The France guide went with me a few months ago, and it was great as always. No matter what my travel destination is, I try to take a Lonely Planet guide. I like the commentary and recommendations. I trust the lodging recommendations when I want to make reservations.

I like the Lonely Planet Series very much. It is candid, charming, lotsa tidbits and enjoyable read. I am going to Paris and bought this and the Paris one. My only criticism is that some of the hotels are on the low end, I not sure I would stay in. This series takes a fresh look at Europe and is very up to date enconomically, socially and politically. I found other travel books like reading those translators of literature using British accents for all novels regardless if they are French or Russian or whatever!

Up to date 2007 edition. Extremely informative about every corner of the country. A must have reference book if you are going to travel to France.

What I liked best about this book was the overview of the country. It gave history of the country and then also gave ideas on what to see and do if you want to enjoy learning the history of the country. If you aren't into that sort of thing this book offers the traveler ideas of places to go and things to see that are more modern and not necessarily educational/historic. This book also offers time and money saving tips and off the beaten path places to see and experience while you travel. If one is interested in doing specific tours or seeing certian things the book offers different tour packages in terms of what one might want to see or experience while in France. It is a great way to help narrow down and/or increase the amount of things to do or see when you visit France.

What I liked best about this book was the overview of the country. It gave history of the country and then also gave ideas on what to see and do if you want to enjoy learning the history of the country. If you aren't into that sort of thing this book offers the traveler ideas of places to go and things to see that are more modern and not necessarily educational/historic. This book also offers time and money saving tips and off the beaten path places to see and experience while you travel. If one is interested in doing specific tours or seeing certian things the book offers different tour packages in terms of what one might want to see or experience while in France. It is a great way to help narrow down and/or increase the amount of things to do or see when you visit France.

Lonely Planet guidebooks range from excellent (Thailand) to less than mediocre (France). I found the France guide to fall short, especially because there is no section on what constitutes an appropriate tip or gratuity at a restaurant. While there were many useful and interesting tidbits of information (the text box on Cemetaire Pere la Chaise for example) the absence of any mention of tipping jaded me against this particular guidebook.

Written by a team of six authors (Nicola Williams, Oliver Berry, Steve Fallon, Catherine Le Nevez, Daniel Robinson, and Miles Roddis) with 23 combined years of living in France, the seventh edition of Lonely Planet's travel guide France is as high-quality as ever, packed with up-to-date research, 184 maps, and a handful of color photographs. From locations and descriptions of restaurants, hotels, and businesses, to a solid primer on adapting to French culture, to historical insights, transportation tips, recommended tours and trails, an extensive index, and even unique touches such as the URLs of France's most popular bloggers, this updated and expanded seventh edition of France is a "must-have" for anyone determined to make the most of their visit to this proud nation. Readers can even visit [...] for additional daily updates!

I bought this with the Rick Steve's France book because I couldn't decide between the two. Everyone told me that Lonely planet guides are great...but I have watched Rick Steve's shows on TV. Lonely Planet France was okay...but, it lists like 10 hotels for each area, 10-15 restaurants to eat in each area, whereas Rick Steve's France narrows it down to 3 or 4 hotels/restaurants that you must try. Lonely Planet is fine...and it is helpful, but I use it in conjunction with other guide books.

This is a nice research book for those who have not been to France. Much to big and bulky to take on the trip. It would be nice to have pull out maps of the different historical sites such as the Louvre incorporated in the book.

The LP effort for France is thorough and diverse with writers of different ages and interests. I have used it for my last two trips and it has served me well [Bordeaux, Massif Central, Basque Coast, Paris]. I tend to prefer Let's Go recommendations and Michelin Regional Green Guides for local commentary. But this is being nit-picky... as the only real drawback to LP is the weight. The easy solution is to rip the guidebook apart by sections and have what you need spiral bound for about $5 at FedEx/Kinkos. I even mix in other guidebooks when I do this.

The LP effort for France is thorough and diverse with writers of different ages and interests. I have used it for my last two trips and it has served me well [Bordeaux, Massif Central, Basque Coast, Paris]. I tend to prefer Let's Go recommendations and Michelin Regional Green Guides for local commentary. But this is being nit-picky... as the only real drawback to LP is the weight. The easy solution is to rip the guidebook apart by sections and have what you need spiral bound for about $5 at FedEx/Kinkos. I even mix in other guidebooks when I do this.

If you're traveling to different regions and cities within France via train, bus, or plane, I'd definitely recommend this book. It offers very useful getting-to and getting-away options. For instance, if you want to travel between Normandy and Etretat, it requires a rather complex series of transfers using buses and possibly some trains - there is no direct train route (as I assumed before reading up on it in this book). This book alerts you to issues and offers alternative solutions. (Benefit: avoid unexpected, time-consuming problems and enjoy your trip more).

Lonely Planet Guides are not pretty, but they are useful when traveling around a country. I usually leave them back in the hotel room for consultation as needed. I've also carried photo copies of portions of them when I've been certain that's all I'd need. I would not be as likely to carry one if I was sure I was only going to stay in one city. They make it easy to take a sidetrip on the spur of the moment --especially when you're on a budget and traveling sans computer and Internet connection. (They also list cybercafes.) And, finally, I've found a few intriguing tidbits and advice not offered elsewhere.

If only staying in Paris, and it's your first visit, I recommend also carrying the AAA Spiral Paris Guide and the National Geographic Paris DestinationMap as they are pocket-sized. If you have more to spend, I'd also research using other books ahead of time and make hotel reservations based on other books, e.g., Michelin Green Guides, Fodor's Guides, etc. If you're on a budget and back-packing, make reservations using this guide. (Important to make reservations in Paris.)