Travel guide books
A well written guidebook is a must have for most holidays. If you are planning a retreat to the beach for the week they are probably not worth your while, but for any exploration of a region or city they are an invaluable tool to get the most out of the places you visit.
The real benefit of a good guide book is in their simplicity, succinctness of their writing and usefulness to you the reader- designed with hints, advice and information which will help you get the most out of any holiday. But the guidebook genre is a varied species, and there are many guidebooks catering to specific tastes. If you have descended upon Paris for a week of fine dining for example, a Michelin Guide to the cities best restaurants and accommodation might be most appropriate for you.
The main problem can be the cost - even a single city guide can be pricy and they also have a tendency to date too - a hotel might close or a new attraction may open.
Nevertheless, even a slightly aged guidebook is a more than useful companion. They are durable characters too, designed to withstand a heavy thumbing from site hungry tourists and are always on hand to offer a piece of information about the building you have just walked by or the church you have just entered. A great investment indeed.
Useful links:
Amazon.co.uk has its origins in an independent online store and strives to be the world’s most customer-centric company, where people can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavours to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.co.uk and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as books, movies, music, electronics and photo, health and beauty and sports and leisure.
Stanfords is the UK's leading specialist retailer of maps, travel books and other travel accessories, having been established in 1853 by Edward Stanford. Their store in Covent Garden first opened its doors in January 1901 and can justly claim to offer the world's largest stock of maps and travel books under one roof.
It has been an essential first port of call for adventure and armchair travellers alike for more than a century. Their roll-call of customers past and present includes such famous names as Amy Johnson, David Livingstone, Scott of the Antarctic, Ernest Shackleton, Florence Nightingale, Ranulph Fiennes, Bill Bryson, Michael Palin and even Sherlock Holmes.
Rough Guides is a leading publisher of travel and reference information, respected for their accurate, up-to-date content and informed contemporary writing.
Time Out is the leading authority on the world's best cities. For 40 years, through magazines, guides and websites, their incomparable team of local experts have been providing up-to-date information and critically sharp commentary on the arts, culture and urban life.
Dorling Kindersley Since 1974, Dorling Kindersley (DK) has published an extensive range of internationally acclaimed books including the award-winning Eyewitness Travel Guides. This series covers more than 100 cities, regions and countries and has been published in over 30 languages worldwide. The series has also won many awards, including 'Best Guide Book' as voted by Guardian and Observer readers.