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Fodor's Paris 2020
Ready to experience Paris? The experts at Fodor’s are here to help. Fodor’s Paris 2020 travel guide is packed with customizable itineraries with top recommendations, detailed maps of Paris, and exclusive tips from locals. Whether you want to walk to the top of the Eiffel Tower, explore the Louvre, or stroll down the Champs-Élysées, this user-friendly guidebook will help you plan it all out. Our local writers vet every recommendation to ensure that you not only make the most of your time, but that you also have all the most up-to-date and essential information you need to plan the perfect trip.
This new edition has been FULLY-REDESIGNED with a new layout and beautiful images for more intuitive travel planning! Fodor’s Paris • AN ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE GUIDE that visually captures the top highlights of Paris. • SPECTACULAR COLOR PHOTOS AND FEATURES throughout, including special features on the Louvre and Versailles. • INSPIRATIONAL “BEST OF” LISTS identify the best things to see, do, eat, drink, and more. • MULTIPLE ITINERARIES for various trip lengths help you maximize your time. • MORE THAN 25 DETAILED MAPS AND A FREE PULLOUT MAP help you plot your itinerary and navigate confidently. • EXPERT RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS offer options for every taste. • TRIP PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS guides to getting around, saving money and time, beating the crowds; basic French phrases; and a calendar of festivals and events. • LOCAL INSIDER ADVICE tells you where to find under-the-radar gems. • HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEWS add perspective and enrich your travels. • The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, Notre-Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Musée d’Orsay, Sacré-Coeur, Versailles, and more. ABOUT FODOR'S Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. Planning on visiting the rest of France? Check out Fodor’s Fodor’s Essential France and Fodor’s Provence & the French Riviera. This edition is printed on sustainably sourced paper.
This new edition has been FULLY-REDESIGNED with a new layout and beautiful images for more intuitive travel planning! Fodor’s Paris • AN ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE GUIDE that visually captures the top highlights of Paris. • SPECTACULAR COLOR PHOTOS AND FEATURES throughout, including special features on the Louvre and Versailles. • INSPIRATIONAL “BEST OF” LISTS identify the best things to see, do, eat, drink, and more. • MULTIPLE ITINERARIES for various trip lengths help you maximize your time. • MORE THAN 25 DETAILED MAPS AND A FREE PULLOUT MAP help you plot your itinerary and navigate confidently. • EXPERT RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS offer options for every taste. • TRIP PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS guides to getting around, saving money and time, beating the crowds; basic French phrases; and a calendar of festivals and events. • LOCAL INSIDER ADVICE tells you where to find under-the-radar gems. • HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEWS add perspective and enrich your travels. • The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, Notre-Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Musée d’Orsay, Sacré-Coeur, Versailles, and more. ABOUT FODOR'S Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. Planning on visiting the rest of France? Check out Fodor’s Fodor’s Essential France and Fodor’s Provence & the French Riviera. This edition is printed on sustainably sourced paper.
384 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 1985
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1,847 books61 followersFodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 11, 2012
Note that I have yet to go to Paris; I am going in the spring of 2013. If you would like to measure this book's worth based on a review from someone who has been before, then skip this one. However, I think there is something valid to be said for a Paris newbie trying to navigate unknown territory through a guidebook.
I originally thought that first order of business was finding a hotel. However, I realized later, after learning more about Paris, that I wanted location to be my primary factor, as my husband and I are budget-minded, for time as well as money. Next order of business was determining what part of Paris I wanted to stay.
After reading this guide, (and other literature, too), I winnowed it down to the Marais and The Latin Quarter. Finally, after reading more, I determined that The Latin Quarter was for us, and found a budget but high-rated hotel. I like the concise but well-considered detailed comments in every hotel description. For the hotel I chose, I read that there was a big difference between the renovated and non-renovated rooms. So, when I emailed them, I was able to be specific. I began every email with "Bonjour" and used a few French words sprinkled throughout, mostly the pleasantries that Fodor's recommends. The host country appreciates a few pleasantries in their language! Wouldn't we, too?
