Frommer's Toronto 2004 [Paperback]

Hilary Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2003 | Series: Frommer's Complete Guides (Book 214)

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer’s Toronto is written by a native who’ll show you all the highlights and hidden pleasures of this fascinating city. She’s inspected countless hotels and selected the most inviting places to stay for every taste and budget: historic downtown hotels, best bets for families, romantic inns, and more. She’ll also show you the best of Toronto's multicultural dining scene, from elegant French bistros and Italian trattorias to eclectic spots for Asian, Greek, and fusion cuisines.

With Frommer’s in hand, you won’t miss any of the fun, from Harbourfront Centre, the Metropolitan Zoo, and Skydome to art museums, markets, neighborhood strolls, and ferries to nearby islands -- plus biking, boating, cross-country skiing, ice-skating, and swimming. It’s all here, in one reliable, easy-to-use guide, packed with neighborhood maps, exact prices, and logistical tips. You’ll even get an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Comprehensive" (Washington Post, 5/2001) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. And avoid tourist traps. At Frommer’s, we use 150 outspoken travel experts around the world to help you make the right choices. Frommer’s. Your guide to a world of travel experience.

Choose the Only Guide That Gives You:

• Expert advice on easy side trips to Stratford, the Ontario wine region, and Muskoka Lakes.
• Outspoken opinions on what’s worth your time and what’s not.
• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.
• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.
• The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Frommer's; 10 edition (December 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764540602
• ISBN-13: 978-0764540608
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,070,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was a prolific journalist before I turned to crime... crime fiction, that is. My debut novel, THE DAMAGE DONE (Forge, 2010) won the 2011 Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and the Crimespree Award for Best First Novel (it was a finalist for the Macavity and Arthur Ellis awards). My second novel, THE NEXT ONE TO FALL, will be published by Forge in February 2012. Some of my short stories appear in anthologies, including CRIME FACTORY: THE FIRST SHIFT, BLOOD GUTS & WHISKEY and BEAT TO A PULP: ROUND ONE. Before that, my day job was travel journalist: I've written 17 guidebooks for Frommer's and hundreds of articles for magazines in the U.S. and Canada. I also run the www.GlutenFreeGuidebook.com site, for people with celiac disease/gluten intolerance. You can see more of my writing and photography at www.HilaryDavidson.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference on Canada's Largest City, June 5, 2002

By 

Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's Toronto (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

Resourceful, handy, and full of important travel reference, "Frommers Toronto" by Hilary Davidson is a good book to have when traveling to Canada's largest city. Full of maps, suggested itineraries, and the names and addresses of many local establishments, this book came handy when I traveled to Toronto back in October 2000.

While I consider this book a good buy and reference, I am more biased when it comes top travel guides, I highly recommend Lonely Planet's guide to the city. Lonely Planet is an excellent series because it is full of information that not only will benefit you during your stay in Toronto, but also comes in handy when preplanning your trip. Whether you want to learn about entry requirements or more about the city's history and culture, Lonely Planet in my opinion ranks supreme in the travel book industry. Frommer's is a great series, but I feel that it is geared more to travelers 35 years and above, whereas Lonely Planet covers the young adult market.

Still a good book, Frommer's will make your stay in Toronto a pleasant one. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Was not a useful reference, July 10, 2004

By 

Purple Grimmus (Valencia, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Toronto 2004 (Paperback)

The usual reason to buy a travel book like this is to get some insights about places to visit and use the map to figure out how to get to those places. Unfortunately, the maps in this book aren't always correct. We had tickets to Mama Mia at the Royal Alexandra. The book justs insists that the RA is on the wrong side of Simcoe. Luckily there were plenty of banners hanging along King Street to guide us in the right direction. Still, I was a little more gunshy about all of the Frommer's recommendations after this. Some of the dining recommendations were good but some just made no sense (a highly recommended seemed mediocre and overhyped). The layout of the book means that there is never a single map to show you where both the restaurants and attractions are. Each is relegated to its own section. Due to the Royal Alex mishap, Frommers got relegated to the hotel room and we just used the freebie Hertz map we got when renting the car. And tripadvisor.com got consulted for all attaction advice.

Luckily the book is cheap so I wasn't out much money. But with the wealth of web resources, I would either just rely on the web or buy one of the other travel companies books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent travel guide!, June 8, 2006

By 

sdbd - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Toronto 2006 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I just got back from a trip to Toronto and I found this book incredibly helpful. I bought it mainly for the restaurant and shopping chapters (which were great) but the best parts were the walking tours. There are three days of complete itineraries plus several walking tours of different neighborhoods, and they were so interesting that I ended up spending most of my trip following them. I feel like I really saw the city, not just the touristy highlights. Some of the places I wouldn't have found on my own, and others, like the University of Toronto Campus, I wouldn't have thought of visiting (there are two art galleries on the campus though so it's definitely worth a visit).

The other thing I really loved about the book was that there were sections about restaurants that are good for people with food allergies. This is always an issue for me when I travel, so it was fantastic to have a list of places that I could eat at without worrying.

There were a lot of great things about this book, so I'd highly recommend it. Also, Toronto is a great city so I'm planning another visit!