Rating: 
Summary: This book is a necessity
Review: I first knew about Time Out through their daily listings magazine, which has everything that goes on in London (each issue is huge). Their travel books are no less comprehensive. We've found information and tips we haven't been able to find anywhere else and we appreciate its frequent updating and sometimes irrelevant attitude. Time Out covers London like no one else.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very useful
Review: I found this book to be lacking in really useful information.Better guides are available free from many travel agencies or on-line.Hotel info mostly covers
more expensive places and I found the maps to be particularly useless. Much
information on British history but little help to a novice tourist.
Rating:
Summary: A great last-minute find
Review: I hadn't planned on visiting London during my European adventure last year, but a French railway strike changed my itinerary. The Eurostar was still running, so I booked passage from Paris to London instead of heading to Barcelona as originally intended. I urgently needed a good London guidebook, so I rushed to a Gard du Nord newsstand and quickly scanned the shelves. "Time Out London" was the only choice they had, so I forked over some Euros and hoped it would suffice.As I read while the Eurostar sped towards England, I found "Time Out London" to be informative and well laid-out. I struck up a conversation with the couple across from me (he was Irish, she was English), and had a great time talking about their deep involvement in the European art community. When we neared our final stop, they asked to see my guidebook, and after looking through it remarked it was a good choice. The used the excellent train map to point out some prime sightseeing stops, the station closest to my Ibis hotel in East Barking, and even where I needed to catch the express train to Gatwick for my departure flight. It certainly pays to step out and meet people while traveling. Their suggestions increased my respect for this guidebook, and helped me maximize my limited time in London. The railway map made it easy to get around, and the city map highlighted must-see sights so I had no problems finding Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and a host of other attractions. As is my custom when leaving for a new destination, I left the "Time Out London" guide behind for someone else to enjoy. If you are heading to London, I highly recommend taking this "Time Out" guide along. One important detail stood out: At a London bookstore I compared this book's rail map to a couple of pocket guides, and found that the "Time Out" map was larger. In fact, it was the only one long enough to include the East Barking train stop, where my hotel was located. I'm glad I had that map - anything that expedites the process of finding one's hotel in a strange city after a long day of travel is a godsend.
Rating:
Summary: A great last-minute find
Review: I hadn't planned on visiting London during my European adventure last year, but a French railway strike changed my itinerary. The Eurostar was still running, so I booked passage from Paris to London instead of heading to Barcelona as originally intended. I urgently needed a good London guidebook, so I rushed to a Gard du Nord newsstand and quickly scanned the shelves. "Time Out London" was the only choice they had, so I forked over some Euros and hoped it would suffice. As I read while the Eurostar sped towards England, I found "Time Out London" to be informative and well laid-out. I struck up a conversation with the couple across from me (he was Irish, she was English), and had a great time talking about their deep involvement in the European art community. When we neared our final stop, they asked to see my guidebook, and after looking through it remarked it was a good choice. The used the excellent train map to point out some prime sightseeing stops, the station closest to my Ibis hotel in East Barking, and even where I needed to catch the express train to Gatwick for my departure flight. It certainly pays to step out and meet people while traveling. Their suggestions increased my respect for this guidebook, and helped me maximize my limited time in London. The railway map made it easy to get around, and the city map highlighted must-see sights so I had no problems finding Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and a host of other attractions. As is my custom when leaving for a new destination, I left the "Time Out London" guide behind for someone else to enjoy. If you are heading to London, I highly recommend taking this "Time Out" guide along. One important detail stood out: At a London bookstore I compared this book's rail map to a couple of pocket guides, and found that the "Time Out" map was larger. In fact, it was the only one long enough to include the East Barking train stop, where my hotel was located. I'm glad I had that map - anything that expedites the process of finding one's hotel in a strange city after a long day of travel is a godsend.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I have several trips to London in the last 5 years or so, and the Time Out guide is the only book of any use to the savvy traveler who has already seen the basic sites. It has out of the way museums and attractions that even locals don't know about. I find that I have seen fascinating parts of London that even tour guides haven't seen. Anxiously awaiting the '98 edition. PS--you can pick up the London weekly magazine Time Out in larger US bookstores. Find a copy before your next trip across the pond to get up to the minute theatre and event listings.
Rating:
Summary: Best London Guide -- by far!
Review: I have several trips to London in the last 5 years or so, and the Time Out guide is the only book of any use to the savvy traveler who has already seen the basic sites. It has out of the way museums and attractions that even locals don't know about. I find that I have seen fascinating parts of London that even tour guides haven't seen. Anxiously awaiting the '98 edition. PS--you can pick up the London weekly magazine Time Out in larger US bookstores. Find a copy before your next trip across the pond to get up to the minute theatre and event listings.
Rating:
Summary: You're going to LOVE BRITAIN!
Review: I've spent a year in England and have made >30 visits 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!
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 pubs, 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 underground and the double decker buses. 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 city centre. When you get to be an old London hand, remember that the classic Londoners guide will always be an A to Z (zed) map and guide. If you want to go a bit beyond the central core of the city (perhaps to Windsor, Hampton, or further away) you really need the proper AtoZ to be able to find exact routes and streets.
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.
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.
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.)
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: its my bible
Review: im studying in london for five weeks..and the program is winding down but this book really helped me find my way around the city...i carry it everywhere i go...
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Damn Good Once You Get Used To It!
Review: This book is quite good. The maps are excellent and I didn't have to buy any other maps. The information is very current (including prices, where's hot to go etc.). The layout is a little different from other guidebooks (instead of looking at shopping, eating, sightseeing in each area, this book separates the sections into shopping: areas A,B,C, etc. and Sightseeing in different areas etc). Quite easy to read and I highly recommend. It did enhance my trip to London and is quite well written. I didn't use it to find places to eat, but shopping and sightseeing places are quite good. Once in London, make sure you pick up a copy of "time out"--the weekly newspaper of what's going on. We missed Diana Krall b/c I picked up the paper 1 day too late!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Time Out's Guide to London is the only book you will ever need to fully explore and enjoy London. I used this book as my guide while living in London for several months. I found it to be accurate, informative, interesting and extremely enjoyable to use. Each section is not only up to date but also through in giving it's user the neccesary idea of what to expect. Everything(the sights, the resturaunts, the clubs, pubs, hotels, muesums and trips out of town)is included in this book that a visitor or resident could ever need...even directions of how to get to there! Also extremly helpful is that each entry in Time Out London includes which tube stop to use - a must have! The directory is a great resource because it includes a quick version of everyday neccesities such as customs, money exchange and driving. There are maps at the end of the book which I have used and found to be accurate. This book is written in a manner which reads much like the magazine available in London of the same name. This makes it more interesting then just a guidebook. Reading Time Out London is like reading a review of every spot in London. I highly recommend this city guide as well as the others in this series. Time Out is all you need to not miss a thing!
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