Customer Reviews

Michelin THE RED GUIDE France 2002

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is a work of art, it features reviews and information on hotels and restaurants plus very detailed maps of cites. You don't have to worry about these reviews, Michelin has been doing this for over a 100 years. Yes, some of the information is in French, but don't worry the book is actually written to be intrepreted by a table of symbols. The only hard part might be understanding what the specialty of the house is...and not being a lover of sweetbreads or liver myself, you might want to figure out what it means in French anyway before you go. Not every restaurant has an English menu and how hard is it to look up a couple phrases in French? It will only help your trip. Okay- I had to respond to reviewer that gave this book a bad review... I am assuming that this is your first trip to France because if you had already been you would know the Red Guides, my best advise take another look. This book has not been the best resource for over 100 years for nothing.

There's nothing better to have along if you're traveling in France, especially if you're driving and want to find out of the way places, than the Red Guide. It's well known for listing all the posh restaurants and hotels, but there's also a wealth of information in this volume for those who travel closer to the ground. There are many city maps, some quite extensive, and the entry for every town, no matter the size, gives the number of inhabitants, the mileage to other cities in the area and to Paris. There are also numerous listings for hotels and restaurants that even a budget traveler can use. In the front of the book there's an extensive section in English that explains the symbols. Master them and you can easily find a hotel with the amenities you want, a restaurant with a good affordable meal and and you won't be lost when you get there. Best of all, use it and you'll learn some French!

The previous reviewer misses one important point. Thanks to this guide you can find your way in almost any little town you can think of. Don't drive in France without it or get lost.

I travel in France almost every year and have found the Michelin Red Guide to be invaluable. If you plan to visit areas other than the "tourist sites", this is the only book for you. Yes it is in French, but, the symbols are explained in English and are easy to understand regardless.

Reviewers who have panned this essential guide for travel in France must have expected a guide book for sightseeing. It is, instead, the unimpeachable source of Hotel and Restaurant ratings. Yes, it is essentially in French, but the symbols are clearly explained in the prefaces. The specialties of the outstanding restaurants are listed. Concise village maps show you the location of your hotel or restaurant. Regional maps show you where you can find an outstanding meal, a bargain dinner, a charming hotel, or a luxurious palace. Anyone who gave this guide a bad rating didn't understand what it is to be used for. For sightseeing, you must buy the Michelin Green Guides. I go to France once a year, and never leave the USA without the current edition.

This Guide has a huge amount of well researched information presented in a compact easy to use form. The Michelin Guide was the original guide for travellers in France, inventing the star system, and over the years the Guide has built a well deserved reputation for a reliable rating on each establishment listed. For any region there are dozens of hotels and restaurants presented so as to be able to determine at a glance the quality and price range. Don't think of booking a holiday in France without it. My only warning is that many of the more character hotels are not on any international booking list and you must book directly yourself. This has not been a problem and the result has proved to be worth the little extra effort.

Not long ago, my husband and I were in Italy. We'd bought a Michelin green guide (I never travel without one), but not the red. The night before we were to fly out of Milano, we decided at the last minute to look for a quaint place to stay within an hour or two of the airport. We happened to have another well-known travel guide with us, and decided to use their suggestions to find a hotel. Three and a half hours--and many failed attempts--later, we broke down and bought a Michelin red guide at a gas station off the autostrada. Within twenty minutes, we were happily settled into a charming hotel whose prices and ambience were exactly as Michelin described. Never again will I look anywhere else!

Michelin does it best, and has for decades. This book, while in French, operates principally by means of symbols, so it's accessible even for those who don't read French. Also, it is NOT the GREEN guide, which is also the best there is with regard to sightseeing. So don't look at the red guide if you want to know the best sights to see in Bretagne, for instance (in that case, use the Green Guide). But do use the red guide for an almost exhaustive listing of hotels and restaurants for nearly everyone's budget (with the possible exception of those who want the cheapest, youth hostel prices possible).

I've read bits and pieces of this book, and if you can read the French it is just as good as any English guide, with a litte more insight to the country (as it is written by FRENCH PEOPLE). If you're looking for a good English guidebook, try National Geographic Traveler or Eyewitness guides to France, as well as the Eyewitness guides to specific regions of France to get more in-depth advice on the best places to visit.

Good basic information, but no english sub titles, overall I would not buy this book, all the basic information is on the web, in english, so we understand it....

MIchelin guides are the best when evaluating hotels and restaurants in foreign countries and the Guide to France is their piece de resistance.