The best Travel Guide for London (Eyewitness Travel Guides: London - Michael Leapman)

Member Name: tanyatigerlily

Product:	Eyewitness Travel Guides: London - Michael Leapman
Date:	30/08/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All the information you will ever need

Disadvantages: It is heavy to carry around

I am a great believer in travel guides and the best of the best is definitely 'Eyewitness Travel Guides'. As I mentioned when I reviewed the Great Britain travel guide the only disadvantage of these books are that they are heavy. The books are printed on good quality glossy paper and the 'London' travel guide weighs about 640g.

The 'London' travel guide consists of 448 pages of comprehensive travel and sightseeing information about this beautiful and interesting city.

It starts off with a colour-coded map of central London. These colour codes are used throughout the book and the sections are clearly visible and easy to find.

Apart from giving information about various sights the book also gives recommended days out with the focus being on a specific sort of experience e.g. fun day for the family, or shopping etc. A variety of activities are suggested as well as what sort of budget will be needed.

The book starts with a history of the city followed by its top suggestions for various categories e.g. best museums and galleries to visit, best churches to visit, the best parks and gardens etc. This makes it more useful than the ordinary sort of travel guides.

Next we get an area by area guide to London (this is where the colour coding comes in handy). Each section starts with a map of the area with all the main attractions clearly marked and coded by number. Underground stations and railways stations are clearly indicated to make getting there easier. Each section will also have a 3D map of an area with a marked walking route taking you past the best sights.

The following information is given about each attraction in the form of a visitors checklist:
- Street and postcode
- Telephone number
- All transport links (buses, tubes, trains and river boats)
- Opening times
- Whether an entrance fee is charged
- Other information such as wheelchair access, restaurant/café, guided/audio tours etc
- Website
This is followed by a brief description and history of the attraction.
Main attractions will have a more detailed description spread over a couple of pages with a variety of photographs, and sometimes with additional diagrams and floor plans.

At the end of the book you will find a section called 'Travellers' Needs' with information about where to stay, restaurants and pubs, shops and markets, entertainment, children's London.
This is followed with a section called 'Survival Guide' which focuses on practical matters like transport, communication, medical care, banking (to mention a but a few).

The last section is a street finder with detailed maps of central London, a general index and an Underground Map.

I use my 'London' travel guide frequently: whenever I want to look up something about an attraction, or when planning outings when family and friends come to visit. The Eyewitness Travel Guide London is available for about £10,50.

Summary: A useful guide for those who like to explore the city