Paris atlas, the essential August 15, 2008 Looking forward to using in Oct for our 2 weeks in Paris/Brittany/Normandy. The Paris folks call this the essential, it and the GPS have sure been a major part of planning our next visit to France.
Skip the Spirals July 15, 2006 16 out of 16 found this review helpful
This is a very detailed mapbook. I like that it has a thorough index of street names and that the maps note numbers on major streets; it's like a miniature version of the Thomas Guides used in Southern California. The information is very reliable and the book fits very easily in a purse--though there are even smaller editions available that could fit into a deep pants pocket. It's far more detailed than the English-language mapbooks I inspected (don't be put off by the fact that this is a French-language edition, as the most important parts of the text are the street names) and is a good item to have if you're going to be in Paris for a while and doing more than hitting the basic tourist destinations.
I'd recommend buying this mapbook in another edition, however. The spiral-bound edition is inconvenient as it disrupts the streets' continuity, making it difficult to follow. Since I've arrived in France I've seen editions without the spiral binding that don't have this problem. Also, I don't find the organization by arrondissement useful--if I wander from one arrondissement to another I have to flip to a completely different section of the map book. In this sense the organization isn't as intuitive as a Thomas Guide. I think that Michelin has other editions of this--not with the spiral binding, and not with the organization by arrondissement--that may be easier to use.
I bought this in the U.S. before leaving for France, but in retrospect it would have been better to purchase one in Paris. They're readily available in many bookstores, especially in areas frequented by visitors. Inspecting the different options in person--after having wandered the city a bit--would have been helpful.
Pocket-sized and Perfect for Tourists or Parisians February 5, 2006 12 out of 12 found this review helpful
When I first discovered this book when visiting Paris, I thought it was the most innovative idea and a real gem. After many more trips, I have found it to be invaluable and more useful than I could have ever realized. Many of my Parisian and French friends have their own copies so it is not just a "tourist" thing. Even when I am in the States, I find it useful for recalling the zip code for my friends' Parisian addresses or remembering where that one great bistro is located when recommending it to a friend. The pocket-sized scale of the book is most helpful in fitting in an average suit pocket or the most elegant of evening purses. It is a Parisian must along with real cafe and good pastries.
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