October 11, 2024
This deeply agreeable travel guide series is most notable for its abundant images and beautiful design. It offers much information and value to travelers starting to get a sense of a location as well as armchair voyagers. Several elements make the series stand out, including detailed drawings of key buildings, with cutaway views; photos of landscapes, monuments, food, and art; and inviting drawings of special areas to explore. Readers starting to build their own itineraries will enjoy the country grand tour and the smaller-city suggestions, which skim through major sites. However, the series does not offer sufficient detailed, on-the-ground information for practical travel plans. For example, it does not list a rich range of hotels (it offers only a few choices), recommended restaurants (suggesting instead a small handful), or methods for booking tickets to key sites. VERDICT Supporting sink-into-the-pages-and-dream desires, this series will please any reader who's starting to think about a trip at the 10,000-foot level. It showcases the best design and use of images of any travel guide; sure to be in demand.
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