Not enough detail if you're there for more than a few days, 05 Mar 2007
I liked: most of the pictures, the fact it's spiral bound and therefore stays open when you want it to, some of the walks, the attempt at prioritisation of things to do/see, the sections on "do X in Y days" and the fact that it covered the Rockies as well as BC.

I didn't like: the level of detail, which I found poor, the fact that the things to do/places to stay/places to eat sections were landscape while the rest of the book was portrait (and ran over 2 pages which made it confusing to read), the lack of info on routes and driving in Canada. I found my Rough Guide to Canada much more useful and more detailed on BC and the Rockies even though it covered the whole of the country.

Worth getting only if you think "Canada's OK, but not for the WHOLE weekend"...

Great Book, 29 Jun 2006
I think there is perhaps some snobbery with readers liking lonely planet or rough guide but you'd be wrong to ignore this great book.

Very easy to read whilst out & about, actually recommends the same as all the other books and provides good itineraries, if you only buy one book for your trip buy this one.

Enjoy your holiday....it's a great area of the world!!


Handy guide, 05 Oct 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews, and because it sounded like a practical little guide. I can happily report that it's stood up to scrutiny, and will form part of our hand luggage on the flight to Calgary in a couple of weeks time.

It doesn't go into huge detail on different places, but that's not the point of it - it's a good little book to give you ideas about what to do, where to go and so on. It doesn't go into particular detail on the Kootenays region, but I'd say it's an essential book for those wanting to plan a road trip between Calgary and Vancouver, or for people looking to get an overview of a very large area.

Excellently presented, 04 Feb 2004
This is a lively, enthusiatic guide to travelling around Vancoucer, Victoria and the Rockies. It includes detail maps of all the key areas including Vancouver itself and also has area maps with areas of particular interest clearly marked. I used this guide in conjunction with The Rough Guide for a recent 14 day fly-drive holiday and it didn't let me down. The highlight of the book is detailing suggested routes whether you're going for 1 week or 4 weeks. This allows you to squeeze as much out of your trip as possible.

Spiral Guides Rule, 05 Nov 2003
I wouldnt go anyway without my spiral guide and this holiday was no exception (Visited BC & Alberta indepentely during May/June 2003).

I converted to these guides some three years ago. I love the layout and siz of the guide - fits in your pocket nicely. It has a splashproof cover and the two flaps make great bookmarkers.

As for the contents, for this trip I found there was enough information for the larger tourist areas to point me in the right direction.

These guides are much easier to read than Lonely Planet if you want a good (but still comprehensive) overview.
I particuarly love the hints and tips for the 'must sees'.

Would highly recommend this guide and it has already been loaned to my friend for her forthcoming visit!!

It is said that you haven't lived until you've died in Paris. For most of us there is no need to go quite that far, irresistible as the city's grim history may be. After a bad harvest in 1788, during which food prices soared far beyond the means of the average citizen, the populous rose against the monarchy, marking the start of the revolution that would turn Paris into the cosmopolitan city it is today. Looking further back in time, Paris's eerie past can be found in its Catacombs, ancient Roman quarries lined with 18th- and 19th-century skulls. But Paris is also the city of culture: it is home to more than 10,000 restaurants, bistros and cafés. Some couples even set up their own intimate tables on the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian-only bridge over the river Seine.

Whether or not you have visited Paris before, the AA's Spiral Guide to Paris is a sound travelling companion. Though small enough to fit in a rucksack pocket, it manages to squeeze in 200 fact-filled pages, including glossy fold-out maps, a 28-page "magazine", chapters on the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter and St-Germain, and a vital "practicalities" section, featuring weather information, safety hints and brief language guide. --Daren King

Not enough detail if you're there for more than a few days, 05 Mar 2007
I liked: most of the pictures, the fact it's spiral bound and therefore stays open when you want it to, some of the walks, the attempt at prioritisation of things to do/see, the sections on "do X in Y days" and the fact that it covered the Rockies as well as BC.

