Rating: 
Summary: Don't Go Home Without It!
Review: I have just returned from our 3 week family (& Hector) vacation in France and I loved the book!! It is very insightful and easy to follow. The pictures will lure you to the wonderful locations in France. Buy the book you will never regret it!! After your trip the book and the pictures will bring back all the great memories of your trip. I had some other books as well with me, however this book was the best. Au revoir
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly accurate and helpful!
Review: I just returned from three-week trip to France. I was in Paris about four days and the rest at Reims. This book is so helpful and accurate. Amazing. I don't think there is any better one out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Great photos and descriptions; not good for hotels
Review: I used this to plan my recreational activities but not hotel reservations on my vacation to France and found it to be very helpful. I especially appreciated the historical tidbits on different areas. My complaint is that the hotel recommendations are severely limited and the ones that were recommended were quite pricey...not what I would recommend for a traveller on a budget. The other complaint I have is that the book is heavy and for someone who is doing much walking, especially in Paris, this is too much to lug around. It's small but weighs a little over two pounds.
Rating:
Summary: Great photos and descriptions; not good for hotels
Review: I used this to plan my recreational activities but not hotel reservations on my vacation to France and found it to be very helpful. I especially appreciated the historical tidbits on different areas. My complaint is that the hotel recommendations are severely limited and the ones that were recommended were quite pricey...not what I would recommend for a traveller on a budget. The other complaint I have is that the book is heavy and for someone who is doing much walking, especially in Paris, this is too much to lug around. It's small but weighs a little over two pounds.
Rating:
Summary: A must for traveling this region
Review: I was introduced to the Eyewitness series when our family traveled to New York City. I find these guides indispensible, and great reading. The maps and illustrations helped me, an compulsive planner, to be comfortable with the travel plans even before arriving in France. During the journey, it helped me with key phrases of the language, and with being confident of directions. The iillustrations are so very thorough, that you seem to have a 'feel' for where you are at the moment. Using an Eyewitness Guide before travel, I feel prepared and ready to enjoy the destination. After returning home, the Guide is an excellent way to share your experience with others.
Rating:
Summary: The only thing that is better, is being there!
Review: My favorite part of this guide is the Notre-Dame cathedral which was commissioned by Bishop de Sully in 1159. Being inside the cathedral is amazing. We lit a candle and then went outside and just gazed at the architecture. The South rose window and the Flying buttresses make this a unique site. Like all the guides, information on how to use the guide and maps to show where the areas are located make the guide very useful. After viewing the maps, you can learn about the way of life and why the food is so celebrated. A lovely pictorial guide shows a classic French menu. If you are interested in artists, then you can see an overview of all the famous artists from France. Architecture is discussed in great detail and is helpful for analyzing cathedrals. A complete "France Through The Year" guide will help you to plan your vacation to avoid or enjoy the festivities. An extensive history section follows and then you will see street guides, the Musee de Louvre (don't miss this it is magnificent and there is a food court close by which is equally impressive. You can spend a whole day wandering about looking at art alone.). The Eiffel Tower is explained in detail and if you don't go to the top, then you will miss a spectacular photo opportunity. You could literally spend weeks traveling around in France and never see it all. This book will make you wish you lived there! Since you will need places to stay, there is a complete list for lodging in all price ranges. If you are heading to France, I would recommend taking a tour or two in Paris and then keeping a day or so just to wander about and have a more leisurely time. The tours were great fun, but I also enjoyed just driving around in Provence to find quaint little towns and gaze out at the Mediterranean sea at my leisure. Being in Paris was quite fun, but I don't recommend driving there. It is pretty wild. It is much easier to drive around in the countryside and find a fun town when you least expect it. With this guide you can find secret little places like Cassis which I loved. You won't regret this guide or visiting France. If you have returned from a visit, this will revive all those wonderful memories. The food is also the best I have ever tasted and I can't wait to travel in France again.
Rating:
Summary: La belle France
Review: This book is certainly comprehensive, and was a fine companion through many parts of France, some not receiving very much coverage in some other guidebooks. The glossy paper and high quality colour reproductions are the usual Eyewitness standard. I have used a variety of guidebooks in France - let's Go, The Rough Guide, Baedeker's, michelin, and this combines the best of them all. To contrast one place, two books: Chartres. The Baedeker's includes a photo of the cathedral, and a smallish diagram showing the main structures internally and descriptions of the Royal Doorway and stained glass. There is some brief locational and historical material about the city of Chartres and mentions the well-regarded Museum of Fine Arts. Eyewitness, by contrast, gives the address, phone no and opening times of the museum (might or might not be helpful, depending on accuracy!) as well as its main attractions, as well as some brief info about Chartres. Then follow two double pages on the cathedral - one containing a 3-D type photo with cut-away, discussing all the important features (with some pictured), and a double-page spread on the stained glasses, including a colour diagram and key to all the windows. Eyewitness wins hands down. It is the same story with the general Michelin Guide to France, which also tends to be quite dry. Nevertheless, the regional Michelin guides are good if you are going to spend a lengthy time in one region. The cutaways, diagrams and maps in Eyewitness make it really special. Eyewitness also includes great information about aspects of French culture and history, listings on where to stay and eat. If you want budget accommodation, it's a good idea to carry a Let's Go , Rough Guide or Lonely Planet type guide as well. The Practical information section is really a treat in Eyewitness guides, and this one does not disappoint : pictures of money, a pic of a standard French electrical plug even, how to operate one of the automatic, self-cleaning toilets (don't allow children under 10 to use them alone!), using phone card telephone, or a coin-operated one, and really useful for the driving tourist, typical road signs etc. It' easy to rave about Eyewitness, with good cause. I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with it (as long as you aren't using it as a prime source for accommodation, unless you have money to spare).
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Summary: Another great "Eyewitness" book. Beautifully illustrated!
Review: This book is nothing but fantastic!! I was most impressed by the high quality images that SHOW what you are supposed to be looking for, the thorough explanations of WHAT you are looking at and WHY it is supposed to be important. The book takes a "peeling the onion" approach to travel, starting by dividing the country into several regions. After an introduction, each region is divided into its most important cities or villages. Each city is further broken down into different neighborhoods or areas worth visiting. Each area, in turn, contains a detailed map and thorough descriptions of all of its attractions. In the case of the most important ones, like museums and churches, it even has maps of the buildings showing you where the most important works are (anybody that has spent half a day at the Louvre looking for a special piece, would appreciate the value of this feature). In addition, the book has very clear and thorugh practical advice on how to conduct oneself in the country in question, how to ask for help, which restaurants and hotels to use, phone numbers, travel tips, etc., etc. I couldn't fiind ANYTHING missing. The book is beautifully illustrated and becomes a fantastic reference tool and a vehicle for you to re-live your trip in all its glory. Its construction is sturdy and practical and it will survive almost anything. Finally, I couldn't help noticing how almost everybody in Europe seemed to be carrying it!
Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps the best of its kind
Review: This gorgeously illustrated guide to the whole of France is just as interesting for the browsing armchair tourist as for the traveller who actually plans to go abroad. It provides not only standard tourist information but fascinating background on French history, lifestyle, etc. The maps in the Appendix are perhaps a little difficult to use, but the book is worth the price just for the thousands of full-color photos and cutaway diagrams.
Rating:
Summary: too heavy
Review: this would be an ideal book if it (and all the others in the series were'nt printed on VERY heavy paper stock. As a result, it is not comfortable to carry...so it gets left at home or in the hotel. A guidebook in the hand is better than a guidebook in the hotel so it must be rated down several stars!
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