I see the Best of guidebooks are on sale, half off. There are only six, Best of England, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, and Italy. They say they are full color. Other than that, how do these books differ from the regular guidebooks? I can't find any reviews on Amazon as they must be new.
Thinking of Germany as we have not been there.
I haven't had the opportunity to examine any of the "Best of" guidebooks, but if you check the Specifications you'll see they are only about half as long as the regular guidebooks but weigh about the same (better-quality paper being required because of the color photos). The "Best of" books cover fewer destinations in each country and probably have somewhat less detail on the ones they do cover. You can check out what is said under "Is This the Right Book for me?"
The full color is good for a book you use at home as you decide where you'd like to go, but if you have a good bit of time in a single country, you may prefer a book with broader coverage. And for carrying with you, you may find the weight of a full-color book an annoyance.
Edited to add: If you decide to go for the full-content "Germany" book, be aware that a new edition is due out in December. The "Best of" book will not be replaced for another year, so it certainly wouldn't be a mistake to take advantage of the current sale price if you decide you prefer that one.
Here's a video of Rick explaining the difference between "Best of" and the regular guidebooks:
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/travel-news/april-2016/video-of-the-month
To me, the best use of color in the new Best of series is adding color to the maps in each city section. However, these books are bound differently, so it's difficult to cut the sections apart. You're more likely to carry the whole thing around.
In our shopping cart, "What's Included" is basically the table of contents/destinations. Content for each destination has also been condensed and won't include lesser/no-star sightseeing, as well as fewer hotels and restaurants in cities that previously had long lists.
The new Best of books are selling well in brick-and-mortar stores where people can see them, but also are intended to capture a different audience than those who already are used to using the fuller B/W guides.
Thanks! I tend to use guidebooks for inspiration and do not bring them along.
