London

We are just back from a trip which included London. As always, Michelin is the best at having handy maps of districts you are interested in exploring. And the size fits nicely in a coat pocket. But, as my wife said, the descriptions are not inspiring. I find the maps and portability matter while on a trip. But for planning, maybe something else might be better.

this book has great maps and many, many suggestions about places to dine. in conjunctions with rick steve's london 2006 all you could possibly need fora great week in london

I've spent a year in England and have made >30 visits all together. <br /> <br />Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r 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! <br /> <br />Fodor's <br />Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what: <br />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. <br />SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide <br />PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit <br />UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out <br />CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information <br />Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide <br /> <br />MapGuide <br />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. <br /> <br />Time Out <br />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! <br /> <br />Blue Guides <br />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. <br /> <br />Michelin <br />Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist

If you are spending more than a few days in London to "see the sights", then you must have this book. All other tour guides to London are superficial in their coverage of the major museums and tourist sights. This book offers the details the others lack, with well written descriptions of the collections of the major museums including their highlights. The strength of this book is when you want to know more about a particular museum or sight than where it is and when it is open; it is actually most useful when you are in the particular sight. This book does NOT cover hotels, restaurants, etc.; for that information, try any of the other guide books on the market.