Michelin Red Guide 2005 France: Selection d'Hotels et de Restaurants / Selection of Hotels and Restaurants (Michelin Red Guides) (French Edition) [Hardcover]

Michelin Travel Publications (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2005

A great Michelin guide to the hotels and restaurants of France.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Now over one hundred years old and still in fine form, "The Michelin Guide" has made the journey through the 20th century in much the same way as the motor car, the method of transportation preferred by Bibendum!

Travelling was arduous before 1914, on rough dirt roads, but with the arrival or paid holidays for employees, France was soon on the move. After a first golden age known here as the "glorious thirty years" (roughly 1945-1975), the advent of the motorway made travelling ever easier. The popularity of weekend get-aways, the reduced work week and other changes in society have created an increase in the number of short trips people take at any time of year, often to get away from the hectic pace of town.

The Guide was first offered to motorists "on a complementary basis". In France, in 1900, only 2,897 vehicles were officially declared to the tax authorities. Clearly the first printing of 35,000 copies had other readers in mind, as the Preface made clear. They were the 75,000 members of the Touring Club de France, founded ten years earlier. Michelin created the first removable tire for cycles in 1891, and a dozen pages of the Guide are devoted to tires for velocipedes.

The two brothers André and Édouard Michelin launched the project in the spirit of providing a service to motorists. The Guide is a reflection of this spirit of initiative and thirst for information and yet remains an objective guidebook, year after year, unaffected by fashion and mood, in tune with the events of the times. Like a Michelin tire, the guide has proved its resilience over the years, bouncing back after every bump or obstacle in the road, always seeking to improve its performance and to reach the end of the century, as its founders predicted, with the help and support of Michelin Guide readers.

The Guide is thus a testimony to the spirit of innovation of its creators, who were far ahead of their time in terms of market research, consumer surveys, readers’ letters and promotional actions.

The years pass, the Michelin Guide remains.

As we enter the third millennium, the Guide embarks on a second century of existence and no longer needs the Michelin brothers to predict a bright future for it. Has it not shown proven its usefulness in myriad situations? And let us not forget the famous message of optimism in the preface to the 1902 edition: "There is no limit to progress, and we hope to further improve this Guide next year".

From the Author

The Michelin brothers were among the few who were, and their Guide, in the first years, was dedicated to the service of motorists, adventurers out on the rough and rutted roads with hardly a signpost or service station in sight, aboard vehicles that had a penchant for regularly breaking down.

Édouard and André Michelin understood that the success of the automobile would depend on the ability to find petrol anywhere, to charge batteries, to change tires … but also to find one’s way on the road network, in towns and to find a hotel for the night.

The Guide was first offered to motorists "on a complementary basis". In France, in 1900, only 2,897 vehicles were officially declared to the tax authorities. Clearly the first printing of 35,000 copies had other readers in mind, as the Preface made clear. They were the 75,000 members of the Touring Club de France, founded ten years earlier. Michelin created the first removable tire for cycles in 1891, and a dozen pages of the Guide are devoted to tires for velocipedes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1861 pages
• Publisher: Michelin Travel Pubns; Multilingual edition (February 28, 2005)
• Language: French
• ISBN-10: 2067109375
• ISBN-13: 978-2067109377
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.7 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,822,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, the Best Advice on France, May 13, 2004

By 

"cartoprofessor" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Michelin 2004 Red Guide France (Michelin Red Guide: France, 2004; French Language Edition) (Hardcover)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of course it's in French!, April 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Michelin 2004 Red Guide France (Michelin Red Guide: France, 2004; French Language Edition) (Hardcover)

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!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maps are the other important asset, May 18, 2005

By 

MarcAT "MT" (Seattle, WA Etats-Unis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Michelin Red Guide 2005 France: Selection d'Hotels et de Restaurants / Selection of Hotels and Restaurants (Michelin Red Guides) (French Edition) (Hardcover)

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.