Access London

i have travelled extensively for 30 yrs. i never go anywhere without 3 books: 1. Access guide for neighborhood details, a sense of where things are, and locals' favorite places. 2. Michelin's Green guide for an erudite perspective on history, culture, arts, etc. and 3. Frommer's for their "best of" pages. when i lived in London, i took out my London Access book every week to plan where i would go that weekend. Every time i move to a new city i buy an Access guide to help me become a local. It is a great resource for travellers and new residents.

Any travel guide to London is going to describe the main attractions: The Knopf guide gives the best background and cultural information, the DK guide gives the best maps and "move about town" information. Where the Access guide shows its genius is information about hotels, shops, and restaurants. This is a book to use to plan before going, and slip into your pocket when heading out to the London streets. The hotel descriptions are excellent (in this book I found the Fielding hotel in Covent Garden, everything the book said and a great place). This is the book to study what kind of shopping to do and where the shops are (have a teapot shaped like the Tower of London now). Found a great Turkish restaurnat near the Strand from this book. This is the book that fills in the spaces between the big attractions with the stuff that is fun. It is laid out geographically, so if you are walking from Trafalgar to the British Museum, a look at this book will give excellent, useful, short descriptions of shops and restaurants between the two, so you can take not the fastest path, but the most fun.

I came across the Access London book before traveling to London this year. [Note: I also had the Frommer's and Let's Go books too.] Access quickly became my London "companion". Organizing the information by neighborhood made it easier to plan my days and "explore" a different area each day! The reviews are very accurate and lively written. Perhaps the best feature is it's "off the beaten path" quality. The guide effectively balances "tourist favorites" with little gems that are well-kept secrets to all but the most inquisitive travelers. Highly recommended!

Heaven bless the people who took the time to recommend this book. I bought it right after booking my trip and was glad that I did. Having never really travelled before this book made my solo trip to London a rewarding and wonderful experience. I was able to find all of the things that I'd always wanted to see and a few things that I would never have found on my own. I carried it with me constantly and found myself feeling very comfortable getting around. I advise marking the pages of what you want to see before you leave and perhaps making a list. Take the book with you at all times and make full use of the maps it provides. I saw more of the city than I'd ever imagined and had a wonderful time doing it. I firmly believe that without this book my trip wouldn't have been nearly so successful.

I picked up Access London the day before my trip. I'd puchased several well-known uides already, but something about Access caught my eye. What a good decision. I never opened the other books.Access London provided me with all the tools I needed to get around. A map made navigating London's streets easy. Additionally, the book came with a store-by-store guide of popular shopping districts. We were able to find Harrod's, Selfridge's and McDonalds by following the guide.Along with the navigational aids, the book provides historical information about the sites and what it costs to get in. What a deal!!!I recommend Access London to both the London "newbie" and the seasoned London traveler. Don't leave home without it.