Let's Go 98 France (Annual)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide to France
Review: I used this guide while traveling in Paris and plan to use it in an upcoming trip through the Riviera. Their tips were insightful yet witty. With this book I found a really nice hotel which was quite cheap - 130 francs ($22) a day for a single room. Follow their advice and splurge on food, the French take their food very seriously. However, don't follow the advice on exchanging money at the American Express office. Their rate is horrible. A better suggestion would be to exchange US cash at one of the exchange bureaus on the street and compare rates. Their 'security suggestions' regarding places to use caution at night were a bit excessive according to my French friends from Paris. Their maps of Paris could have been more substantial as they only covered a few of the arrondissements in great detail. Otherwise a great guide to France.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of Space
Review: This is the sort of guide for people who need a guide to walk out the front door of their house. The advice about money exchange is completely outdated now that ATM's are found nearly everywhere in the world. The guide misses several interesting areas of France, most notably the Ardeche region. It completely misses the mark on Vieux Nice by characterizing it as unsafe when in fact it is probably the most interesting part of the town. And if you follow the bar advice, you will normally end up in an Anglophile ersatz pub and miss the French cafe experience. If you are a traveller who likes to remain insulated from the French, buy this book.