Frommer's Paris 2004 (Paperback)

~ Darwin Porter (Author), Danforth Prince (Author) "Discovering the City of Light and making it your own has always been the most compelling reason to visit Paris..." (more)
Key Phrases: Les Halles, Palais Royal, Arc de Triomphe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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 Paris features gorgeous full-color photos of the sights 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 the city's high prices, we've included tips on finding the best airfare, plus a host of affordable hotels and restaurants. And if money is no object, we'll show you the best places to spend it, from the Ritz to the hippest new boutique hotels, from grand dining rooms serving classic haute cuisine to the latest cutting-edge restaurants.

You'll rely on Frommer's for a complete guide to the city's sights, from the Louvre to Notre-Dame. We've included suggested itineraries plus a chapter of detailed walking tours that will help you get acquainted with the most intriguing neighborhoods. We'll help you find the city's best pastries, enjoy the best after-dark diversions, and shop til you drop; then we'll take you on side trips to Versailles, Chartres, Fontainebleau, Giverny and Disneyland Paris. It's all here in one easy-to-use guide, complete with a color fold-out map and color map of the Metro.

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:

• Ways to Explore the City of Light from the top of La Tour Eiffel to the infamous catacombs.
• 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: 346 pages
• Publisher: Frommer's; Map edition (August 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076453744X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764537448
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,696,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but not all complete, May 18, 2003

By	Bipin Sen (Lansing, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

I bought this book, and also Rick Steves guide to Paris. This is the book we consulted to get around on the Metro (what stops for what destination), and for places to eat in the various parts of town. The bad thing about this book is that it does not give detailed "touristy" information about the various spots. This books is more concerned about getting you there, making sure you a place to stay and places to eat! So you need a rudimentary guide to explain what you're seeing, when it was made, who made it, etc. Rick Steves has some of this. Basically, this book is excellent for logistics, but not for much else.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor descriptions - would not buy again, April 9, 2004

By	Melody Lyn Hunter "MH" (Atlanta GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My husband and I just got back from a week in Paris yesterday. This was our only guide book. We travel frequently and usually purchase either the Fordor's or Frommer's guide. I chose this book because it has the "best of" in the front. Most beautiful restaurant etc... We did go to Defours (I am not sure of the spelling) which was listed as the most beautiful restaurant and indeed it was beautiful. Most of the meals we ate were guide recommendations and they were indeed good. However my main gripe with this book is that the descriptions were somewhat inaccurate and were incomplete. For example if I had 3 or 4 sentences to describe a store, restaurant etc... I think I most anyone could have done a better job. The purpose of the descriptions is so the reader can make an informed choice as to where to spend time and money. To guide the reader as to what atmosphere, food, etc he would most enjoy. I understand the descriptions must be brief however in the description I think the author focused on the wrong elements. For example there was a store inside the Pompodour that had cool gift items inspired or designe dby Phillipe Starke. My husband and I thought it was an average size store or even a Department Store in fact it was a very tiny Musuem gift shop. I think its called Prin Temps Design or something. The author stated it was only loosely associated with the Grand Department store. In the description the author should have stated the store was a very, very tiny gift shop - in fact the smallest Musuem gift shop I have ever been by far and I have been in many, many Musuem gift shops the world over. Some of the restaurants he described as "beautiful" were only charming. He recommended the Bar Crillion which we went to and it was a very, small hotel bar and empty. It was a Sunday night. Had the description described how small and intimate it was we would have made another choice.

To find the restaurant "Caberet" we spent 45 minutes trying to find it but the map was inaccurate or just not clear. My husband and I are both highly educated professionals who use maps regurlarly with no problem and we could not find the restaurant from using the map in the guide. A few days later we saw that it was on a square. The description would have been clearer if it stated that the restaurant was on an open square. We probably would have been succesful in finding the resaurant and not wasted so much time. I could go on and on...

As my husband and I spend quite a lot on air fare, meals, hotel and precious vacation time it is frustrating to waste time on inaccuracies or to "guess" at where your going to. We would have purchased a different guide book but it was difficult to find English guide books and when we found one we only had a few days left. In the future we have decided to purchase 2 guide books for week long expensive trips. That way if one is incomplete or inaccurate we can always use the other.

I always buy a guide book when I travel and rely heavily on them to save me time and money and guide me to those experiences I would most enjoy. I have never been dissapointed in a guide book as a whole ...until now.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please note the previous review is not for this book!, October 22, 2002

By	"kwnyc" (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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

If you check the date the review is posted, it is in January, 2002. Since Frommer's Paris 2003 was published in September, 2002, the review was written 9 months before the book came out!

As the editor of Frommer's Paris 2003, I'd like to point out that the book is revised and updated every year, and that the authors, Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince make a note of what's new, what's changed, what's closed down (either permanently or temporarily) and any tweaks and changes involved in traveling to and staying in Paris.

This year's edition includes information on such new accommodations as the brand new Hotel Francois 1er, among others; and reviews new restaurants like La Maison Blanche, and Korova; they remind us that the Petit Palais is being renovated in 2003, and that Disney has added another section to its Paris theme park in "Walt Disney Studios."