Rick Steves' Paris 2005

Rating:
Summary: Paris for dummies.
Review: Paris is the ultimate European travel destination, and Rick Steves knows Paris. This is the only travel guide first-time visitors will need to explore the city's bohemian cafés, its fascinating labyrinth of streets and neighborhoods, and its many, great art museums. I took two travel guides with me on my recent Christmas-to-New-Year's visit to Paris, and this proved to be the much better of the two.

Steves' guide not only offers helpful maps of east and west Paris, guided walks through "historic Paris," and through the Champs Elysees, Marais, Rue Cler, Montmartre, and Left Bank areas of the city, and insightful commentary on touring the Louvre, Orsay, Picasso, and Rodin museums and Pere Lachaise Cemetery (where Proust, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Colette, among others, are buried), but it also leads readers to numerous opportunities to experience Parisian culture on their own, beyond the pages of this book. For instance, Steves encourages his readers to create their own adventure by "hopping on and off" the city bus #69 route through Paris. For first-time travelers to Paris, this guide is essential.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: The only guide you'll need
Review: Rick Steves has been traveling in Europe since 1969...in 1976 he started Europe Through The Back Door, a travel business that introduces travelers to the back doors of Europe. You don't view Paris (or any other European city) through the windows of a tour bus...you are able to get up close and personal with the city and its occupants...explore the city.
Paris is a big city...there's so much to do, so little time. This is the only guide book I took with me for my first trip to Paris (in addition to a phrase book) and the only book I'm taking my fifth trip to Paris. Armed with this book, you can easily navigate through the Louvre, stroll through the Marais district and take a day trip to Versailles, just to name but a few. There's a wealth of information in this book.
Rick gives it to you straight...you get the good, the bad and the ugly. There are many tips in this book including information on hours and admission prices of museums, good places to eat and sleep, shopping sites, tourist traps, day trips out of Paris, in addition to some survival phrases.
Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Don't Leave Home Without Rick
Review: This was my third trip to Paris. I brought two guidebooks. Figuring I would never use the Rick Steves guide, it turned out to be the ONLY guide I used because the information in the book was so helpful. My friends and I would joke and say things like, "Let's consult Rick, he'll know where to eat."

His commentary is a joy to read and he breaks the city up so you can enjoy popular neighborhoods and hang out with the locals. His humor makes reading about history a pleasure and the "walks" through the Louvre and Orsay museums are the BEST way to maneuver around the vast works of art. His insider tips are great and saved us from waiting in many long lines!