A few choice words go a long way, Fodor's book states. Fodor's is all about etiquette and intelligent travel, a balance between culture engagement and seeing those tourist attractions you have always wanted to see.
By the way, although this guidebook didn't specifically state, it is better to email or call the hotel directly. Don't make reservations through third parties such as Venere, Obitz, etc. I do look at Trip Advisor reviews, but I book with the hotel itself. For one thing, third party booking does not give you a better deal. They make you pay in advance, with no possibility of cancellation or change. And just try to call and talk to someone after you've booked third party--you will be on hold and listening to prompts ad nauseum. You can get just as good of a deal--and much better service!-- with the hotel itself for advance pay stays--most of them offer it. But, I was making reservations 6-9 months in advance, and wanted the option of changing my mind if another, better hotel revealed itself. Anyway, emailing the hotels directly made me feel much more in control of the outcome. Fodor's guide gives you the website and phone numbers of the hotels they recommend. They also place a star or write "Best Bets" for the highly recommended.
Fodor's breaks down Paris, for the sake of doable tourism (and what is naturally present), into geographical areas within the 20 arrondisements. Any guide book for Paris is going to be detailed and dense, even overwhelming, because you know you can't possibly go everywhere unless you are going to live there for a vast amount of time. The pictures are lovely, the pages high quality, and it was easier than some of the other guidebooks to navigate. They also include some decent maps to help get you started. Moreover, the metro/RER info is in here, as well as some limited info on buses and high-speed trains (not as detailed as Rick Steve's guide, but you are informed about how to get schedules).
I check-marked many of the Best Bets/starred attractions that compelled me, such as Île de la Cité, home of the beautiful stained glass church, La Saint-Chapelle (especially if you come at sunset or a bright sunny day), and the Notre Dame. Fodor's photos of these places are beautiful. Information on when it is open and closed, and whether a Museum Pass works, is always stated on church/museums descriptions.
Other places that are a must for me are Père Lachaise Cemetery, the Catacombs, the Caranavalet Museum (Paris' History museum), the writers tour through the Latin Quarter--including Shakespeare and Co book store!--and a Marais stroll. And the cobbled streets of Montmartre. I want to turn into a flâneur for the Paris trip, and walk everywhere and combine spontaneity with itinerary. I may skip the expensive (stores) and crowded Champs-Élysées, other than to stroll to the Arc de Triomphe.
The meat of this book is fantastic. All the recommended places are emboldened, and many have a page or two or three of their own, describing the place, or eatery, or museum, etc. You can cross reference with the index. Again, the book is separated into areas: The Islands, Around the Eiffel Tower, The Champs-Élysées, Louvre area (Rive Droite or Right Bank), Les Grandes Boulevards, Montemarte, The Marais, Eastern Paris, The Latin Quarter (Rive Gauche or Left Bank), Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montparnasse, and Western Paris.
Fodor's highly recommends getting a Museum Pass, if not to save money, then to avoid the long lines getting in. The Eiffel doesn't accept the pass, but you can actually make a reservation and avoid the wait. Dusk or early morning has fewer people, and early morning is actually recommended for many of the museums (or after 5, on the days they stay open late). The Louvre, as well as many other museums, is closed on Tuesday. If you want to take a day trip to Versailles, don't go on Tuesdays, as it is more crowded then. And don't go to Versailles on Mondays, as it is closed. Musée d'Orsay is also closed on Mondays. Speaking of--the d'Orsay isn't so humongous as the Louvre, and it is in a charming old converted train station. It is filled with Impressionist art. Fodor's also shows you where the Impressionist art is in the Louvre, if that is your thing.
There is art everywhere you walk or drive. There's a taxi tour, if you'd like to get an overview, or the Batobus, where you get on and off the river bus on specific spots, and several 1-2 hour boat tours on the Seine, or the Canal St Martin. Fodor's lists walking, bus, river, and taxi tours, as well as bike tours, from the budget-minded to the fancy. There's quite a comprehensive list.
