Although tourist association and hotel on-line services are growing in popularity, travel guidebooks are still the most common resource for those preparing for a European trip. But how does one choose?
Travel guidebooks can, for the most part, be
divided into two main groups: “A picture is worth a thousand words” and “just the facts.”
The first three guidebook series (some of which have more space devoted to photos than text) in the list below are part of the first group, while the last four are in the “just the facts” category. All seven have volumes on Europe and many of its most popular cities and sites.
Knopf
Those looking for pictures will get their money’s worth out of these guides that include such major European cities as Amsterdam, Florence, Vienna and Istanbul (Alfred A. Knopf; $25 each).
Each contains chapters on history, artistic and literary works, architecture, and flora, fauna and natural resources (with a photograph of each plant and animal). There is also a cuisine chapter.
Also included are chapters on what makes each destination special. (The Prague guide has a history of the polka while the Athens book features mythology and the restoration of the Parthenon.) Traditions are discussed in a culture chapter that may include information on family and marriage, calligraphy, embroidery, religion, language and theater.
Detailed charts describe the rates and characteristics of hotels and restaurants, and entertainment and attractions are described by region.
Tips on currency and prices of things such as coffee, beer, a concert or a CD can help travelers get a feel for the exchange rate; color photographs of each coin and paper bill also are handy.
The guides contain plenty of easy-to-read maps, and the weather for each season is carefully described.
Insight
While the Knopf Guides focus on the artistic and historical side of a city or country, Insight Guides (Houghton Mifflin; $12.95-$21.95) are more intent on giving readers an impression of its people.
Insight Guides offer a huge array of books that profile cities, countries and regions. For example, you can study up on the whole of Great Britain, just brush up on Wales or Scotland, or take home a guide to London.
Each guide has a photo of a culturally attired native on the cover. The inside photos also have a personal twist. Where another guide might have a photo of Leeds Castle in Kent, England, Insight Guides shows that same castle with several multicolored hot-air balloons in the foreground. A photograph of a church in Exeter, England, has a just-married couple posing in front. Another photo shows three British ladies donning trousers and umbrellas decorated with the Union Jack.
Each guide contains a detailed history chapter with a time line. Great Britain’s guide includes a chapter titled “Culture From A to Z,” in which accents, jokes, pubs, sex and xenophobia (mistrust of foreigners) are some of the many topics discussed.
The books’ final sections contain helpful information on air and sea travel, currency, customs, passports, climate, tipping, public holidays, phones, sports, ground transportation and advice for disabled people.
Eyewitness
Like Knopf and Insight, Eyewitness Travel Guides (Dorling Kindersley; $22.95) have rich photographic histories and listings of the city’s flora and fauna, art, architecture and literature. European areas–including the cities of Paris, Florence and Tuscany, Rome and London–are profiled in nine Eyewitness Guides.
Each city is broken down into regions with detailed maps and photographs of attractions. Symbols help travelers to quickly spot such things as admission charges, ferry service, shopping and museums.
The hotel listings include symbols for children’s facilities, fax machines, TV and 24-hour room service, among other things, while the restaurant listing symbols indicate whether vegetarian options, children’s plates and wine lists are available and notify readers of jacket and tie requirements.
Lonely Planet
These guides are not geared to affluent travelers–and they have very few photos.
Until recently Lonely Planet concentrated on Third World destinations, but it now has added more than 30 guides on Europe (Lonely Planet Publications; $12.95-$24.95). These are no-fluff, tell-it-like-it-is guides.
For example, the Czech and Slovak Republics guide states: “Prague in particular overflows with souvenirs. Much of it is junk, but there is some quality work. A few hawkers still sell . . . Soviet nesting dolls (look inside: some don’t have all the dolls they should).”
These guides include advice on things frequently missed in other guidebooks. For example, you might find advice on whether to buy on the black market and how to deter train thieves.
Things to see, places to eat and stay, and major attractions are listed by region. Sections on food and drinks, women traveling alone, laundry and toilets also are helpful. And there are enough maps to help you figure out how to get around as you sightsee through the city.
Fodor’s
Also light on photos and heavy on facts are Fodor’s Guides (Fodor’s Travel Publications Inc.; $10.50-$20.50), which profile almost every possible area, including Budapest, Greece, Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal.
Large sections are donated to shopping, dining, lodging and nightlife; information on transportation, discounts, customs and tips for disabled travelers are useful. The maps are very easy to read.
The Fodor’s Choice section provides advice on what travelers should be sure to see. Also helpful is the restaurant guide, complete with dollar signs that signify the average price of entrees.
Berkeley
Fodor’s also publishes The Berkeley Guides ($12-$19.95), “The Budget Traveler’s Handbook.” These are written by college students “who know what cheap travel is all about.”
The guides are basic and photoless, with advice on staying in student housing, hostels or campgrounds.
In the attractions section, Cheap Thrills suggests things you can do for little or no money, such as fun places to walk, picnic or hang out.
A great plus in these guides is the little blurbs that impart nonessential but very entertaining information. One blurb from “London on the Loose” ($13) is about a former warden of New College, the Rev. William Spooner, from whom the word “spoonerism” (a phrase where the first sounds of two words are switched) was coined.
One of the classic spoonerisms spoken–accidentally, of course–by the reverend was, “The Lord is a shoving leopard.”
Let’s Go
“Let’s Go: The Budget Guide to Europe” (St. Martin’s Press; $18.99) is a one-volume comprehensive guide to the whole continent.
Revised every year, it has a section for each country, which is broken down further by region. Practical information is provided, including lots of tips for cheap eating, lodging and sightseeing.
Cheap outings also are suggested. For instance, “You can party in the streets during Carnival, view Impressionist paintings and fill up on delicious crepes in Nice for $5.”
Unusual in this book is a section about HIV and AIDS for travelers. There also is a section describing how to chat with people and find information about Europe on-line.
Individual Let’s Go Guides also are available for Greece and Turkey, Paris, Spain and Portugal, Switzerland and Austria and eight other European areas.
`DON’T GO EUROPE’ IS GREAT COMIC RELIEF
If you are tired of reading travel guides, “Don’t Go Europe” (Contemporary Books; $7.95), a parody of the Let’s Go series, can provide some comic relief.
In the England chapter, author Chris Harris says of the food, “Unless you count `squishy,’ British food cannot be easily summed up in a single word like that of Italy (`pasta’), France (`slugs’) or Poland (`no’).”
A handy tip for tourists in Italy: “Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream; Gerardo was the flash-in-the-pan lambada-pop singer. Never, ever ask for Gerardo for dessert, and whatever you do, don’t put gelato in your cassette player.”
“Be Bold! Be Stupid! Be American!” tips help tourists to do just that: “If you ever run into a French person giving commands to her dog, walk up to her with a look of shock on your face and say, `Wow! I can’t believe that your dog can understand French!’ “
“Don’t Go Europe” provides many handy tips, such as if you order a European steak rare, you’re likely to get it “alive ‘n’ mooing with a side order of hatchet.” But most of the tips are in jest. It is great reference guide, however, for those trying to learn what not to do while on a European vacation.