I didn't like: the level of detail, which I found poor, the fact that the things to do/places to stay/places to eat sections were landscape while the rest of the book was portrait (and ran over 2 pages which made it confusing to read), the lack of info on routes and driving in Canada. I found my Rough Guide to Canada much more useful and more detailed on BC and the Rockies even though it covered the whole of the country.

Worth getting only if you think "Canada's OK, but not for the WHOLE weekend"...

Great Book, 29 Jun 2006
I think there is perhaps some snobbery with readers liking lonely planet or rough guide but you'd be wrong to ignore this great book.

Very easy to read whilst out & about, actually recommends the same as all the other books and provides good itineraries, if you only buy one book for your trip buy this one.

Enjoy your holiday....it's a great area of the world!!


Handy guide, 05 Oct 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews, and because it sounded like a practical little guide. I can happily report that it's stood up to scrutiny, and will form part of our hand luggage on the flight to Calgary in a couple of weeks time.

It doesn't go into huge detail on different places, but that's not the point of it - it's a good little book to give you ideas about what to do, where to go and so on. It doesn't go into particular detail on the Kootenays region, but I'd say it's an essential book for those wanting to plan a road trip between Calgary and Vancouver, or for people looking to get an overview of a very large area.

Excellently presented, 04 Feb 2004
This is a lively, enthusiatic guide to travelling around Vancoucer, Victoria and the Rockies. It includes detail maps of all the key areas including Vancouver itself and also has area maps with areas of particular interest clearly marked. I used this guide in conjunction with The Rough Guide for a recent 14 day fly-drive holiday and it didn't let me down. The highlight of the book is detailing suggested routes whether you're going for 1 week or 4 weeks. This allows you to squeeze as much out of your trip as possible.

Spiral Guides Rule, 05 Nov 2003
I wouldnt go anyway without my spiral guide and this holiday was no exception (Visited BC & Alberta indepentely during May/June 2003).

I converted to these guides some three years ago. I love the layout and siz of the guide - fits in your pocket nicely. It has a splashproof cover and the two flaps make great bookmarkers.

As for the contents, for this trip I found there was enough information for the larger tourist areas to point me in the right direction.

These guides are much easier to read than Lonely Planet if you want a good (but still comprehensive) overview.
I particuarly love the hints and tips for the 'must sees'.

Would highly recommend this guide and it has already been loaned to my friend for her forthcoming visit!!

Never travel without a Spiral, 31 Jul 2008
We have decided that from now on we're only going to visit places that have a Sprial Guide written about them - they have become indispensible to us over the past few years - Barcelona, Venice, Florence and now Paris. There's just the right mix of travellers' tips, interesting facts about the place, good up-to-date information re opening times, prices etc. The maps are suberb (though why does the street we're on always land on a join?!). And the best thing of all is the SPIRAL!! - No losing your place when the book shuts itself, no broken spines, no need for a bookmark - Genius!!

the best travel guides for the not-fussy, 26 Jul 2007
we used the spiral guide for our paris trip and found it the most user friendly. it neatly divides the city and four or five areas, each of which can be covered in a day or less, with easy to follow walking tours and great quality photos. it does not go too in-depth like the lonely planet or time out guides but that suited us fine.we will only be using the spiral guides for our next city-breaks. AA's onto a winner here.

inofrmative, easy to use guide, 04 Feb 2007
I purchased this book for my teenage daughter who has just returned from Paris, she found it to be very informative and easy to use. Normally she wouldn't even bother to look at a guide or book but she visited places she may well have ignored if not for the guide, I'd definitely purchase this style for guide for other trips abroad

Very detailed, informative and extremely practical, 20 Oct 2000
I had already purchased the spiral guide to New York and found this really useful on my trip to the Big apple! So when I decided to take a trip to Paris I looked no where else but for this AA spiral guide of Paris. It is extremely practical with an excellent quirky magazine section on paris. A section for each area, what to see, pictures of the sights, ratings of each sight etc. A really useful section with recommended walks, so you do not miss the sights, with approximate walking times, places of interest and even cafes to have a break in. It also includes a city map and area map and a really useful facts section at the back of the book. Overall this is a colouful, informative, easy to read book with all the information you would need for a fun-filled trip to Paris, prepared with all the facts.