As far as eateries, there are plenty in here. Fodor's does warn about the expensive and often mediocre food in the touristy areas of the Latin Quarter. Paris, although brimming with delicious food, is also spilling over with mediocre fare, too. Unlike Rome, where it is hard to get a bad meal, you have to be careful in Paris. Fodor's helps you through the maze. Something I read in Rick Steve's that stuck with me: If a restaurant has a menu posted in seven languages, avoid it! And it is expensive to eat in Paris. Ne way around it is to go to a boulangerie (for bread) and buy a bottle of wine at a grocer's or little shop, and sit at the park, like the lovely Luxembourg Gardens, and eat while you people-watch, and maybe grab a puppet-show there if you come on the right days.
I definitely plan to cross the Pont Saint-Louis bridge to Île Saint-Louis, walk around the quays and maybe even watch the sunset there (a suggestion from a book I read by flâneur David Downie, called Paris, Paris, who said watching the sunset here is heaven). And, get an ice-cream cone at the delicious Berthillon.
Fodor's gives price tags--$ to $$$$$, on hotels, eateries, shops, even transportation and phone calls, so this book is helpful whatever your budget.
Besides the major chapters on sights, I was also impressed with the many details that are helpful to a tourist. For instance--and this is important--purchases. You are charged a VAT tax of about 19.5%, so if you buy a scarf for 100 euros, add 20%. However, if you spend roughly 185 euros in the same shop, you are eligible for a VAT refund. Fodor's goes into detailed explanation on how to do this. The important thing I learned is that, if possible, when buying souvenirs, try to find a shop that you can ring up that amount, if you are planning on spending several hundred, anyway. Tips like that are wonderful. You are also given numbers for emergency medical help, what to do if credit cards or passport is stolen (but always keep copies of your passport in each piece of luggage!)
Want to know where the bathrooms are? Fodor's gives us the website of The Bathroom Diaries--well, actually, that is one of their errors. They gave the wrong website, but I was able to find the right one by googling "Bathroom Diaries." The other very small error I found was re Hotel des Bains in Montparnasse. Fodor's states there is no online booking, but there is, actually. It was one of the hotels I almost booked.
This review is getting long, but I can't help it! There is so much I want to share already, just from reading this book. At times, I get what I call a giggle-shudder, when I feel transported to Paris, just from imagining the places that Fodor's talks about and frequently photographs. I am trying to reconcile myself to the fact that I can't see everything. I don't have time to spend two weeks or even two full days at the Louvre, not if I want to explore widely. So I am bookmarking some specific art pieces that Fodor's recommends. Truly, I don't even care about the Mona Lisa, where the crowds are apt to be insane. There is so much art there, I may just walk aimlessly and gaze and stand in front of these great pieces that are everywhere, including the Garden, located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.
So many beautiful gardens in Paris! Cafes; bars; patisseries; chocolate shops; windy, cobbled streets; momentous views; lavish opera houses; funky, offbeat museums; clothing stores, including vintage and resale. I plan to take this book with me, as a guide through the exhilarating but sometimes overwhelming City of Lights. I plan on making Paris a place we return to, again and again.
Other books I recommend that I have been reading:
Paris
Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light
Rick Steves' Paris 2013 or Rick Steves' Paris 2012
I originally thought that first order of business was finding a hotel. However, I realized later, after learning more about Paris, that I wanted location to be my primary factor, as my husband and I are budget-minded, for time as well as money. Next order of business was determining what part of Paris I wanted to stay.
After reading this guide, (and other literature, too), I winnowed it down to the Marais and The Latin Quarter. Finally, after reading more, I determined that The Latin Quarter was for us, and found a budget but high-rated hotel. I like the concise but well-considered detailed comments in every hotel description. For the hotel I chose, I read that there was a big difference between the renovated and non-renovated rooms. So, when I emailed them, I was able to be specific. I began every email with "Bonjour" and used a few French words sprinkled throughout, mostly the pleasantries that Fodor's recommends. The host country appreciates a few pleasantries in their language! Wouldn't we, too?
A few choice words go a long way, Fodor's book states. Fodor's is all about etiquette and intelligent travel, a balance between culture engagement and seeing those tourist attractions you have always wanted to see.
