|
This is a huge error, these sites were some of my favorite places that we visited. Maybe I'm easily impressed, but the Musee Histoire houses such gems as letters from Charelemagne, Voltaire, and a young Louis XVI's journal, as well as the fabric book that Marie Antoinette chose swatches from for her dresses. This book by Steves mentions the Pantheon, Musee Histoire and Musee de Carnavalet only in passing and really only to imply that they aren't worth going to. It was one of my family's favorite spots. When my family all went to Paris last year this was one of the books we purchased to prepare for the trip.
This makes me not trust his judgment and I would certainly never trust a travel guide of his for anywhere else without some additional resources. I only found out what these places housed when reading other guides. He also dismisses the Musee Histoire and Carnavalet, but these places were equally interesting. Rather then give them the brush off, Steves should have more accurately described them and given the reader a chance to choose. Exupery, and Victor Hugo. I imagine in the grand scope of things, these places may not compare when pressed for time to places like the Louvre, San Chapelle, or the D'Orsee, but I thought they were amazing. Does he mean unrecognizable people like Voltaire, Madame Curie, Antoine de St. One room, painted of a circus in the clouds, entirely in deep reds and grays was breathtakingly beautiful, and I have never seen its equal in Europe.
Luckily I bought a few additional, more thorough, guides because this one missed the boat on a few amazing spots. The Musee Carnavelet has Parisian artifacts from Roman times through the Revolution to the present, definitely worth a visit. Oh, and please excuse my bad French, I am writing these names from memory, and may not have the spelling correct. Steves mentions something like "only well-read people or historians would recognize the names of people buried in the Pantheon". Plus I found the Pantheon absolutely staggering in its size and beauty.
It helped us decide (before we went) which sights to see and which to leave out since our time in Paris was short. I thought this book was really helpful. We wouldn't have known about the museum pass without it.--Ember It also made it easier to find things and get around without wasting a bunch of time going the wrong way. The maps were great, just wish we had studied them a little more before we went. We had a great time in Paris and took the book with us everywhere we went.
It is a must to have a book of this nature but last time we used Frommer's and would probably use that one again opposed to Rick Steve's. The book was a helpful tool while in Paris, However, if one is not wanting to walk one's legs off, maybe it is not the very best book. Some of the directions were not that easy to follow.
I was apprehensive about a surprise trip to Paris with absolutely no idea what to expect and no French language ability but after reading this book I'm ready to go and have the time of my life.
His Paris travel book is modest at best.It does not offer direct and clear picture of Paris. Do not buy this book. Rick Steves books are definitely overrated. His major weakness is the lack of good detailed maps. In Paris you can easily get free street and metro maps.Not only are they free but very practical. Amazon had several reviews of positive ratings for his books. I would not recommend any of his books.
|