Not enough detail if you're there for more than a few days, 05 Mar 2007
I liked: most of the pictures, the fact it's spiral bound and therefore stays open when you want it to, some of the walks, the attempt at prioritisation of things to do/see, the sections on "do X in Y days" and the fact that it covered the Rockies as well as BC.

I didn't like: the level of detail, which I found poor, the fact that the things to do/places to stay/places to eat sections were landscape while the rest of the book was portrait (and ran over 2 pages which made it confusing to read), the lack of info on routes and driving in Canada. I found my Rough Guide to Canada much more useful and more detailed on BC and the Rockies even though it covered the whole of the country.

Worth getting only if you think "Canada's OK, but not for the WHOLE weekend"...

Great Book, 29 Jun 2006
I think there is perhaps some snobbery with readers liking lonely planet or rough guide but you'd be wrong to ignore this great book.

Very easy to read whilst out & about, actually recommends the same as all the other books and provides good itineraries, if you only buy one book for your trip buy this one.

Enjoy your holiday....it's a great area of the world!!


Handy guide, 05 Oct 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews, and because it sounded like a practical little guide. I can happily report that it's stood up to scrutiny, and will form part of our hand luggage on the flight to Calgary in a couple of weeks time.

It doesn't go into huge detail on different places, but that's not the point of it - it's a good little book to give you ideas about what to do, where to go and so on. It doesn't go into particular detail on the Kootenays region, but I'd say it's an essential book for those wanting to plan a road trip between Calgary and Vancouver, or for people looking to get an overview of a very large area.

Excellently presented, 04 Feb 2004
This is a lively, enthusiatic guide to travelling around Vancoucer, Victoria and the Rockies. It includes detail maps of all the key areas including Vancouver itself and also has area maps with areas of particular interest clearly marked. I used this guide in conjunction with The Rough Guide for a recent 14 day fly-drive holiday and it didn't let me down. The highlight of the book is detailing suggested routes whether you're going for 1 week or 4 weeks. This allows you to squeeze as much out of your trip as possible.

Spiral Guides Rule, 05 Nov 2003
I wouldnt go anyway without my spiral guide and this holiday was no exception (Visited BC & Alberta indepentely during May/June 2003).

I converted to these guides some three years ago. I love the layout and siz of the guide - fits in your pocket nicely. It has a splashproof cover and the two flaps make great bookmarkers.

As for the contents, for this trip I found there was enough information for the larger tourist areas to point me in the right direction.

These guides are much easier to read than Lonely Planet if you want a good (but still comprehensive) overview.
I particuarly love the hints and tips for the 'must sees'.

Would highly recommend this guide and it has already been loaned to my friend for her forthcoming visit!!

Never travel without a Spiral, 31 Jul 2008
We have decided that from now on we're only going to visit places that have a Sprial Guide written about them - they have become indispensible to us over the past few years - Barcelona, Venice, Florence and now Paris. There's just the right mix of travellers' tips, interesting facts about the place, good up-to-date information re opening times, prices etc. The maps are suberb (though why does the street we're on always land on a join?!). And the best thing of all is the SPIRAL!! - No losing your place when the book shuts itself, no broken spines, no need for a bookmark - Genius!!

the best travel guides for the not-fussy, 26 Jul 2007
we used the spiral guide for our paris trip and found it the most user friendly. it neatly divides the city and four or five areas, each of which can be covered in a day or less, with easy to follow walking tours and great quality photos. it does not go too in-depth like the lonely planet or time out guides but that suited us fine.we will only be using the spiral guides for our next city-breaks. AA's onto a winner here.

inofrmative, easy to use guide, 04 Feb 2007
I purchased this book for my teenage daughter who has just returned from Paris, she found it to be very informative and easy to use. Normally she wouldn't even bother to look at a guide or book but she visited places she may well have ignored if not for the guide, I'd definitely purchase this style for guide for other trips abroad

Very detailed, informative and extremely practical, 20 Oct 2000
I had already purchased the spiral guide to New York and found this really useful on my trip to the Big apple! So when I decided to take a trip to Paris I looked no where else but for this AA spiral guide of Paris. It is extremely practical with an excellent quirky magazine section on paris. A section for each area, what to see, pictures of the sights, ratings of each sight etc. A really useful section with recommended walks, so you do not miss the sights, with approximate walking times, places of interest and even cafes to have a break in. It also includes a city map and area map and a really useful facts section at the back of the book. Overall this is a colouful, informative, easy to read book with all the information you would need for a fun-filled trip to Paris, prepared with all the facts.

