Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 914.43610484
EAN: 9781566918633
Edition: Revised
ISBN: 1566918634
Label: Avalon Travel Publishing
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Avalon Travel Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: 2007-09-28
Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing
Studio: Avalon Travel Publishing

Rick Steves, author of 21 guidebooks and host of the television series Travels in Europe with Rick Steves, has spent 100 days a year traveling Europe, every year, since 1973. If any American knows Paris, he does, and his self-imposed mission is to make the city just as accessible to those of us who don't have the good fortune to spend months there at a time.

In his amiable, informed, and ruthlessly candid way, Steves focuses on the best--including nice places to stay and eat that give lots in the way of character and take relatively little in the way of francs. He suggests walking tours, museums, and itineraries that include both famous landmarks and little-known finds. He knows it all: art galleries and crêpe stands, street cafés and romantic neighborhoods, activities for kids, and great places to shop. Most importantly, he knows how Parisians live, and his guide provides the best information to let you experience not just the sights of Paris, but Parisian life as well. --Stephanie Gold

Customer Rating:
Summary: I get the feeling Steves assumes we are stupid Americans with no interest in French history or culture
Comment: When my family all went to Paris last year this was one of the books we purchased to prepare for the trip. Luckily I bought a few additional, more thorough, guides because this one missed the boat on a few amazing spots. This book by Steves mentions the Pantheon, Musee Histoire and Musee de Carnavalet only in passing and really only to imply that they aren't worth going to. This is a huge error, these sites were some of my favorite places that we visited! Steves mentions something like "only well-read people or historians would recognize the names of people buried in the Pantheon". Does he mean unrecognizable people like Voltaire, Madame Curie, Antoine de St. Exupery, and Victor Hugo? Plus I found the Pantheon absolutely staggering in its size and beauty. It was one of my family's favorite spots. He also dismisses the Musee Histoire and Carnavalet, but these places were equally interesting. Maybe I'm easily impressed, but the Musee Histoire houses such gems as letters from Charelemagne, Voltaire, and a young Louis XVI's journal, as well as the fabric book that Marie Antoinette chose swatches from for her dresses. The Musee Carnavelet has Parisian artifacts from Roman times through the Revolution to the present, definitely worth a visit. One room, painted of a circus in the clouds, entirely in deep reds and grays was breathtakingly beautiful, and I have never seen its equal in Europe. I imagine in the grand scope of things, these places may not compare when pressed for time to places like the Louvre, San Chapelle, or the D'Orsee, but I thought they were amazing. Rather then give them the brush off, Steves should have more accurately described them and given the reader a chance to choose. I only found out what these places housed when reading other guides. This makes me not trust his judgment and I would certainly never trust a travel guide of his for anywhere else without some additional resources. Oh, and please excuse my bad French, I am writing these names from memory, and may not have the spelling correct.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Must Have!
Comment: I thought this book was really helpful. The maps were great, just wish we had studied them a little more before we went! We had a great time in Paris and took the book with us everywhere we went. It helped us decide (before we went) which sights to see and which to leave out since our time in Paris was short. It also made it easier to find things and get around without wasting a bunch of time going the wrong way. We wouldn't have known about the museum pass without it!
--Ember

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Hard to follow
Comment: The book was a helpful tool while in Paris, However, if one is not wanting to walk one's legs off, maybe it is not the very best book. Some of the directions were not that easy to follow. It is a must to have a book of this nature but last time we used Frommer's and would probably use that one again opposed to Rick Steve's.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Paris...here I come!
Comment: I was apprehensive about a surprise trip to Paris with absolutely no idea what to expect and no French language ability but after reading this book I'm ready to go and have the time of my life!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Beware!!
Comment: Rick Steves books are definitely overrated. Amazon had several reviews of positive ratings for his books. I would not recommend any of his books. His Paris travel book is modest at best.It does not offer direct and clear picture of Paris. His major weakness is the lack of good detailed maps. Do not buy this book. In Paris you can easily get free street and metro maps.Not only are they free but very practical.

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