Fodor’s Switzerland (Full-color Travel Guide)
Full-color guide
• Make your trip to Switzerland unforgettable with illustrated features, maps, and color photos.
Customize your trip with simple planning tools
• Top experiences and attractions
• Practical advice for getting around
• Easy-to-read color regional maps
Explore Zürich, the Alps, Lake Geneva, and beyond
• Discerning Fodor’s Choice picks for hotels, restaurants, sights, and more
• “Word of Mouth” tips from fellow Fodor’s trav
List Price: $ 22.99
Price:
' src='https://www.tripdates.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/http:ecx.images-amazon.comimagesI511VzeUJ7xL._SL160_.jpg'>)
TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart"
Not Up to Fodor’s Quality,
One of the best things I like about Fodor’s guidebooks are that until this book, they all had removable maps that I could lay out and look at, get a feel for the entire country or area the book covered. Therefore when this book came without such a map, I was extremely disappointed and surprised. Given that this is the 46th edition of this book about Switzerland I am confused to why it would not have a map. The internal maps are great but let’s be honest, they are also inside a book and not as easily carried around.
The second surprise for me was that there was no section on chocolate. When you think of Switzerland I’m sure one of the top five things that pops into your mind is chocolate. There are highlighted sections called “Quick Bites” that often mention chocolate as well as paragraphs about chocolate in some of the bigger cities. While many folks may go to Switzerland for the skiing, I happen to know people also go for the chocolate. A section on this alone would be worth the cost of the book to many people.
Otherwise this is the quality we expect from Fodor’s — beautiful photos, a set of clearly listed hotels, restaurants, and suggested tourist routes. Plus a small dictionary and back section on cultural differences, differences if you are an American I should say. With tidbits from locals and visitors mixed into the history, culture and ratings, this was a fun and educational guide to read.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Ms Winston
Good Choice for The First Time Visitor,
I have used Fodor’s guides for major United States cities and for travel to England and have always found them chock full of pertinent information. I feel very confident visiting an unfamiliar destination with my Fodor in my tote bag, and when I travel to Switzerland this will be the guide I will take with me.
The book is divided into 14 sections (including the final section, “Understanding Switzerland, which is not numbered). The first section is a general introduction to the country: it covers the geography, the different canons (states) of the country, the various classes of lodging in Switzerland, the top experiences, the best hikes, several itineraries (first time visitor to castles and catherals), and scenic train and car trips. The other sections deal with the canons and major cities.
Each section in the guide includes Fodor’s Top Reasons to Go: for example, in the section on Luzern and Central Switzerland, the majesty of the mountains is given as a reason, and then the use of cog railroads is mentioned as a way to experience the major peaks. Lake Luzern is given its own section: beautiful colored pictures; maps; how to explore; a good overview of the area,including how get there; planning for your stay, detailed sightseeing suggestions,including Fodor’s pick of the best spots to see and why (and what the guide calls Off the Beaten Path),sports, the outdoors, the list goes on and on. The guide gives a brief but very informative rundown of each restaurant and hotel it recommends, including a price guide, a history of the establishment, the speciality of the house in the case of restaurants, and the pros and cons of the hotels (my favorite was the con given to a hotel called The Hotel: “the odd staff member is snobby”). This section is typical of the other sections in this comprehensive guide.
If I have any criticism of the guide it is that the history of the country is scattered in bits and pieces thoughout and not in once central location (I looked several times to make sure and if I missed something I apologize). This may not be an issue for others, but I like to read about the history of my destination prior to and during my trip and having it in one place would be more convenient. I think the final section, Travel Smart Switzerland, could have been moved to the front of the book and made part of the section called Experiencing Switzerland, as both sections included tips on eating and accomodations. The guide also includes information on potential health problems, money and banking, typical business hours, ATMs, and many other travel issues. Some younger and more experienced tourists complain that Fodor’s Guides are too sober and conventional, and it is true that the guides deal primarily with the “beaten track.” But, even those who venture off the track can benefit from reading this comprehensive guide and then striking out on their own if they so choose — and don’t say you weren’t warned about those steep winding mountain roads without guard rails!
Was this review helpful to you?
|Jason Kirkfield "The Pride and Sorrow of chil...
Almost as good as being there,
Only the most dedicated of reviewers would take a guidebook on a trip overseas before submitting his or her feedback. Such an endeavor is to be venerated, and the output treasured. Unfortunately, field-tested international guidebook reviews are as difficult to find as a Yeti.
As a consolation prize, I can offer the perspective of a former world traveler, one whose passport has not been stamped in some years but who still maintains a bookshelf full of guidebooks and travel writings. Furthermore, I have spent time in the locales for several of these Fodor’s Travel Guides: all the better to recognize useful insight, not to mention compare these guidebooks to the publications I actually used at that time, and still own.
I am of the belief that the most important goal of a guidebook is to provide a spark, or perhaps fuel the fire, for travel. A typical guidebook is not a travelogue, after all. Most tourists are not purchasing a Fodor’s or Frommer’s to live the life of a Paul Theroux or Bruce Chatwin or Jan (or even James!) Morris. The musings of a seasoned travel writer can be erudite and enjoyable, but rarely would they provide even the basic necessities for a traveler abroad: where to find a meal and a room for the night, and where to spend the often very limited time the next day.
With that in mind, the most vital trait of a successful guidebook is photography. Good writing can paint a virtual picture, but to actually see a tiny red cog railway chugging up Mt. Pilatus may be exactly what you need to buy your plane ticket. Next on the list of must-haves is of course useful and accurate information (food & lodging, customs, etc.). Finally, sightseeing suggestions or other means to learn about and appreciate local culture are something an excellent guidebook should include. These Fodor’s Travel Guides excel at all of these criteria. They are touted for their full color and they do not disappoint on that point. You will also get attractive color maps, plus many detailed entries for food and lodging (both include ratings and cost scales) and sightseeing activities. Useful features include “Off the Beaten Path” suggestions and “Word of Mouth” tips from fellow travelers. Finally–this was an unexpected bonus to me–several in-depth featurettes (alternatively termed “Fodor’s Features” or “In Focus”) are included in each guidebook. This one, for example, includes features on scenic train rides, the Bernese Alps, and the Vineyards of Lavaux.
The layout is excellent in terms of usability. The typeface and choices for colored text are very pleasing to the eye. White space is utilized well. The inside front and back covers include a map and train distance guide, respectively.
The editors encourage feedback and provide multiple means for doing so. Oddly, this Switzerland edition is missing several “Contact Us” methods in Publisher Tim Jarrell’s Welcome letter. In any case I appreciate that the publishers understand the dynamic nature of international travel and are willing to make edits to future editions.
It would seem unfair to compare this 2011 version of Fodor’s to my Frommer’s from almost a decade ago. Surely the latter includes photographs now?? The Insight Guides were fairly progressive in terms of the photography at that time. (They were billed at the time as the world leaders in visual travel guides.) My old Rough Guide for Switzerland was probably a half-step above the Lonely Planet series, historically aimed at backpackers and others primarily concerned with their budget.
If (When??) I have the opportunity to go to Europe again, I would happily use this Fodor’s to help plan the trip, and I would take it along with me.
Jason Kirkfield, Vine Review, June 20, 2011
Was this review helpful to you?
|