Difficult to make it better - but not impossible, 02 May 2008
In many respects it is hard to fault this pocket sized guide to one of the great cities of the world. It contains a wealth of information, and I particularly liked the fold-up map in the back, although I rarely had to get it out of the plastic wallet because the chapter by chapter, district by district maps are so good. It is hard to imagine how you could get much more into such a small book. The focus is on Manhattan, but it does dip into Brooklyn and Queens.

There is, however, quite an emphasis on shopping, restaurants and hotels over information on tourist attractions, and I did miss the exploded map views and pictures of the iconic artworks etc that you get in the DK "Eyewitness" series - hence just the four stars. I am, however, being fussy! You could certainly do a lot worse, and it will be many visits before I have had a chance to visit all of the attractions listed herein.


Perfect for first timers, 16 Oct 2007
This guide is perfect for anyone wishing to visit nyc- the map especially is really all you need- its very easy to follow and you really cant get lost.

Not enough detail if you're there for more than a few days, 05 Mar 2007
I liked: most of the pictures, the fact it's spiral bound and therefore stays open when you want it to, some of the walks, the attempt at prioritisation of things to do/see, the sections on "do X in Y days" and the fact that it covered the Rockies as well as BC.

I didn't like: the level of detail, which I found poor, the fact that the things to do/places to stay/places to eat sections were landscape while the rest of the book was portrait (and ran over 2 pages which made it confusing to read), the lack of info on routes and driving in Canada. I found my Rough Guide to Canada much more useful and more detailed on BC and the Rockies even though it covered the whole of the country.

Worth getting only if you think "Canada's OK, but not for the WHOLE weekend"...

Great Book, 29 Jun 2006
I think there is perhaps some snobbery with readers liking lonely planet or rough guide but you'd be wrong to ignore this great book.

Very easy to read whilst out & about, actually recommends the same as all the other books and provides good itineraries, if you only buy one book for your trip buy this one.

Enjoy your holiday....it's a great area of the world!!


Handy guide, 05 Oct 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews, and because it sounded like a practical little guide. I can happily report that it's stood up to scrutiny, and will form part of our hand luggage on the flight to Calgary in a couple of weeks time.

It doesn't go into huge detail on different places, but that's not the point of it - it's a good little book to give you ideas about what to do, where to go and so on. It doesn't go into particular detail on the Kootenays region, but I'd say it's an essential book for those wanting to plan a road trip between Calgary and Vancouver, or for people looking to get an overview of a very large area.

Excellently presented, 04 Feb 2004
This is a lively, enthusiatic guide to travelling around Vancoucer, Victoria and the Rockies. It includes detail maps of all the key areas including Vancouver itself and also has area maps with areas of particular interest clearly marked. I used this guide in conjunction with The Rough Guide for a recent 14 day fly-drive holiday and it didn't let me down. The highlight of the book is detailing suggested routes whether you're going for 1 week or 4 weeks. This allows you to squeeze as much out of your trip as possible.

Spiral Guides Rule, 05 Nov 2003
I wouldnt go anyway without my spiral guide and this holiday was no exception (Visited BC & Alberta indepentely during May/June 2003).

I converted to these guides some three years ago. I love the layout and siz of the guide - fits in your pocket nicely. It has a splashproof cover and the two flaps make great bookmarkers.

As for the contents, for this trip I found there was enough information for the larger tourist areas to point me in the right direction.

These guides are much easier to read than Lonely Planet if you want a good (but still comprehensive) overview.
I particuarly love the hints and tips for the 'must sees'.

Would highly recommend this guide and it has already been loaned to my friend for her forthcoming visit!!

