A good travel guide can be a great vacation saver when you’re exploring an unusual place with a defined break. First-time visitors to London aren’t complete packing until they’ve snagged one or two good backpacking guides. But with so many choices the right wedding planning book can be made for all the frustrating parts of your planning. journey: some are superfluous, some for the sake of honor, some are comprehensive, others are superficial.
Rick Steves’ Great Britain >, and Andrew Duncan’s Walking in London i> three very different books that serve distinct purposes. And while they certainly aren’t the only London guides to check out, there’s a 99% chance that at least one of them will suit your individual needs.
Let’s go with arguably the hottest travel writing firm in the world already. They glorify themselves as leaders who have thrown out the hip, thrift, and published a new version that is very relevant and accurate. Their London City Guide is no exception. Within the book’s 350+ pages, you’ll find heaps of detailed advice on dining, drinking, nightlife, souvenirs and galleries, shopping, transportation, and accommodations (including hostels, hotels, bed & breakfasts, and even apartments. ) All of this is conveniently located in the neighborhood. Within the pages of the Let’s Go guide, you’ll also find maps, maps, maps and more maps. London’s sprawling, haphazard, old-fashioned new streetscapes can make it difficult to navigate, but you’ll have no problem with the Let’s Go guide: the first 8 and last 31 pages are entirely dedicated to maps.
On the downside, we have quite a bit of advertising on our website, some of which can be offensive at times. And more significantly, Eamus lacks personality. It’s full of practical information like addresses, prices, and maps, but it lacks the human touch that can be so comforting to a traveler in an unfamiliar place.
That’s where Rick Steves comes in. Personal travel stories, candid opinions, and historical highlights make Rick Steves’ Great Britain the perfect companion to (or replacement for) Let’s Go. With the “Disappointments of London” section headed, you know this guy isn’t pulling any punches.
But the thing that makes Steves stand out from other travel writers is his drawing. The man insists that his readers represent everything he has written about him. His guidebook is packed with easy-to-follow maps of everything from entire countries, cities, neighborhoods, to floor-to-ceiling galleries, castles, and museums.
And-as you can probably guess from Rick Steves’ address Great Britain doesn’t only deal in London. All the best books that England, Wales and Scotland have to offer. This enables travelers who travelers want to spend time outside of London on part of their journey. Steves also advertises a London-specific city guide, but with 80+ pages of the book Great Britain dedicated solely to London, why wait?
My only issue with Steves’ writing is that while he certainly doesn’t advocate throwing money away, he may not be quite budget-oriented enough for some travelers (such as those in the student budget writers.) For example, the accommodation recommendations are very similar. only with hotels, hostels only passing mention. And while people at Eamus seem to understand that you’re willing to walk eight miles for a cheap drink, Steve’s readers have to resign themselves to the belief that you’re going to pay 10 lions for a beer.
Last, but by no means least, I highly recommend Walking London by Andrew Duncan. The book is very unique: not an all-encompassing guide to the city, but a step-by-step manual for 30 do-it-yourself walking tours through the city’s best-known neighborhoods. Even if you don’t do one of the tours at all, keeping a Walking London model in your bag ensures that you don’t miss out on any border moments, good food, or photos. opportunities to walk from place to place.
While I don’t recommend using Walking London as your only travel guide, it makes a terrific companion. to any leader of the state or of a wider region. If you decide to take it out, I recommend “Westminster and St. James” and “Bankside and Southwark” as two walks not to be missed.
Whichever books you choose to go with, there is one important secret to using them properly: study them before you go. There is no better way to lose your leisure time than to spend all your time with your face buried in travel guide.
