"A Paris Guide without boring detail!"

It is refreshing to read a travel guidebook that is devoid of hundreds of hotel and restaurant listings and concentrates mainly on the principal attractions of a city.

Rick Steves' book Paris 2002 published by Avalon Travel Publishing can be described as having a tour guide at your personal disposal. The author presents a very brief introduction dealing with the general topics of when to go, trip costs, exchange rates, etc. This is in sharp contrast to many of the guides that devote too many pages to these details. You sometimes get the feeling that some of these authors are trying to fill up the pages.

Immediately after the introductory chapter Reeves gives us the global picture in his "Orientation" chapter. In other words, the author tells us this is what you should see in Paris and this is how you should go about visiting these sites. Stated simply, lets get down to the "nitty gritty" and let us not be carried away by a multitude of facts and boring detail.

We are presented with suggested itineraries that may be 3, 5 or 7 days. It is very similar to the format we receive when we book an organized trip through a travel agent. Each day is mapped out for us in short detail and broken down into three parts: morning, afternoon and evening. For example, day one would be a morning-walk through historic Paris featuring Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame, Latin Quarter etc. This would be followed by an afternoon tour of the Louvre and ending in the evening with a cruise on the Seine.

What is very noteworthy is that subsequent chapters describe in more detail the suggested tours featured in the Orientation chapter such as the Orsay, Louvre, Champs- Elysée, Rodin Museum, Versailles and Les Invalides. These are all presented in a compact and uncluttered manner.

For example, the "Champs --Elysées Walk" is accompanied with a simple map precisely indicating the highlights of the walk such as the Arc de Triomphe, Grande Arche de La Défense, Montparnasse Tower, and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Furthermore, the author provides us with succinct information pertaining to these attractions.

I particularly enjoyed reading the brief chapter dealing with the Louvre Tour. We all know we can literally spend months in this most famous museum. Within this chapter Steves points out to us the "must see" exhibits and even provides us with thumbnail black and white photos of some of the most famous artwork.

An added feature of the book is a brief section outlining day trips within a short radius of Paris such as Giverny, Auvers-Sur-Ise, Disneyland Paris, Fontainebleu, Chantilly and many more. All of these are not only briefly described but also we are provided with a simple map pointing out where all of these attractions are located in proximity to Paris. There is no shortage of Paris guides, however, Steves' guide is unique in its ability to present comprehensive information in a succinct and organized manner packed with invaluable advice.

"Copyright 2002, Bookideas.com. Orginally published at Bookideas.com"

Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Courtesy Bookideas
Posted May 21, 2002