Never travel without a Spiral, 31 Jul 2008
We have decided that from now on we're only going to visit places that have a Sprial Guide written about them - they have become indispensible to us over the past few years - Barcelona, Venice, Florence and now Paris. There's just the right mix of travellers' tips, interesting facts about the place, good up-to-date information re opening times, prices etc. The maps are suberb (though why does the street we're on always land on a join?!). And the best thing of all is the SPIRAL!! - No losing your place when the book shuts itself, no broken spines, no need for a bookmark - Genius!!

the best travel guides for the not-fussy, 26 Jul 2007
we used the spiral guide for our paris trip and found it the most user friendly. it neatly divides the city and four or five areas, each of which can be covered in a day or less, with easy to follow walking tours and great quality photos. it does not go too in-depth like the lonely planet or time out guides but that suited us fine.we will only be using the spiral guides for our next city-breaks. AA's onto a winner here.

inofrmative, easy to use guide, 04 Feb 2007
I purchased this book for my teenage daughter who has just returned from Paris, she found it to be very informative and easy to use. Normally she wouldn't even bother to look at a guide or book but she visited places she may well have ignored if not for the guide, I'd definitely purchase this style for guide for other trips abroad

Very detailed, informative and extremely practical, 20 Oct 2000
I had already purchased the spiral guide to New York and found this really useful on my trip to the Big apple! So when I decided to take a trip to Paris I looked no where else but for this AA spiral guide of Paris. It is extremely practical with an excellent quirky magazine section on paris. A section for each area, what to see, pictures of the sights, ratings of each sight etc. A really useful section with recommended walks, so you do not miss the sights, with approximate walking times, places of interest and even cafes to have a break in. It also includes a city map and area map and a really useful facts section at the back of the book. Overall this is a colouful, informative, easy to read book with all the information you would need for a fun-filled trip to Paris, prepared with all the facts.

Difficult to make it better - but not impossible, 02 May 2008
In many respects it is hard to fault this pocket sized guide to one of the great cities of the world. It contains a wealth of information, and I particularly liked the fold-up map in the back, although I rarely had to get it out of the plastic wallet because the chapter by chapter, district by district maps are so good. It is hard to imagine how you could get much more into such a small book. The focus is on Manhattan, but it does dip into Brooklyn and Queens.

There is, however, quite an emphasis on shopping, restaurants and hotels over information on tourist attractions, and I did miss the exploded map views and pictures of the iconic artworks etc that you get in the DK "Eyewitness" series - hence just the four stars. I am, however, being fussy! You could certainly do a lot worse, and it will be many visits before I have had a chance to visit all of the attractions listed herein.


Perfect for first timers, 16 Oct 2007
This guide is perfect for anyone wishing to visit nyc- the map especially is really all you need- its very easy to follow and you really cant get lost.

A Great Guide, 01 Sep 2007
We always buy guide books for a place before going on holiday, and usually only actually make use of a few pages once we get there.
This book was different - it was accurate, relevant, interesting and a constant reference. We followed driving and walking tours in it which were accurately detailed and showed us things we wouldn't have otherwise seen/noticed. Will always look for books from this series in future.

Not enough detail if you're there for more than a few days, 05 Mar 2007
I liked: most of the pictures, the fact it's spiral bound and therefore stays open when you want it to, some of the walks, the attempt at prioritisation of things to do/see, the sections on "do X in Y days" and the fact that it covered the Rockies as well as BC.

I didn't like: the level of detail, which I found poor, the fact that the things to do/places to stay/places to eat sections were landscape while the rest of the book was portrait (and ran over 2 pages which made it confusing to read), the lack of info on routes and driving in Canada. I found my Rough Guide to Canada much more useful and more detailed on BC and the Rockies even though it covered the whole of the country.

Worth getting only if you think "Canada's OK, but not for the WHOLE weekend"...

Great Book, 29 Jun 2006
I think there is perhaps some snobbery with readers liking lonely planet or rough guide but you'd be wrong to ignore this great book.

Very easy to read whilst out & about, actually recommends the same as all the other books and provides good itineraries, if you only buy one book for your trip buy this one.

