Frommer's London 2004 (Paperback)

~ Darwin Porter (Author), Danforth Prince (Author) "Spanning the Thames River since 1894, the Tower Bridge is one of London's most photographed sights..." (more)
Key Phrases: family ticket, pay movies, Covent Garden, West End, Piccadilly Circus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…a great guide…isn’t afraid to lead them off the beaten track…” (M2 Best Books, May 2004)

Product Description

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go -- they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's London features gorgeous full-color photos of the landmarks and experiences that await you. It covers all the traditional tourist favorites but also lets you in on local finds, neighborhood hangouts, and little-known gems.

In case you're worried about London's high prices, we've included tips on finding the best airfare, advice on package deals, and a host of moderately priced and affordable hotel and restaurants. And if money is no object, we'll show you the best places to spend it, from the Park Lane to the hippest new boutique hotels, from tea at the Ritz to the latest restaurants serving cutting-edge cuisine.

You'll rely on Frommer's for a complete guide to the city's sights, from the British Museum to Westminster Abbey. It's easy to build your own sightseeing plan, but if you'd like more guidance, we've included suggested itineraries plus a whole chapter full of detailed walking tours. We'll help you get theater tickets, point you toward the most atmospheric pubs, and show you where to shop til you drop. It's all here in one easy-to-use guide, complete with a color fold-out map and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; Pap/Map edition (August 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764537423
• ISBN-13: 978-0764537424
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,372,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Was the Bible for our week in London, June 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's London 2001 (Paperback)

Just back from a week in London where we constantly used this book to great advantage. In particular, I liked that it covers several day trips outside of London, like Stratford-on-Avon, Salisbury (Stonehenge) and others. A friend recommended a B&B so we did not use this guide for selecting accomodations. The restaurant recommendations were right on. Only 2 small issues - the Milennium Pedestrian Bridge is closed because of wobbling. I think everybody knew this but us, but its not mentioned in the guide. Second, the info phone number for railways has a new area code, but a phone message gave us the correct one. If you stay a week or more, consider getting a Tube pass for zones 1&2. This covered all of our travel in London except to/from Heathrow.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are going to London, and only London, get this Guide., March 28, 2003

By	Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frommer's(r) London 2003 (Paperback)

Porter & Prince are the authors of the recommended `Frommer's England 2003'. "London" has many more maps and more information than their country guide and it will be all you need for this vibrant city.

The 35 page section, "Planning Your Trip to London", is a quick, important read.
Their "Exploring London" section (67 pages) is superb.

Frommer's publications tend to be for the more affluent travelers and this guide is no exception. In London words like "inexpensive lodging" are a oxymoron. The authors do offer more help for those hoping to find accommodations less than $100 a night but in London it is a quest. For example, in the South Kensington section titled "inexpensive" you will find the `Swiss House Hotel' (really a B&B) at $165 double. Their South Kensington titled "Very Expensive" quotes prices at or around $400-$500 per night, sometimes more.

That said, all of their recommendations are reliable. The descriptions of accommodation, restaurant, pubs, sights, etc. are all very good. Frommer's makes life a bit easier for their readers by giving the cost of accommodations and restaurant in both British pounds and dollars. YEA.

Almost all of the hotels have website listing. Seeing your accommodations in color via the web is a major help. However, for the restaurants there are no web page listings; even though many of the top restaurants now have their own websites with vivid photos and descriptive menus. Maybe they will add this in their next edition.

If you want one guide to take with you to see London, and if you, like me, like lots of maps that match the "where" with the "what" that the guide is talking about, then Frommer's London 2003 is the guide to get: reliable, informative and very well laid out. Strongly Recommended.

58 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You're going to LOVE BRITAIN!, September 23, 2004

By	Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I've spent a year in England and have made >30 visits all together.

Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet your exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!

Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide

MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for pubs, hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the underground and the double decker buses. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the city centre. When you get to be an old London hand, remember that the classic Londoners guide will always be an A to Z (zed) map and guide. If you want to go a bit beyond the central core of the city (perhaps to Windsor, Hampton, or further away) you really need the proper AtoZ to be able to find exact routes and streets.

Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!

Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.

Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.

Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.