Rating: 
Summary: A good buy, but shouldn't be your only guide.
Review: My wife and I used Rick's book extensively while in Paris. It had many great tricks and tips about getting around Paris. Escpecially the Museums and such. But this should not be the only book that you bring. I would highly recommend Eyewitness Paris guide or Fodor's to complement Rick's book. Both have more detailed information and maps about the Metro\RER. One word of caution. Most of the Hotels and Restaraunts that are recommended in Rick's book are swamped with Rick Steve's groupies clutching his book under their arms, especially the Rue Cler area. I didn't care for all the Americans, but some people didn't mind...
Rating:
Summary: Just about the perfect guidebook for Paris
Review: I say just about perfect because a few additions would make this the only guidebook you will ever need for Paris. As a recently relocated American expat in London, my wife and I just took our first weekend trip to Paris (by train) with this book and the Fodor's Gold guide. If you like to walk, the walking tours are superb, Rick Steve's commentary, history, directions, anecdotes, and humor are all excellent. His guided tours of museums, churches, and other sites are all very interesting. The book also includes short trips outside the city, such as Versailles. I anticipate using this book many more times (you can only see so much in a weekend), and to make it perfect I would implore the editors to add a Paris Metro/RER map and a proper map of the city (the only maps in this edition are localized hand-drawn maps for each walk, making it difficult to guage the overall scale of the city and where things are located in relation to each other). These were the only two things that were invaluable in the Fodor's guide. Certainly it's easy enough to pick those up in the city, but I have always found it more convenient to study maps ahead of time, and have them all in one place. Overall, however, this is the one guidebook to Paris that no visitor to the city should be without.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: I took this giude and several others with me to Paris a few weeks ago. To my surprise, this was the book I carried with me every day. His suggestions on the metro orange card and museum cards saved me many hours of waiting in lines and money for entrance fees. The walking tours are excellent. My only quibble was his suggestion to arrive late at Versailles -- one actually needs a whole and very active day to do it justice. But -- anyone going to Paris who needs a guidebook needs this one!
Rating:
Summary: It pays for itself
Review: We just returned from Paris. We used this book continously, even when we found ourselves a little overwhelmed by other readers following the course. Where this book is particularly useful is at the many sites that can be appreciated only by paying for an English language guidebook. My wife bought a book at Versailles only to hear me read more detail and history from Rick's book.Beware. Rick has a cult following. If you stay at the Leveque or eat at one of his restaurant recommendations, prepare to be surrounded by Rick Steves groupies. But, buy this book and save yourself time, money and effort around Paris.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful, fun guide to Paris!
Review: We just visited Paris for the first time and this book was an invaluable guide! It has wonderful general information along with step-by-step guides for tours and walks through Paris. Of all the information I read for our trip, this was by far the best help. Our copy is dog-eared from continual use throughout our stay. Without doubt this guide helped us maximize our time and see the best of Paris!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Paris Newbies
Review: I found this book to be invaluable for travelling in Paris for the first time. My travel companion and I used it constantly for everything from finding a good hotel to locating art treasures in the Louvre. I didn't agree with everything Rick says (I thought it was worth it to go all the way to the top of the Eiffel tower, for example) but I think this book was well worth what I paid for it. His guides are the best.
Rating:
Summary: The best Paris guide yet....
Review: ...and I've read quite a few of them. This seems to be the best for the "common-man" trip to Paris. The information is very practical, honest and concise. Rick knows what is possible and worthwhile in Paris, and clearly sets it forth here. Rick is not trying to cram every last detail into a guide, but rather includes the more significant sites as well as the "back doors" he's well-known for finding. In addition, this guide is so readable, it reads more like a (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) travel narrative than ordinary travel guides (that often read like history texts!) Included are some great tips on how to avoid lines and crowds as best you can, great opening times and days of all sites; logical, detailed walking tours; and hints on where clean and convenient restrooms are! What more do you need? While the others (Fodors, Frommers) focus on what is the best regardless of cost, Rick uncovers some gems that others may never find on their own, and lets us know that they are good and less expensive while helping us logically "attack" Paris as a tourist! This book is WELL worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: The best Paris guide yet....
Review: ...and I've read quite a few of them. This seems to be the best for the "common-man" trip to Paris. The information is very practical, honest and concise. Rick knows what is possible and worthwhile in Paris, and clearly sets it forth here. Rick is not trying to cram every last detail into a guide, but rather includes the more significant sites as well as the "back doors" he's well-known for finding. In addition, this guide is so readable, it reads more like a (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) travel narrative than ordinary travel guides (that often read like history texts!) Included are some great tips on how to avoid lines and crowds as best you can, great opening times and days of all sites; logical, detailed walking tours; and hints on where clean and convenient restrooms are! What more do you need? While the others (Fodors, Frommers) focus on what is the best regardless of cost, Rick uncovers some gems that others may never find on their own, and lets us know that they are good and less expensive while helping us logically "attack" Paris as a tourist! This book is WELL worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: Unique & outstanding guide to history, art & architecture
Review: I used this book for my four-day stay in Paris. Rick Steves writes not only with wit and verve, but also with humor and goodwill. Yes there are some political references that some might find offensive, but they are appropriate to the destination under description. They're not over the top. Steves covers all the important sights you knew about, plus the ones you didn't. Everything from the Louvre to the Paris Sewer tour, plus the attractions in the Paris-vicinity, such as Versailles and Chartres. This book won't tell you where the best nightclubs are to pick up dates (and other such transient information that clogs up other tourist guidebooks), but it will inform you about the art, architecture, and history that attracted you to the great city in the first place; the eating information is also more than adequate. The only thing I would knock Steves for is his complete glossing over La Eglise de la Madelaine (he doesn't like the architecture--not Gothic enough for him, perhaps?). The church embodies the history of Paris as much as any building (the Church, the Revolution, Napoleon, the July Monarchy and others all proposed varying uses for the site). The structure itself is physically impressive and beautiful. Furthermore--speaking personally--my favorite composer, Gabriel Faure played at this church every Sunday, making it worth a trip on that score alone.
Rating:
Summary: Great guide for a first-time traveller
Review: This book was indispensible for me on my first trip to Paris earlier this year. Rick Steves spells out in great detail how to handle the "little things" that you don't think to ask about until faced with them, e.g. buying Metro tickets, understanding traffic rules, dealing with so-called "rude" Parisian waiters, etc. The book also contains several walking tours, of which I found the "Historic Paris Walk" to be excellent. And there are guides to each of the major monuments and museums with a wealth of information.
I knock off a single star because the book does not attempt to be nonpartial--if Rick Steves thinks something sucks, he'll say so. While that might be refreshing for some who enjoy getting their hands held by tour guides, I personally would have preferred that my guidebook let me decide what was good and what wasn't worth seeing.
I ended up loving Paris and I can't wait to go back. When I compare Paris to the other parts of my European trip, when I didn't have a handy Rick Steves guide, I think that Steves gets credit for my feelings toward my newest favorite city. This book and a basic understanding of the French language are all you need to have a great trip in the city of lights.
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