Enjoy your holiday....it's a great area of the world!!


Handy guide, 05 Oct 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews, and because it sounded like a practical little guide. I can happily report that it's stood up to scrutiny, and will form part of our hand luggage on the flight to Calgary in a couple of weeks time.

It doesn't go into huge detail on different places, but that's not the point of it - it's a good little book to give you ideas about what to do, where to go and so on. It doesn't go into particular detail on the Kootenays region, but I'd say it's an essential book for those wanting to plan a road trip between Calgary and Vancouver, or for people looking to get an overview of a very large area.

Excellently presented, 04 Feb 2004
This is a lively, enthusiatic guide to travelling around Vancoucer, Victoria and the Rockies. It includes detail maps of all the key areas including Vancouver itself and also has area maps with areas of particular interest clearly marked. I used this guide in conjunction with The Rough Guide for a recent 14 day fly-drive holiday and it didn't let me down. The highlight of the book is detailing suggested routes whether you're going for 1 week or 4 weeks. This allows you to squeeze as much out of your trip as possible.

Spiral Guides Rule, 05 Nov 2003
I wouldnt go anyway without my spiral guide and this holiday was no exception (Visited BC & Alberta indepentely during May/June 2003).

I converted to these guides some three years ago. I love the layout and siz of the guide - fits in your pocket nicely. It has a splashproof cover and the two flaps make great bookmarkers.

As for the contents, for this trip I found there was enough information for the larger tourist areas to point me in the right direction.

These guides are much easier to read than Lonely Planet if you want a good (but still comprehensive) overview.
I particuarly love the hints and tips for the 'must sees'.

Would highly recommend this guide and it has already been loaned to my friend for her forthcoming visit!!

Never travel without a Spiral, 31 Jul 2008
We have decided that from now on we're only going to visit places that have a Sprial Guide written about them - they have become indispensible to us over the past few years - Barcelona, Venice, Florence and now Paris. There's just the right mix of travellers' tips, interesting facts about the place, good up-to-date information re opening times, prices etc. The maps are suberb (though why does the street we're on always land on a join?!). And the best thing of all is the SPIRAL!! - No losing your place when the book shuts itself, no broken spines, no need for a bookmark - Genius!!

the best travel guides for the not-fussy, 26 Jul 2007
we used the spiral guide for our paris trip and found it the most user friendly. it neatly divides the city and four or five areas, each of which can be covered in a day or less, with easy to follow walking tours and great quality photos. it does not go too in-depth like the lonely planet or time out guides but that suited us fine.we will only be using the spiral guides for our next city-breaks. AA's onto a winner here.

inofrmative, easy to use guide, 04 Feb 2007
I purchased this book for my teenage daughter who has just returned from Paris, she found it to be very informative and easy to use. Normally she wouldn't even bother to look at a guide or book but she visited places she may well have ignored if not for the guide, I'd definitely purchase this style for guide for other trips abroad

Very detailed, informative and extremely practical, 20 Oct 2000
I had already purchased the spiral guide to New York and found this really useful on my trip to the Big apple! So when I decided to take a trip to Paris I looked no where else but for this AA spiral guide of Paris. It is extremely practical with an excellent quirky magazine section on paris. A section for each area, what to see, pictures of the sights, ratings of each sight etc. A really useful section with recommended walks, so you do not miss the sights, with approximate walking times, places of interest and even cafes to have a break in. It also includes a city map and area map and a really useful facts section at the back of the book. Overall this is a colouful, informative, easy to read book with all the information you would need for a fun-filled trip to Paris, prepared with all the facts.

Difficult to make it better - but not impossible, 02 May 2008
In many respects it is hard to fault this pocket sized guide to one of the great cities of the world. It contains a wealth of information, and I particularly liked the fold-up map in the back, although I rarely had to get it out of the plastic wallet because the chapter by chapter, district by district maps are so good. It is hard to imagine how you could get much more into such a small book. The focus is on Manhattan, but it does dip into Brooklyn and Queens.

