From train and rail pass skills to strategies for visiting open-air folk museums, who else but Rick Steves can teach travelers the skills they really need when traveling... read more

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For years, Lonely Planet resisted pressure to cram the whole of Europe into a single guide. To the delight of backpackers everywhere, they've finally given in--with a vengeance.... read more

For years, Lonely Planet resisted pressure to cram the whole of Europe into a single guide. To the delight of backpackers everywhere, they've finally given in--with a vengeance. The first edition of Europe on a Shoestring packs 40 countries into 1,200 pages, while still finding room to brief you on all the aspects of pretrip preparation, from packing right to finding the best airfares.

Of course, given Lonely Planet's youthful irreverence, you shouldn't expect your grandfather's Europe. Coverage of traditional favorites like England is trimmed to make room for pocketbook-friendly destinations in Turkey, Morocco, and the Baltic states. The Eastern Europe coverage journeys beyond the tourist-thronged streets of Prague to lesser-known gems like Riga and Vilnius. Lonely Planet even covers the former Yugoslavia, as it slowly begins to emerge from its days as a war-torn no man's land. No matter where you are, the guide points out regional highlights to help you sift through its wealth of information.

As the name implies, Europe on a shoestring focuses on "budget" travel. Fear not--you needn't resign yourself to meals of bread and water and endless nights on the floor of a seedy flophouse. The 30-odd book contributors believe it's possible to travel cheaply without sacrificing style, comfort, and safety. Though the accommodations sections focus on hostels, there are enough bed-and-breakfasts and guesthouses to keep you a safe distance from rowdy spring breakers, if you so desire. Similarly, the entertainment sections offer everything from pubs packed with rowdy Australian backpackers to the finest theater, opera, and ballet in the world.

If you want to take on only a part of the continent, you're still better off with a less comprehensive guide. But if you're interested in exploring St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Petersburg's Hermitage, and everything in between, this book gives you all you need to see Europe on your own terms. --Andrew Nieland (hide)

listing includes 481 "Bib Gourmand" restaurants (no more than $40 Paris/$30 outside Paris)...276 "Bib Hotels" less than $100/night".

listing includes 481 "Bib Gourmand" restaurants (no more than $40 Paris/$30 outside Paris)...276 "Bib Hotels" less than $100/night". (hide)

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best.... read more

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Whether you're a first-time visitor doing the grand tour or a seasoned traveler planning a multi-country itinerary, Frommer's Europe is a must. Inside this concise, user-friendly volume are all the highlights of the continent. We've included a wide array of options, from grand hotels to charming and affordable guesthouses, from five-star dining rooms to simple cafes—the very best in every price range. There's something here for every taste, interest, and budget.

Just because we're covering such a wide territory doesn't mean that we've skimped on the details. You'll find an astounding depth of accurate, up-to-date information, including exact prices, open hours, metro stops, credit cards, and more.

We'll take you to the legendary cultural capitals of Europe, where we offer complete sightseeing, shopping, and nightlife coverage and review the best accommodations and dining in all price ranges, from the Ritz on down. But we don't stop there. We've designed easy-to-follow itineraries that explore the most unforgettable parts of the European countryside. Frommer's Europe takes you to the vineyards and chateaux of the Loire Valley, the lovely villages of Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon, the hill towns of Tuscany, and the spectacular scenery of the Alps.

It's all accompanied by detailed maps. You'll also find the latest trip-planning advice on everything from bargain airfares to rail passes, money-saving tips, and a color fold-out rail map that makes trip-planning a snap! (hide)

The timeless treasures of Westminster and St Paul's, the hedonistic pleasures of Shoreditch and Soho, culture on the South Bank and multiculturalism down Brick Lane - London is... read more

The timeless treasures of Westminster and St Paul's, the hedonistic pleasures of Shoreditch and Soho, culture on the South Bank and multiculturalism down Brick Lane - London is a world in one city. Find its heart with this smart and stylish guide.

* GET THE INSIDE SCOOP from our dedicated London experts
* GO UNDERGROUND, GO OVER GROUND with easy-to-use colour maps and detailed walking tours
* EAT & SLEEP LIKE ROYALTY - accommodation and restaurant options to suit all, whether your style is pie and mash or Fortnum & Mason, elegant townhouse B&Bs or ubercool designer hotels
* IMMERSE YOURSELF - drink in Dickensian pubs, club in Clerkenwell and browse the boutiques of Bond Street with the help of our definitive listings
* GET OUT, GET ABOUT with day trips to Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton and beyond (hide)

"For independent travelers on a budget, with an emphasis on whatever's hip, fun, or free."--Associated Press

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Rick Steves, author of 21 guidebooks and host of the television series Travels in Europe with Rick Steves, has spent 100 days a year traveling Europe, every year,... read more

Rick Steves, author of 21 guidebooks and host of the television series Travels in Europe with Rick Steves, has spent 100 days a year traveling Europe, every year, since 1973. If any American knows Paris, he does, and his self-imposed mission is to make the city just as accessible to those of us who don't have the good fortune to spend months there at a time.