By the way, although this guidebook didn't specifically state, it is better to email or call the hotel directly. Don't make reservations through third parties such as Venere, Obitz, etc. I do look at Trip Advisor reviews, but I book with the hotel itself. For one thing, third party booking does not give you a better deal. They make you pay in advance, with no possibility of cancellation or change. And just try to call and talk to someone after you've booked third party--you will be on hold and listening to prompts ad nauseum. You can get just as good of a deal--and much better service!-- with the hotel itself for advance pay stays--most of them offer it. But, I was making reservations 6-9 months in advance, and wanted the option of changing my mind if another, better hotel revealed itself. Anyway, emailing the hotels directly made me feel much more in control of the outcome. Fodor's guide gives you the website and phone numbers of the hotels they recommend. They also place a star or write "Best Bets" for the highly recommended.
Fodor's breaks down Paris, for the sake of doable tourism (and what is naturally present), into geographical areas within the 20 arrondisements. Any guide book for Paris is going to be detailed and dense, even overwhelming, because you know you can't possibly go everywhere unless you are going to live there for a vast amount of time. The pictures are lovely, the pages high quality, and it was easier than some of the other guidebooks to navigate. They also include some decent maps to help get you started. Moreover, the metro/RER info is in here, as well as some limited info on buses and high-speed trains (not as detailed as Rick Steve's guide, but you are informed about how to get schedules).
I check-marked many of the Best Bets/starred attractions that compelled me, such as Île de la Cité, home of the beautiful stained glass church, La Saint-Chapelle (especially if you come at sunset or a bright sunny day), and the Notre Dame. Fodor's photos of these places are beautiful. Information on when it is open and closed, and whether a Museum Pass works, is always stated on church/museums descriptions.
Other places that are a must for me are Père Lachaise Cemetery, the Catacombs, the Caranavalet Museum (Paris' History museum), the writers tour through the Latin Quarter--including Shakespeare and Co book store!--and a Marais stroll. And the cobbled streets of Montmartre. I want to turn into a flâneur for the Paris trip, and walk everywhere and combine spontaneity with itinerary. I may skip the expensive (stores) and crowded Champs-Élysées, other than to stroll to the Arc de Triomphe.
The meat of this book is fantastic. All the recommended places are emboldened, and many have a page or two or three of their own, describing the place, or eatery, or museum, etc. You can cross reference with the index. Again, the book is separated into areas: The Islands, Around the Eiffel Tower, The Champs-Élysées, Louvre area (Rive Droite or Right Bank), Les Grandes Boulevards, Montemarte, The Marais, Eastern Paris, The Latin Quarter (Rive Gauche or Left Bank), Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montparnasse, and Western Paris.
Fodor's highly recommends getting a Museum Pass, if not to save money, then to avoid the long lines getting in. The Eiffel doesn't accept the pass, but you can actually make a reservation and avoid the wait. Dusk or early morning has fewer people, and early morning is actually recommended for many of the museums (or after 5, on the days they stay open late). The Louvre, as well as many other museums, is closed on Tuesday. If you want to take a day trip to Versailles, don't go on Tuesdays, as it is more crowded then. And don't go to Versailles on Mondays, as it is closed. Musée d'Orsay is also closed on Mondays. Speaking of--the d'Orsay isn't so humongous as the Louvre, and it is in a charming old converted train station. It is filled with Impressionist art. Fodor's also shows you where the Impressionist art is in the Louvre, if that is your thing.
There is art everywhere you walk or drive. There's a taxi tour, if you'd like to get an overview, or the Batobus, where you get on and off the river bus on specific spots, and several 1-2 hour boat tours on the Seine, or the Canal St Martin. Fodor's lists walking, bus, river, and taxi tours, as well as bike tours, from the budget-minded to the fancy. There's quite a comprehensive list.