There is, however, quite an emphasis on shopping, restaurants and hotels over information on tourist attractions, and I did miss the exploded map views and pictures of the iconic artworks etc that you get in the DK "Eyewitness" series - hence just the four stars. I am, however, being fussy! You could certainly do a lot worse, and it will be many visits before I have had a chance to visit all of the attractions listed herein.


Perfect for first timers, 16 Oct 2007
This guide is perfect for anyone wishing to visit nyc- the map especially is really all you need- its very easy to follow and you really cant get lost.

A Great Guide, 01 Sep 2007
We always buy guide books for a place before going on holiday, and usually only actually make use of a few pages once we get there.
This book was different - it was accurate, relevant, interesting and a constant reference. We followed driving and walking tours in it which were accurately detailed and showed us things we wouldn't have otherwise seen/noticed. Will always look for books from this series in future.

not bad, 15 Sep 2006
i had this and the little aa guide book too. must admit i prefered the little one as it told you what buses you needed to get to certain attractions and the spiral guide didnt.

Fun and informative, 22 Nov 2004
A clear and up to date guide to Malta. Particularly useful is the list of top places to visit when under time constraints. Splits the island into regions and then lists attractions in each area. We tried several of the recommended restaurant which were all a success.

A Must!, 26 Jun 2003
Having just got back from Gozo I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It was superb! It is written in a way that makes you feel like the author is with you. The tours simply have to be followed, as they take you to areas you would not normally see. We had great fun, and there was always a watering hole exactly where the book said it would be, and usually with a great view.

Not enough detail if you're there for more than a few days, 05 Mar 2007
I liked: most of the pictures, the fact it's spiral bound and therefore stays open when you want it to, some of the walks, the attempt at prioritisation of things to do/see, the sections on "do X in Y days" and the fact that it covered the Rockies as well as BC.

I didn't like: the level of detail, which I found poor, the fact that the things to do/places to stay/places to eat sections were landscape while the rest of the book was portrait (and ran over 2 pages which made it confusing to read), the lack of info on routes and driving in Canada. I found my Rough Guide to Canada much more useful and more detailed on BC and the Rockies even though it covered the whole of the country.

Worth getting only if you think "Canada's OK, but not for the WHOLE weekend"...

Great Book, 29 Jun 2006
I think there is perhaps some snobbery with readers liking lonely planet or rough guide but you'd be wrong to ignore this great book.

Very easy to read whilst out & about, actually recommends the same as all the other books and provides good itineraries, if you only buy one book for your trip buy this one.

Enjoy your holiday....it's a great area of the world!!


Handy guide, 05 Oct 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews, and because it sounded like a practical little guide. I can happily report that it's stood up to scrutiny, and will form part of our hand luggage on the flight to Calgary in a couple of weeks time.

It doesn't go into huge detail on different places, but that's not the point of it - it's a good little book to give you ideas about what to do, where to go and so on. It doesn't go into particular detail on the Kootenays region, but I'd say it's an essential book for those wanting to plan a road trip between Calgary and Vancouver, or for people looking to get an overview of a very large area.

Excellently presented, 04 Feb 2004
This is a lively, enthusiatic guide to travelling around Vancoucer, Victoria and the Rockies. It includes detail maps of all the key areas including Vancouver itself and also has area maps with areas of particular interest clearly marked. I used this guide in conjunction with The Rough Guide for a recent 14 day fly-drive holiday and it didn't let me down. The highlight of the book is detailing suggested routes whether you're going for 1 week or 4 weeks. This allows you to squeeze as much out of your trip as possible.

Spiral Guides Rule, 05 Nov 2003
I wouldnt go anyway without my spiral guide and this holiday was no exception (Visited BC & Alberta indepentely during May/June 2003).

I converted to these guides some three years ago. I love the layout and siz of the guide - fits in your pocket nicely. It has a splashproof cover and the two flaps make great bookmarkers.

As for the contents, for this trip I found there was enough information for the larger tourist areas to point me in the right direction.

These guides are much easier to read than Lonely Planet if you want a good (but still comprehensive) overview.
I particuarly love the hints and tips for the 'must sees'.

Would highly recommend this guide and it has already been loaned to my friend for her forthcoming visit!!