In his amiable, informed, and ruthlessly candid way, Steves focuses on the best--including nice places to stay and eat that give lots in the way of character and take relatively little in the way of francs. He suggests walking tours, museums, and itineraries that include both famous landmarks and little-known finds. He knows it all: art galleries and crêpe stands, street cafés and romantic neighborhoods, activities for kids, and great places to shop. Most importantly, he knows how Parisians live, and his guide provides the best information to let you experience not just the sights of Paris, but Parisian life as well. --Stephanie Gold (hide)

From England to Norway, Burgundy to Bavaria, and Rome to the top of the Swiss Alps, Rick Steves’ European Christmas gets you a seat at the family feast,... read more

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Let's say you are a college-aged/young adult traveler. You are planning to take your first "big" trip to Europe. You want to go to different countries, take the... read more

Let's say you are a college-aged/young adult traveler. You are planning to take your first "big" trip to Europe. You want to go to different countries, take the trains, see the sites. You're planning to use a backpack so you can travel lightly and with skill for several weeks or months. You want to save money where it counts so you can get the most out of your trip. Besides visiting some of the usual tourist attactions, you plan to party and experience the nightlife as well. Well, my friend, this book is *made* for you. First, the "nuts and bolts" are covered thoroughly and clearly. The best way to get your passport, how to save money on airfares, how to make the best use of trains, what "hostels" are all about, detailed information on visas, money management, personal safety, what to pack...it's all in here. Second, the "gray areas" that matter are tackled. What is the marijuana and club scene like? What do you do if you get in serious trouble with the police? These topics are others are discussed openly from a unique and informed perspective. Third, the appendix includes additional tips and travel information, and a carefully-reseached listing of emergency and embassy numbers. (It is surprising how many books on the market have outdated information on these numbers!) There are many excellent travel-guides-to-Europe that tell you about museums, hotels, restaurants, etc. The problem is they fail to tell you how to really "get around". This is where Backpacking Through Europe comes into play as your "travel guru". We recommend that you pick up one of those books *and* Backpacking Through Europe. That's how to do it right! (hide)

Past Midnight: John Berendt on the Mysteries of Venice Just as John Berendt's first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was settling into its remarkable... read more

Past Midnight: John Berendt on the Mysteries of Venice

Just as John Berendt's first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was settling into its remarkable four-year run on The New York Times bestseller list, he discovered a new city whose local mysteries and traditions were more than a match for Savannah, whose hothouse eccentricities he had celebrated in the first book. The new city was Venice, and he spent much of the last decade wandering through its canals and palazzos, seeking to understand a place that any native will tell you is easy to visit but hard to know. For travelers to Venice, whether by armchair or vaporetto, he has selected his 10 (actually 11) Books to Read on Venice. And he took the time to answer a few of our questions about his charming new book, The City of Falling Angels:

Amazon.com: The lush, cloistered southern city of Savannah was the locale of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Venice, the setting for The City of Falling Angels, is vastly different. Was it the difference itself that drew you to Venice?

John Berendt: Savannah and Venice actually have quite a lot in common. Both are uniquely beautiful. Both are isolated geographically, culturally, and emotionally from the world outside. Venice sits in the middle of a lagoon; Savannah is surrounded by marshes, piney woods, and the ocean. Venetians think of themselves as Venetian first, Italian second; Savannahians rarely even venture forth as far as Atlanta or Charleston. So both cities offer a writer a rich context in which to set a story, and the stories provide readers a means of escape from their own environment into another world.

Amazon.com: I enjoyed your rather declarative author's note: that this is a work of nonfiction, and that you used everyone's real names. In your previous book you did use pseudonyms for some characters and you explained that you took a few small liberties in the service of the larger truth of the story. Why the change this time?

Berendt: When I wrote Midnight I thought I would do a few people the favor of changing their names for the sake of privacy. But when the book came out, several of the pseudonymous characters told me they wished I'd used their real names instead. So this time, no pseudonyms. As for the storytelling liberties I took in writing Midnight, they were minor and did not change the story, but my mention of it in the author's note caused some confusion, with the result that Midnight is sometimes referred to now as a novel, which it most certainly is not. Neither is The City of Falling Angels. In fact, I dispensed with the liberties this time and made it as close to the truth as I could get it.

Amazon.com: In The City of Falling Angels, a number of fascinating people serve as guides to the city, each with a different idea of the true nature of Venice. Who was your favorite?