As far as eateries, there are plenty in here. Fodor's does warn about the expensive and often mediocre food in the touristy areas of the Latin Quarter. Paris, although brimming with delicious food, is also spilling over with mediocre fare, too. Unlike Rome, where it is hard to get a bad meal, you have to be careful in Paris. Fodor's helps you through the maze. Something I read in Rick Steve's that stuck with me: If a restaurant has a menu posted in seven languages, avoid it! And it is expensive to eat in Paris. Ne way around it is to go to a boulangerie (for bread) and buy a bottle of wine at a grocer's or little shop, and sit at the park, like the lovely Luxembourg Gardens, and eat while you people-watch, and maybe grab a puppet-show there if you come on the right days.
I definitely plan to cross the Pont Saint-Louis bridge to Île Saint-Louis, walk around the quays and maybe even watch the sunset there (a suggestion from a book I read by flâneur David Downie, called Paris, Paris, who said watching the sunset here is heaven). And, get an ice-cream cone at the delicious Berthillon.
Fodor's gives price tags--$ to $$$$$, on hotels, eateries, shops, even transportation and phone calls, so this book is helpful whatever your budget.
Besides the major chapters on sights, I was also impressed with the many details that are helpful to a tourist. For instance--and this is important--purchases. You are charged a VAT tax of about 19.5%, so if you buy a scarf for 100 euros, add 20%. However, if you spend roughly 185 euros in the same shop, you are eligible for a VAT refund. Fodor's goes into detailed explanation on how to do this. The important thing I learned is that, if possible, when buying souvenirs, try to find a shop that you can ring up that amount, if you are planning on spending several hundred, anyway. Tips like that are wonderful. You are also given numbers for emergency medical help, what to do if credit cards or passport is stolen (but always keep copies of your passport in each piece of luggage!)
Want to know where the bathrooms are? Fodor's gives us the website of The Bathroom Diaries--well, actually, that is one of their errors. They gave the wrong website, but I was able to find the right one by googling "Bathroom Diaries." The other very small error I found was re Hotel des Bains in Montparnasse. Fodor's states there is no online booking, but there is, actually. It was one of the hotels I almost booked.
This review is getting long, but I can't help it! There is so much I want to share already, just from reading this book. At times, I get what I call a giggle-shudder, when I feel transported to Paris, just from imagining the places that Fodor's talks about and frequently photographs. I am trying to reconcile myself to the fact that I can't see everything. I don't have time to spend two weeks or even two full days at the Louvre, not if I want to explore widely. So I am bookmarking some specific art pieces that Fodor's recommends. Truly, I don't even care about the Mona Lisa, where the crowds are apt to be insane. There is so much art there, I may just walk aimlessly and gaze and stand in front of these great pieces that are everywhere, including the Garden, located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.
So many beautiful gardens in Paris! Cafes; bars; patisseries; chocolate shops; windy, cobbled streets; momentous views; lavish opera houses; funky, offbeat museums; clothing stores, including vintage and resale. I plan to take this book with me, as a guide through the exhilarating but sometimes overwhelming City of Lights. I plan on making Paris a place we return to, again and again.
Other books I recommend that I have been reading:
Paris
Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light
Rick Steves' Paris 2013 or Rick Steves' Paris 2012
Read
August 31, 2024My omnivorous appetite doesn't always serve me well.
[Side note: a little hiccup came up in our itinerary and I was asked to make a choice. "But I want to see it ALL," I wailed. "Spoken like a typical youngest" was the reply! I share that because that was my mindset with travel guides. I needed to read them ALL!]
Fodor's is great and I'd probably give it five stars if I was rating it. (I don't feel comfortable doing that before using it in situ.) I've been dipping into it for almost six months.
[Side note: a little hiccup came up in our itinerary and I was asked to make a choice. "But I want to see it ALL," I wailed. "Spoken like a typical youngest" was the reply! I share that because that was my mindset with travel guides. I needed to read them ALL!]
Fodor's is great and I'd probably give it five stars if I was rating it. (I don't feel comfortable doing that before using it in situ.) I've been dipping into it for almost six months.
November 29, 2012
The Fodor's Paris 2013 book is the latest guide I've read in preparation for a trip next year. What sets this book apart from the others is the tips and insights from TripAdvisor website users, in addition to the information provided by the travel writers.