Never travel without a Spiral, 31 Jul 2008
We have decided that from now on we're only going to visit places that have a Sprial Guide written about them - they have become indispensible to us over the past few years - Barcelona, Venice, Florence and now Paris. There's just the right mix of travellers' tips, interesting facts about the place, good up-to-date information re opening times, prices etc. The maps are suberb (though why does the street we're on always land on a join?!). And the best thing of all is the SPIRAL!! - No losing your place when the book shuts itself, no broken spines, no need for a bookmark - Genius!!

the best travel guides for the not-fussy, 26 Jul 2007
we used the spiral guide for our paris trip and found it the most user friendly. it neatly divides the city and four or five areas, each of which can be covered in a day or less, with easy to follow walking tours and great quality photos. it does not go too in-depth like the lonely planet or time out guides but that suited us fine.we will only be using the spiral guides for our next city-breaks. AA's onto a winner here.

inofrmative, easy to use guide, 04 Feb 2007
I purchased this book for my teenage daughter who has just returned from Paris, she found it to be very informative and easy to use. Normally she wouldn't even bother to look at a guide or book but she visited places she may well have ignored if not for the guide, I'd definitely purchase this style for guide for other trips abroad

Very detailed, informative and extremely practical, 20 Oct 2000
I had already purchased the spiral guide to New York and found this really useful on my trip to the Big apple! So when I decided to take a trip to Paris I looked no where else but for this AA spiral guide of Paris. It is extremely practical with an excellent quirky magazine section on paris. A section for each area, what to see, pictures of the sights, ratings of each sight etc. A really useful section with recommended walks, so you do not miss the sights, with approximate walking times, places of interest and even cafes to have a break in. It also includes a city map and area map and a really useful facts section at the back of the book. Overall this is a colouful, informative, easy to read book with all the information you would need for a fun-filled trip to Paris, prepared with all the facts.

Difficult to make it better - but not impossible, 02 May 2008
In many respects it is hard to fault this pocket sized guide to one of the great cities of the world. It contains a wealth of information, and I particularly liked the fold-up map in the back, although I rarely had to get it out of the plastic wallet because the chapter by chapter, district by district maps are so good. It is hard to imagine how you could get much more into such a small book. The focus is on Manhattan, but it does dip into Brooklyn and Queens.

There is, however, quite an emphasis on shopping, restaurants and hotels over information on tourist attractions, and I did miss the exploded map views and pictures of the iconic artworks etc that you get in the DK "Eyewitness" series - hence just the four stars. I am, however, being fussy! You could certainly do a lot worse, and it will be many visits before I have had a chance to visit all of the attractions listed herein.


Perfect for first timers, 16 Oct 2007
This guide is perfect for anyone wishing to visit nyc- the map especially is really all you need- its very easy to follow and you really cant get lost.

A Great Guide, 01 Sep 2007
We always buy guide books for a place before going on holiday, and usually only actually make use of a few pages once we get there.
This book was different - it was accurate, relevant, interesting and a constant reference. We followed driving and walking tours in it which were accurately detailed and showed us things we wouldn't have otherwise seen/noticed. Will always look for books from this series in future.

not bad, 15 Sep 2006
i had this and the little aa guide book too. must admit i prefered the little one as it told you what buses you needed to get to certain attractions and the spiral guide didnt.

Fun and informative, 22 Nov 2004
A clear and up to date guide to Malta. Particularly useful is the list of top places to visit when under time constraints. Splits the island into regions and then lists attractions in each area. We tried several of the recommended restaurant which were all a success.

A Must!, 26 Jun 2003
Having just got back from Gozo I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It was superb! It is written in a way that makes you feel like the author is with you. The tours simply have to be followed, as they take you to areas you would not normally see. We had great fun, and there was always a watering hole exactly where the book said it would be, and usually with a great view.

Useful and well presented , 29 Jun 2008
We've just used this guide on a short break in central Munich. Although that means we did not test a lot of the information, what we did use was well presented, easy to find and to understand. There is a separate map in a wallet that is also clear and handy. On the basis of this experience, I would look first at one of the others in this series if I was going to another city that they cover.