Lonely Planet Best of France

by Various

Best of France  is our collection of the country’s top sights and most authentic experiences. Perfect for anyone who doesn’t need accommodation listings, it’s packed with expert knowledge, local secrets and carefully crafted itineraries, as well as the most relevant and up-to-date advice, to help you create an unforgettable trip. Embrace the sights and sounds of Paris, sample tangy olives at the weekly market in Provence, or explore the vineyards of Champagne; all with your trusted travel companion. Inside Lonely Planet Best of France: • Full-colour maps and images throughout.
• Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests.
• Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots.
• Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss.
• Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, art, literature, festivals, cuisine, architecture.
• Over 70 colour maps. Coverage includes: Paris, Loire Valley, Normandy, Brittany, Champagne, Lyon, Provence, Nice, St Tropez, Marseille, Bordeaux, the French Alps and more.

Genres: Travel

356 pages, Paperback

Published May 30, 2017

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Krystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a bit of a biased 'Best Of' and great for people who have no idea what they want to do, but not particularly comprehensive enough for people who know where they want to go. It doesn't bother to mention Corsica or Picardy, which was quite disappointing. I've never been to France but plan to go in a few months so will be interesting to see how this guide holds up after the trip.

My main interest in France is in 17th-18th Century history and there's very little in this book that covers that era (or really any history at all), so it's lacking a lot of what I hoped to read about. It speaks often about the food, though, so if that's your thing this is equipped with plenty of suggestions.

It also tends to divide regions by one particular theme: for example, Champagne is only for those interested in the bubbly drink and the French Alps is a destination only for the adventurous. It didn't vary too much beyond these themes so you may need to explore local suggestions if you're looking for something different.

That being said, it's very helpful with rough prices and opening times, and there's some handy travel tips at the back for first-timers like myself. There are brief outlines on French history, art, literature and politics and the maps are convenient and relatively easy to read.

A good basic guidebook, but if you already have an idea about what you want to do you may be better off picking up something more comprehensive, or specialised.

25/5/18 UPDATE: So I took this along with me on my trip to France and maybe looked at it twice. It's got some okay ideas but yeah, didn't really help with any of the things I wanted to do. Also doesn't give any sound advice on getting to and from places, and fails to mention how small some of these (absolutely gorgeous) towns are. Say goodbye to the third star I so generously gave.

[Inge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book about France. Not everything I hoped to find was in there. Sometimes very short on what there is to see.