The book is well-written, and the photographs and maps are great. However, I find myself with the same complaint about this book that I've had with a couple of others: the book is not arranged by arrondissement (district) -- although the travel maps and city information is broken down just that way. If one is unfamiliar with neighborhood names, it is tricky to figure out where you'll find things. Sure, the arrondissement information is in the listing, buried at the end. I've only seen one book that says "here are the things in the 4th arrondissement that we think are worth seeing," rather than assuming that someone knows Bercy from Belleville.
I liked the insider tips from fellow travelers, and I also liked the annotations about places where inexpensive dining and bargain shopping can be found -- even in Paris. I just wasn't crazy about the way the book is set up.
The book is well-written, and the photographs and maps are great. However, I find myself with the same complaint about this book that I've had with a couple of others: the book is not arranged by arrondissement (district) -- although the travel maps and city information is broken down just that way. If one is unfamiliar with neighborhood names, it is tricky to figure out where you'll find things. Sure, the arrondissement information is in the listing, buried at the end. I've only seen one book that says "here are the things in the 4th arrondissement that we think are worth seeing," rather than assuming that someone knows Bercy from Belleville.
I liked the insider tips from fellow travelers, and I also liked the annotations about places where inexpensive dining and bargain shopping can be found -- even in Paris. I just wasn't crazy about the way the book is set up.
May 27, 2010
It's been a long time since I was in Paris. But I like picking up guides from time to time to renew my acquaintance with the "City of Lights."
This book is another fine addition to Fodor's library. The book provides a basic background to the city; it has brief discussions of the various parts of the city (e.g., Ile de la Cite and Ile St-Louis, most enchanting; The Champs-Elysees; The Qaurtier Latin; and so on).
After a discussion of the areas within the city, we have chapters on nightlife, performing arts, shopping, where to eat, where to stay, side trips from Paris (e.g., Versailles), and so on. There are a number of maps, many of which are quite helpful. The book closes with a brief dictionary, how to get around (don't rent a car!), and other useful issues.
A nice resource. . . .
This book is another fine addition to Fodor's library. The book provides a basic background to the city; it has brief discussions of the various parts of the city (e.g., Ile de la Cite and Ile St-Louis, most enchanting; The Champs-Elysees; The Qaurtier Latin; and so on).
After a discussion of the areas within the city, we have chapters on nightlife, performing arts, shopping, where to eat, where to stay, side trips from Paris (e.g., Versailles), and so on. There are a number of maps, many of which are quite helpful. The book closes with a brief dictionary, how to get around (don't rent a car!), and other useful issues.
A nice resource. . . .
February 23, 2023
I bought the Fodor's DisneyWorld guide a few years ago and thought it was so helpful for our first trip there, so I bought this one thinking it would be the same. But this guide seems more suited for people who have been to Paris, or at least Europe. It has the expected info on where to stay or where to eat, but I needed something that had a lot more newbie information - they will briefly mention something that I think will be helpful but really just skirt over it. I found myself constantly going back to the index to see if they mention it again somewhere else and provide more details, which they don't.
January 10, 2008
no offense "62capecodmom," but the fact that you bought a green day book that has french in it and reminds you of paris when you open it doesn't really do much for me.
the map in this book is TERRIBLE. i live in paris and it doesn't make sense, and my parents came to visit and lost their faith in maps as well because of it.
Good for people who are clueless about coming to Paris, but mostly not that useful.
the map in this book is TERRIBLE. i live in paris and it doesn't make sense, and my parents came to visit and lost their faith in maps as well because of it.
Good for people who are clueless about coming to Paris, but mostly not that useful.
June 17, 2010
This turned out to be my favorite guide book for Paris. It was the only one I carried with me every day. It offered a wide range of information, maps for all areas of the city, and sufficient write ups of restaurants and hotels to allow for reasonably well informed decision making. We chose our hotel from this book (Henri IV Rive Gauche) and we were very happy there. The descriptions were accurate and I like that it gave both pros and cons.
