There’s a great new book on Paris restaurants, much needed. since Patricia Well's Food-Lover's Guide to Paris went out of print. I’ve been looking for something to replace it, and recently found it with the just published Hungry for Paris, The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants by Alexander Lobrano (Random House, $16). Not only is it a terrific guide to great eating in Paris, it's also a well-written combination of guidebook, memoir and portrait of Paris as seen through its restaurants. (Buy directly through Amazon by clicking here.)
One of my favorite books on Paris is a precious Taride Guide—a street guide of sorts, but with all sorts of useful information. Mine is at least 30 years old, and probably missing a lot on today’s Paris, but I figure the basics are still correct, and indeed, whenever I’ve used it to get around the city by bus or metro, it’s been very helpful.
My copy starts with a list of old street names that have been renamed. Next comes the complete street guide with the arrondissement for every one as well as information on where the street starts and were it ends—very useful when using the arrondissement maps that are also included. There’s a ton of information on places of interest, from museums to government offices, also bus route maps and street guides for the principal suburbs of Paris, all in a volume little larger than a 3X5 card and less than an inch in thickness. My copy is from the 300 series; today’s Tarides comprise the 500 series, I believe. Amazon has used copies of Tarides from the 1990s at collectors’ prices, but W.H. Smith claims to have new ones for about $20.
Another book—or rather two— I would not go to Paris without are the Michelin Green Guides for the city and for the Ile-de-France (the region around Paris). There’s a virtually endless list of guidebooks for Paris, but these two standbys will tell you all you need to know about the city and its environs, with the information conveniently arranged for walking.
If you have favorite guidebooks about any city—especially if they are something other than the current “best sellers,” I’m certain our readers will appreciate learning about them. So please let us know.
Paula “Bon Voyage” Gifford