The Rough Guide to Washington DC - Edition 4

by Jules Brown

The Rough Guide to Washington DC is the most comprehensive handbook to the US capital. The guide includes a 16pp full-colour introduction to the the city''s highlights, from the Washington Monument and the White House to the seafood of Chesapeake Bay and panda bears of the National Zoological Park. The authors give expert description''s of Washington''s incomparable museums and showcase architecture, from the Lincoln Memorial and the Supreme Court. There are critical reviews of restaurants and hotels for every budget, as well as the lowdown on the best bars, clubs, shops and music venues. The author has been a regular visitor to Washington DC for many years and gives the lowdown on all the neighbourhoods from historic Georgetown to trendy Adams-Morgan, plus topical angles on history,politics and city development. Full-colour maps give coverage of every region of the city.

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

I've been a pro travel writer for over 30 years, writing Rough Guides and other stuff, and living in places from Sicily to New Zealand. You might even have had one of my guidebooks along for the ride in your travel bag - in which case, happy to have helped!

I also blog at www.julestoldme.com, sharing travel stories, travel-writing tips, videos and inspiring destinations - see you there, and happy travels.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuing on with my intrepid exploration of D.C. travel guides, the journey has brought me to the discovery of the Rough Guides. It's a very orangey brown production published in 2011. There may have been a time when the old boy scout would have jumped at a rough guide, but I think I'll pass on this one. Sure enough, all the usual popular tourist sites are included, but this 'Washington,DC' was not as intimate as the 'Lonely Planet' by Karla Zimmerman, or as colourful and comprehensive as 'Time Out'.

[Jim Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two travel book publishers that I most reliably turn to are Lonely Planet, and Rough Guides. I tend to find that Rough Guides are better for cities, because they're more personal and intimate I feel, while Lonely Planet feel broader in scope.

As with any printed book, the book is a little dated in places (they can't keep things like prices continually updated for example), but this said, it's good at helping you find things to do, and see in Washington. It also gives you tips about where to go out and eat, drink, and have fun. I don't go out as much for that sort of thing, but it feels thorough to me.

In addition it's not too big, so you can slip it into your pocket pretty easily, so all in all, I would recommend.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good information on the "sights" to see in D.C. Pretty good sections on dining, drinking and entertainment options, though this section first tipped me off that the guide is a little dated (declaring that the Washington Capitals hockey team may never be good). I wish there was more information about D.C.'s immediate suburbs, and more about the culture of D.C., especially the African-American and immigrant culture. Interesting side-bars, such as what LP does, are always nice to have too. Still, I will be making heavy use of this book for my trip to the Capitol in January.

[Jolina Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this book - it gives real advice about the areas that you can't miss, or shouldn't venture into. The authors include background and history which will be helpful when we are actually there. Includes places to stay, how to get around, and where to eat. I am cross-referencing this book with the Lost Symbol as the story unfolds.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure if it's Rough Guide's style but there wasn't very detailed information on restaurants and I feel like most of the information you will be able to find online. It's also lacking in the graphics department.

[John Weibull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this book when I took a trip to DC. I've always been a fan of Rough Guides so I highly recommend this product.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the best guide to Washington, DC.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for a tourist! Thanks to a loan from a friend, we were able to figure out where we were going and choose things to do. The divided sections were useful and had great maps.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 1st Edition

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Helped me understand where everything was and gave some history to the various locations before I went to D.C.