I have checked several of Rick's books out of my local library, but now I want to buy a few for our upcoming trip, so I can take relevant pages with me for reference while we are there. We will be visiting The Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Germany. In France, we'll spend four days in Normandy then five days in Paris. My question is, does the section on Paris in Rick's France book include the detailed city walks that are in the Paris book? I know the France book has good detailed information about Normandy, so I want to get that one and am wondering if the Paris section of it will be sufficient for our Paris planning and reference.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6486 posts
Check out the books at the library and determine which works best for your travels and then purchase.
Posted by
89 posts
To travel lighter, I just xeroxed some of the pages out of the library book and put them in my trip folder. Then tossed them as we used them and they became no longer relevant. Just an idea if you don’t want to bring several books with you. Have a great trip!
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6486 posts
csolinda, I do the same. It saves so much space. Also, sometimes I'll take a few pages from various guidebooks.
Posted by
Florida
1450 posts
I started buying the e-book version of the RS guides. They have the same content as their paper counterparts, you can bookmark things, and even take notes. And of couse there is no added weight or bulk. I still buy the paper books for planning purposes, but I leave those at home and rely on the ebooks for the trip.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
The Paris chapter of Rick's France 2019 includes the Historic Paris Walk, but not the other detailed walks and self-guided museum tours that are in the Paris book. However, some of those are also available as audio guides with maps, free to download at https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/paris or in Rick's Audio Europe app.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1229 posts
I disagree that the Rick Steves' book "has good detailed information about Normandy"—particularly for a four-day trip to this region. I find the info on this region lacking, and encourage you to seek out more detailed info—including info from the local tourism offices among others. The being said, the RS books are good for some things, and the last couple of times I bought them I bought the electronic (e-book) versions so I could have them in their entirety in my iPad. I also download Google Maps for offline use for the specific region(s) I am visiting so I am not as dependent on Internet access. For Normandy however, I also have several IGN maps which show much more detail about terrain, paths (including the "Grande Randonée footpaths), and bunkers. These maps are not easy to find in the U.S., but are well worth seeking out.