Berendt: I don't have a favorite, but Count Girolamo Marcello is certainly a memorable, highly quotable commentator. "Everyone in Venice is acting," he told me. "Everyone plays a role, and the role changes. The key to understanding Venetians is rhythm, the rhythm of the lagoon, the water, the tides, the waves. It's like breathing. High water, high pressure: tense. Low water, low pressure: relaxed. The tide changes every six hours."

I nodded that I understood.

"How do you see a bridge?" he went on.

"Pardon me?" I asked, "A bridge?"

"Do you see a bridge as an obstacle--as just another set of steps to climb to get from one side of a canal to the other? We Venetians do not see bridges as obstacles. To us, bridges are transitions. We go over them very slowly. They are part of the rhythm. They are the links between two parts of a theater, like changes in scenery. Our role changes as we go over bridges. We cross from one reality ... to another reality. From one street ... to another street. From one setting ... to another setting."

Once I had absorbed that notion, Count Marcello continued: "Sunlight on a canal is reflected up through a window onto the ceiling, then from the ceiling onto a vase, and from the vase onto a glass. Which is the real sunlight? Which is the real reflection? What is true? What is not true? The answer is not so simple, because the truth can change. I can change. You can change. That is the Venice effect."

I was not terribly surprised when he later told me, "Venetians never tell the truth. We mean precisely the opposite of what we say."

Amazon.com: Now that you know Venice well enough to be a guide yourself, what would you say to a visitor looking for insight into the character of the city?

Berendt: Tourists generally shuffle along, on narrow streets so crowded as to be nearly impassable, between the major sights of St. Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge, and the Accademia Museum. All you have to do is to step off these heavily traveled alleyways, and in a few moments you will find yourself in quiet, much emptier surroundings. This is more like the real Venice. Another thing to do is to go into the wine bars where Venetians stand around drinking and talking. They will very likely be speaking the Venetian dialect, so you won't be able to understand them, but you will get a sampling of the true Venetian ambiance enlivened by the pronounced sing-song rhythm of the language. I'd also suggest stopping someone in the street and asking for directions. Almost invariably, you will be rewarded with a genial smile and the instructions, Sempre diritto, meaning "Straight ahead." This will only leave you more confused, because when you attempt to follow a straight line, you will be confronted by more twists and turns and forks in the road than you thought possible, given the instructions. This is part of what Count Marcello described as "the Venice effect."

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Visit a fascinating museum in the Czech Republic, a charming boutique in Switzerland or a boisterous bistro in France. Climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, float... read more

Visit a fascinating museum in the Czech Republic, a charming boutique in Switzerland or a boisterous bistro in France. Climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, float down the Danube River in Austria, or run with (or away from) the bulls in Spain. These are are just 6 of the 30 possible destinations covered in this book. Before leaving on your journey to Europe, be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing! With Fodor's at your side, serendipitous discoveries are never far away!

The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best: "Fodor's Gold Guides are saturated with information."

- New two-color interiors make it easier to find the information you need.
- Fodor's Choice ratings tell what not to miss.
- Hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets.
- New ¢ sign category flags the best budget options.
- Multi-day itineraries help readers build the right trip for them.
- Smart Travel Tips, a complete chapter packed with contacts and great advice. (hide)

Encyclopedic in scope, it's meant to be used before, during, and after your stay. (Travel & Leisure) Both novice and experienced travelers will be captivated. (U.S. News &... read more

Encyclopedic in scope, it's meant to be used before, during, and after your stay. (Travel & Leisure) Both novice and experienced travelers will be captivated. (U.S. News & World Report) Each book is a visual as well as informational feast about a particular place. (The New York Times) The best travel guides ever. (Sky Magazine) For comprehensive advice that is attractively presented, publisher Dorling Kindersley's guides for serious travelers are tough to beat. (US News & World Report) Hats off to DK for the Eyewitness Travel Guides...[they] raise the bar for all others. (Dallas Morning News) The most graphically exciting and visually pleasing series on the market. (Chicago Tribune) Eyewitness Travel Guides are marvels of writing, color photography and illustration. What makes these so special is their thoroughness. (New York Times Syndicate) This is a guidebook series that always seems to inspire smiles...You feel, looking at them, as if you could close the book and step into the street. (Contra Costa Times ) Want to know where to get a great espresso on your way to the Uffizi? Or how much to tip a hotel maid in New York City? Try these travel guides, each an intricate trove of 3-D aerial views, landmark floor plans, color photos and essential eating, shopping and entertainment info. With titles covering Paris, Prague, and London, these pocket-sized guides are like a Michelangelo fresco: deliriously rich in detail. (People Magazine) Eyewitness Travel Guides, considered to be the world's best travel resource to over 30 destinations around the world, make it easier to plan a splendid vacation. (North American Press Syndication) Each new Eyewitness Guide adds more of the world to this wonderfully visual series.... What sets these guides apart from others is their striking, three-dimensional cutaways of key sites. (New York Daily News) (hide)