Top 10 Paris (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

Perfect for someone who would only be in Paris a day or three, this book specializes in giving you the highlights in a lightweight, compact book that is ideal to carry around with you when on the streets. The classic DK/Eyewitness travel guide for Paris covers so much material it is almost too heavy to carry around all day. I left the heavier guide in the hotel room, reading in the morning or evening about places we had been or were going, took this Top Ten guide out with us, along with the excellent Insight Fleximap, having put post-it-notes in the Top Ten guide if there was some additional data for the day (for example, the Top Ten guide mentions nothing about the Catacombs).
This is not the book to get in depth historical or architectural information, but handy for use in the street.

Any "best of" list is bound to raise the hackles of fans and experts. The Doris Kindersley "Top 10" series books are no exception.

I love books about France, especially about Paris and Provence. I've visited the two areas frequently over the last few years, so I feel a bit qualified to comment on the "Top 10 Paris" and "Top 10 Provence". Of the two the former is the more useful book.

First the similarities: fun to read, nice price point, nice photos, fits well in the hand.

If you're an infrequent visitor to Paris, the Top 10 book is helpful. The city maps and metro map are handy and useful. (Although I strongly recommend you also get the Michelin Paris Plan #14.) It's useful in recommending museums, parks, arrondisement highlights, etc.

However, don't use this book for hotels or restaurants. Its weakness in hotels is excusable. How can one possibly pick Top 10 hotels in Paris, or in any part of Paris?

Its failing in...Read more

I spent four great summer days in Paris last year, and this little book was indispensable. Going through it before I hit Paris got me in the traveling mood, and I used it constantly while I was there. If you only have room for a single Paris guidebook, this is the one.

The fold-out Metro map expedited my travels around the City of Lights (once I got the hang of how the trains ran). Each Top 10 section helped me prioritize my wanderings, locate various sites, and gave good concise historical background. For example, the Top 10 exhibits in the Louvre are pictured and described, which provided a necessary focus in such a huge, overwhelming museum. However, the guide's Louvre map was not quite up to speed, although I didn't consider that to be a big issue.

The compact format was easy to use, and the color pictures were a great visual aid. It also fit perfectly in my Eagle Creek shoulder bag or my pantleg cargo pocket, so it wasn't a burden. When I was getting ready to depart...Read more