Travel Guidebooks - Lodging, Dining

Reference

Books > Guidebooks       - by Provence Beyond

Even when the touristic information is in French, it's usually a simple exercise (for a non-French speaker) to extract the essential names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Le Guide du Routard

(for different regions or cities) by Hachette

11x20 cm paperback, very popular, with information on lodging and eating, emphasizing value and cost.

Les Nouveaux Gîtes Ruraux

by Gîtes de France; tel: Paris, (1) 49 70 75 75

13x20 cm paperback, one guide for all of France (explanations in French and English)

A Gîte Rural is an apartment or detached house with one or more bedrooms, living-dining room, bath and kitchen or kitchenette, priced by the week.

Camping Caravaning France - Michelin

15x23 paperback with green cover

Contains a selected list of campsites for all of France (multi-lingual explanations)

Michelin Red Guide

11x20 cm red hardcover

This is the classic guide to lodging and dining in France (multi-lingual explanations) with street maps of many towns and cities.

The entries are limited, with emphasis on tested quality.

Michelin Green Guides

12x26 cm green softcover

The Michelin green guides are really wonderful guides for different regions of France. They have information for travellers: where to go, what to see, itineraries for seeing the most in the limited amount of time you have. Supporting information for each region includes historical and geological as well as local architecture. The newer guides are beginning to use photographs, but historically they have used beautiful line drawings based on photos.
The green guides are produced in a variety of languages, depending on the version, and sold world-wide. Look for the colored slash across the top of the cover indicating the language (blue: French; bright pink: English). Three guides for the Beyond region are (the titles vary with the language):

- Alpes du Sud, Haute-Provence

- Côte d'Azur, French Riviera

- Provence

Everyman Guides

12x23 cm, printed cover over black plastic

The Everyman guides are similar to the Michelin green guides, but quite different in style and "feel". Information goes into more detail for some specifics, such as art and people, but not as broad or even for use while travelling.

Sunflower Landscape "Eastern Provence, Cote d'Azur to the Alps"

We've not seen this, but it was recommended by Australian readers Pat and Steve, Aug 2002.