September 7, 2022
Fodor's Paris 2022 travel guide is an excellent choice if you plan to travel to Paris. It covers sights, restaurants, hotels, shopping and nightlife in each of the twenty arrondissements. If traveling, try to pick up the newest guide as much has changed since Covid. It reads as if a visitor could spent a month in Paris and not see everything. Included are some famous areas surrounding Paris as well that are must sees if you have time. The layout of this book is tremendous.
September 9, 2013
It's hard to rate this kind of book simply because I haevn't been to Paris... I'm just researching. However, they always seem to me to be a sort of checklist/review tool for someone who wants to "see everything." For my purposes (planning) I only found one page really useful. Still, Fodor's is a classic for a reason. Good prose, good pics, good tips.
May 21, 2014
I now feel much more prepared for Paris!
And yes, some people would buy a guide book and read the relevant bits, skim it, and just check it as they go. I read it cover to cover (well, minus "staying in Paris" because we rented a flat) in advance because I am ridiculous.
Onto Fodor's London 2014! :)
And yes, some people would buy a guide book and read the relevant bits, skim it, and just check it as they go. I read it cover to cover (well, minus "staying in Paris" because we rented a flat) in advance because I am ridiculous.
Onto Fodor's London 2014! :)
October 6, 2014
I really like the Fodor's travel books and do appreciate the color photographs throughout. I've used Fodor's for domestic and foreign travel in the past and found the information to be valid and helpful! The only downside to the Fodor's books is that they are heavy because of the high-quality paper used, but is good for nice photos.
August 14, 2013
This book came really handy during our Paris trip. Thanks to its colourful illustrations, Insightful comments, useful tips and updated information. We actually managed to beat all the long queues and enter the Louvre ahead of many tour groups.
March 27, 2016
Good resource
This book gives a good overview of Paris in a short, easily digested way. It gives a quick lesson in places of interest and practicalities of getting around, communicating, money and much more.
This book gives a good overview of Paris in a short, easily digested way. It gives a quick lesson in places of interest and practicalities of getting around, communicating, money and much more.
January 24, 2020
Great for a general overview; well-organized and plenty of top-level relevant details. Compared to the (many) other travel guides I read, this one was the most up-to-date and accurate by location, based on double-checking details for places on Google & their websites.
May 18, 2022
I haven't been to Paris; I found the basic information very helpful. Each section is dedicated to a different part of the city--I will find this helpful once I go. This book is going in my bag for sure! Can't wait!
December 12, 2023
Very thorough travel guide, and very useful while it is still current. But even in 2023 there were items that had changed since the printing. I'd recommend highly if you prefer doing your research in book form. But reconfirm all the latest logistics online before you go.
July 23, 2010
Can't put it down. I'm leaving Tuesday!
March 2, 2011
Not often I read a guidebook cover to cover but this was a goodun. Very useful and the zipout map in the back was great too.
Want to read
March 31, 2011- available in SG NLB 914.436 (Sengkang)
December 3, 2011
You can't just go to Paris and spend a boatload of cash and not be prepared to wring every drop of value from the investment.
All I need now are a cupla focal de francais & I'm good to go.
All I need now are a cupla focal de francais & I'm good to go.
July 19, 2017
First time I ever read a guidebook all the way through! Just what the do ordered :] very informative and I loved all the pictures. I learned about lots of cool spots
June 10, 2012
Very helpful travel book!
March 19, 2013
I got better information from my DK Eyewitness Travel France 2012 than I did from this book. Also, I wish there had been more pictures.
March 16, 2013
You know, it's a travel book. Actually, a travel ebook, but you know.
July 26, 2017
I found the first few chapters, giving overviews of each arrondissement, to be especially helpful!
January 6, 2015
very informative! I'm hoping it's available before my trip to Paris so I can take it out and use it on my vacation with my hubby!
March 24, 2015
Tickets purchased, flat in the Marais booked, and we are ready for a Sweet 16 / Big 50 celebratory girls week in Paris. I found this book so useful that upon returning it to the library, I bought it!
May 22, 2015
Helpful guide to navigate the city of Paris
April 5, 2016
A decent guide of Paris. Nothing special, nothing fancy, yet quite complete.
November 4, 2016
A great guide, on par with Fodors other books.
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