. I appreciated the walking tour ideas, especially the fact that it includes an estimate of the time it takes to get from stop to stop. I don't like to make strict travel plans or be weighed down by big guidebooks, so I found the walking tours, as well as the themed tours (Romantic Paris, Art Lovers Paris etc.) very helpful and I loved the fact that I could stash it in my purse to consult the Metro map when I needed to. It was easy to use the book as a starting point and then start exploring on your own. I actually read this series of books before other guidebooks now to get my imagination going when I'm preparing for a trip. I'd totally recommend this one for someone who's interested in soaking up the city.

My wife and I spent 3 days in Paris based on this book's recommendation. I'll guarantee you...you will get lost on your 2nd day, and you'll be bored to death on your 3rd day unless if you enjoy shopping over sightseeing. Here is my advice...Do not spend too much time wasting at unknown (less-known) places like what this book is recommending.

I like the thought of this guide, but it is either horribly out of date (Nov 2008) or was incorrect to begin with. We just spent 4 days in Paris, and chose our hotel and many activities out of this guide. We chose the hotel because the guide said it was quiet: the hotel was on a large road next to the Police Station & Ambulance route. Quiet had nothing to do with it.

This guide says the Louvre is closed on Mondays, when it's closed on Tuesdays. Not the largest detail, but when you're planning your 3 or 4 day trip ahead of time that's a big mistake. And it doesn't include going to the Louvre as part of the 3 days - only as a "special interest" trip!

This guide also doesn't mention which parts of town to avoid, or warn you about the scams in Paris. Thankfully we weren't scammed, but it would be a good inclusion in a Paris guide.

Rick Steves has better information, free, on his website.

This book was helpful in palnning our trip to Paris. You will find it quite difficult to follow the itineraries exactly because Paris is a living city and your must stop and look around. Breathe and take in what you are seeing. Let it soak in. Then you can appreciate the tourist sites. Whatever the book suggests for your time frame, figure double. There is no way anyone can go into the Louvre and the go eat lunch and then go on to see more touristy things in the same day. Why would a traveller want to have such a crammed schedule, If time is so short, then skip the major tourist traps and head for the lesser known sites. They are very interesting as well and they tend not to have long lines like the Eiffel Tower or Louvre.

If you have researched your Paris trip but you don't want to lug around your travel books on your trip, I would get this book. It is small, light, user friendly but it not all inclusive. I read Let's Go Paris, Lonely Planet and Frommer's prior to my trip so I have a general idea of what I want to do already. I'm taking this book with me so I have the locations of museums, metro stops, and restaurants that I might want to check out.

This guide is the right size (I carried it in my pocket) and gave me all the info that I needed for a great trip. I particularly loved the walking tours through the many "neighborhoods" outlined in Paris - and the guide gave me info on a lot of "off the beaten path" shops, stores, restaurants and attractions. It had good, solid current Metro information - and it's tips on cheap travel in and out of Paris (I stayed by CDG airport) saved me about twenty euros a day in train cost. I would highly recommend this guide (and I am sure I will use it again).