Are the latest Edition of RS's books on France and Paris worth buying?

Yes, guidebooks get better with each edition. I started buying Rick's books in 2002 and they are much better today than they were then. Especially a book published in 2018. Restaurant listings in the 2018 book may no longer exist. To see what changed after the 2024 books went into print can be found here: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/guidebook-updates.

Can you check them out of the library to see updates? For my recent Paris trip, I just took the pocket Paris book. I did not really need or want to carry info on the various museums with me, just abbreviated factual info. I mostly used the maps.

Considering the impact Covid had on things I would recommend buying the new book. For example, in 2018 you did not need any reservations to visit museums, you definitely do now. There’s been a significant change in how you to have to do Paris in 2024 versus that book

I have the newest edition and it has been extremely helpful. Packed full of pertinent info, as usual!!

BUT...whichever edition you go with you need to confirm venue open times/prices on the official websites and ask here about the need for timed entries to various museums or Notre Dame.

If you prefer to use a guidebook as opposed to using the internet, the 2018 one is way too dated for reasons so well stated by Carol above. Six years is a long time for information to remain fresh and we had a pretty major event during those six years that changed a lot in Paris (and other places).

In addition to what's been mentioned, above, I'd recommend at least buying a newER version (definitely post-covid), used on eBay if you don't want to pay for the latest edition.

Thank you all for your posts. I will purchase the latest edition of the books.

Regards,

Don

Allow me to disagree about the need to constantly purchase guide books. For information about Paris, I use the Michelin Green guide, a copy that the American Library gave away some years ago. It's a 60's edition but the core information does not change, particularly historical background information. Restaurant, café, museum hours and admission fees, public transportation all change by the time any book is written, printed, distributed, and sold. Even a book titled 2025 will unlikely have current information about public transportation which had a major revamp just this month, much of the fare information was not available until just a month or two ago.

I use the internet for any information that is time sensitive; prices, hours and restaurant recommendations for example. That way, I always have the most recent information available.

I don’t disagree that using the Internet is a good idea but unfortunately way too many people who use the Internet are using TikTok and YouTube and Facebook. They’re not actually going to the website of the place they want to go and getting information.

After all, it’s so much better to get a social media influencer who doesn’t really know what they’re talking about but just wants attention.

I’m on a Facebook group for London and every so often someone will post this plan for seeing London that they got off Facebook, YouTube or something. Day 1 We start with Westminster Abbey and then we’ll go to the changing of the Buckingham Palace and then we’ll do the Tower of London, and then we’ll do Shakespeare’s globe, and then will do Saint Paul’s, and then we’ll go to a play. On Day 2 we’re going to go to Windsor and Oxford and Bath. it’s like the funniest thing you ever read but it’s sad because these people really think this is a well thought out plan

I like guide books, but the fact is the major attractions haven't changed much in the last 50 years. They're right where they have always been. If that's what you want to see, and this is not just for Paris or France as a whole, an older guide will probably be fine as long as you check the local holidays and operating times.

If you want something to tell you about places that are off the beaten path you'll have to move away from printed media. The "back door" Rick used to point out 20-30 years ago is now the front entrance. And the inet is good for researching, but the search engines are designed to drive you to the most popular sites.

That being said, this forum has been very good at providing guidance to places less visited. You just have to do some digging, or ask a fairly specific question.