Dk Eyewitness Travel Guide: Loire Valley

Dorling Kindersley really know how to do decent travel guides.

This is another stunning visual guide - with clear pictures, map and guidance. It includes all of the touristy things everyone is going to want to see for the first time visit but also plenty of more unusual and out-of-the-way places for those who are coming back for more.

Included are details of all the Chateaux to visit (a little potted history, opening times and phone number), maps of all the areas and street maps of important towns and cities, places to visit, the history of this area, places to stay and places to eat - in fact everything you could possibly want to do in the area.

The book is, as always, excellent value for money via Amazon so there's no excuse not to buy a copy before you go. In fact I usually by the Green Michelin Guide AS WELL as a DK guide just to ensure my holiday is packed full with places to see and so i don't miss ANYTHING!

DK's Loire Valley guide... Read more

I like this series of guide books. This one in particular is really helpful. if you are planning a trip to the Loire, this has everything you need to design your itinerary. It is beautifully illustrated and well organised. Even the paper and binding is better than the competition. The illustrations leave all the others (Michelin et al) in the dust.

I have to admit that the DK Eyewitness guides are without doubt the most beautiful and comprehensively illustrated travel guides on the market. I bought this recently for our first trip to the Loire Valley and I found it very useful in choosing which sites to visit and very informative on those sites.

Where it falls down, in my view, is that there is very little practical information on things like restaurants. For the whole of this quite large area of France there are only 6 pages given over to restaurants so that, for example, there is only one mentioned for Amboise, a quite large town. As it also happens to be quite an expensive restaurant, you are left rather to your own devices. Other guides I have used in the past have been more comprehensive on this aspect and at least given a choice of differently prices restaurants for each town.

The same seems to be true for accommodation. As it happens we were renting a gite, but only one hotel is given for Amboise and... Read more