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Rating: 
Summary: NOT WORTH THE PAPER IT'S PRINTED ON
Review: I don't write reviews normally, in fact this is my first, but feel I have to warn people about this book. DON'T BUY IT!!!! I have no idea why on earth the following reviews give 5 stars, I suspect maybe the Let's Go staff itself wrote these. Or the reivew is for Paris itself, in which case there aren't enough stars for the enchanting city of lights. Note: Amazon doesn't give you the option of zero stars.
I've just returned from Paris and unless you like being inconvienenced, wasting time and money, and feeling very frustrated, go with a Lonely Planet phrase book and a Plan de Paris (you can purchase these in Paris bookstores) and you will be way better off than trying to follow the horrid and inaccurate suggestions in this book. In fact, you can get maps everywhere (department stores, hotels, etc) for free that are a million times better than the incorrect maps in this book. They even botched the Metro map! Not a big deal if you have all the time in the world, but if you only have a few days, time is of the essence, and you don't have it to waste on bad information.
My friend and I went to a hotel which was not even on the street listed in the book, and left immediately because it was NOTHING like it was described in the book ($20 taxi ride to wrong place). We found our own wonderful hotel in the same area that was not in the book, but cheaper, cleaner, etc. We went to a restaurant who's hours were listed in the book only to find (after an hour on the metro) that it was closed, not closed down, but the hours were incorrect in the book.
And on it went until we ditched the book. You'd think that the Let's Go staff couldn't possbily be this inept, but I'm here to tell you, this book is worthless. It's worse than worthless, it costs you even more than the price in time and energy and all the extra money you spend on transportation to things which aren't open, don't exist, or just plain suck. The whole point of a guidebook is to maximize your time!
Another problem with the book, while I'm at it, is that it is organized very poorly. I thought it was great that it outlined Arrondissments, but when you are actually trying to USE the book, you are flipping back and forth all over the place because they micro-organized it. Instead of having all businesses in each arrondissment, they sub-divide categories (resaruants, hotels, shops, etc..) and then sub-divide again so it becomes very annoying. Did anybody even try to use this book before they put it on the market?!
I travel a lot, and have used probably a hundred guidebooks over the years and never have I seen anything this bad. You understand when you buy one of these that businesses close, quaility changes, there are mistakes sometimes and that's reasonable. And the adventure of trying to find something is part of the fun. But it's not reasonable for such a reputable publisher to let so many mistakes slip by. There are a lot of other guidebooks out there that are much better, don't waste your money and worse, your precious time on this.
Rating: 
Summary: my travelling bible!
Review: I just got back from my trip to europe, and I used the "let's go" books for both Paris and London. I honestly don't know what I would have done without them. Thanks to Let's Go, I saved both money and time, and avoided a lot of common tourist pitfalls. I followed all of the advice from the book about going to the major attractions and museums, and in doing so I managed to avoid big crowds and rarely had to wait in ticket lines. I enjoyed the best of Paris cuisine and culture, while still staying within my budget! These books also give some great suggestions about non-tourist places to see, which really gave me a feel for what life is like there. All in all, I used this book constantly during my trip, and it never steered me wrong. The next time I travel, this will be the first thing I pack!!
Rating:
Summary: my travelling bible!
Review: I just got back from my trip to europe, and I used the "let's go" books for both Paris and London. I honestly don't know what I would have done without them. Thanks to Let's Go, I saved both money and time, and avoided a lot of common tourist pitfalls. I followed all of the advice from the book about going to the major attractions and museums, and in doing so I managed to avoid big crowds and rarely had to wait in ticket lines. I enjoyed the best of Paris cuisine and culture, while still staying within my budget! These books also give some great suggestions about non-tourist places to see, which really gave me a feel for what life is like there. All in all, I used this book constantly during my trip, and it never steered me wrong. The next time I travel, this will be the first thing I pack!!
Rating:
Summary: the joy of paris
Review: i recently returned from my first trip to paris. in preparation, i reviewed multiple guidebooks and took with me two. the four i considered most promising were let's go paris, rough guide paris, frommers paris from $90 and fodors paris. it was frustrating that i could not find a comparative review of guides which is why i share this info with you.of these, after the trip, i must say that let's go paris was the most helpful with copious useful maps and tips, in addition to accurate and abundant recommendations on housing, dining and entertainment. frommers was the second most useful in planning and understanding the city. although i thought that the rough guide would be beneficial, the maps were limited in detail and annotation. also, dining etc was not listed by arrondissements which made searching very difficult. fodors was nice, but not particularly useful for the moderate income traveler compared to the others. frommers paris i briefly reviewed but found much less useful than this frommers guide.
Rating:
Summary: Let's Go Paris - A REAL WINNER!!
Review: I spent two months living in Paris and this book became my personal bible! It took me to the hippest night spots, clued me in to oodles of bargains, and helped me with up-to-date practical information such as prices and hours of operation. The writing is HILARIOUS and offers twentysomethings a cool alternative to other guides. I won't waste another cent on Lonley Planet ever again. . .
Rating:
Summary: Let's Go Paris - A REAL WINNER!!
Review: I spent two months living in Paris and this book became my personal bible! It took me to the hippest night spots, clued me in to oodles of bargains, and helped me with up-to-date practical information such as prices and hours of operation. The writing is HILARIOUS and offers twentysomethings a cool alternative to other guides. I won't waste another cent on Lonley Planet ever again. . .
Rating:
Summary: You're going to LOVE FRANCE!
Review: I've made >20 visits to France all together. Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!
Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)
Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide
MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the Metro. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.
Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!
Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Other Guides
Review: This is the guide you want. I ordered this along with Frommer's Paris guide, and found this to be so much better. Let's Go Paris has tons more information than its competition, and yet it is very fun to read. You will feel like you are being led through Paris by a very cool local. Also, the featured restaurants and hotels are clearly labeled with price categories (very useful for the budget-minded). Best of all, each section of Paris is mapped at the end of the book, showing the locations of every reviewed restaurant, hotel, monument and museum. Even though some other guides come with tear-out folding maps, they are mostly worthless -- fall apart easily, low on detail and area. If you really want a large fold-out map, buy this along with an Insight Fleximap of Paris and you'll be set. This guide has a charm and quirkiness that I have not found elsewhere. Buy it a month or two ahead of time, sit at a cafe and read it cover to cover. You will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Other Guides
Review: This is the guide you want. I ordered this along with Frommer's Paris guide, and found this to be so much better. Let's Go Paris has tons more information than its competition, and yet it is very fun to read. You will feel like you are being led through Paris by a very cool local. Also, the featured restaurants and hotels are clearly labeled with price categories (very useful for the budget-minded). Best of all, each section of Paris is mapped at the end of the book, showing the locations of every reviewed restaurant, hotel, monument and museum. Even though some other guides come with tear-out folding maps, they are mostly worthless -- fall apart easily, low on detail and area. If you really want a large fold-out map, buy this along with an Insight Fleximap of Paris and you'll be set. This guide has a charm and quirkiness that I have not found elsewhere. Buy it a month or two ahead of time, sit at a cafe and read it cover to cover. You will not regret it.
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