Michelin Green Guide California

Green Guide is for California as for others area the perfect guide to help plan a trip, choose between points of interest, get valuable information on each site. A success

I love the Green Guide series because:1) It's subjective. They tell you what is good, not what is hyped or what the travel agent has a package for. It does not re-hash some handout by the local Chamber of Commerce. Some little-known places get two & three stars because Michelin visited them.2) It's geared towards road trips. Monsieur Michelin wrote these books to encourage people to wear our their tires. The guides suggest itinararies and put an emphasis on scenic views and scenic routes that Fodors and other guides little heed. It also gives brief road descriptions if the road is dirt or really winding.3) The green guides give short and interesting background on the history, culture, & economics of the area. These passages are short so they are not boring.4) The green guides themselves have a lot of maps. Articles are cross-referenced to the map in the Green Guide & regular Michelin road maps.5) The form factor (shape & size) is easy to carry and stow in a glove box.6) I mostly agree with their opinions: no stars: so-so; 1 star: Interesting; 2 stars: worth a detour; 3 stars: worth a trip by itself. Surprizing how some major tourist destinations only get 1 star.

I found Michelin collection of tourist guides very helpful in general and specificly about California. The way the issues most critical for your travel are organized, the consise way of presenting information and organizing in the book is amaizing.I do travel a lot and my first choice for guide books is always Michelin. I strongly reccomend you to do the same.