Fodor's Gold Travel Guides

Fodor's Gold Travel Guides

Fodor's Gold travel guides are large comprehensensive books that are updated yearly. They are Fodor's main trip planning guide. There are Gold Guides for large geographic areas like Europe and South America. There are also guides for individual countries and major world cities.

Local experts have written these books and provide inside information on what to see, where to stay, eat and shop. The books reveal the things you must see and suggest some off-the-beaten-track adventures.

The Gold Guides list hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges, ranging from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels. They discuss and review everything from casual eateries to hot new restaurants. The Fodor's Choice rating system shows the exceptional sights, hotels and restaurants and the main reasons why you should consider visiting each place.

These travel guides contain a "Smart Travel Tips A to Z" section which help you take care of the details of your trip, and they offer helpful advice on local contacts and what to do in case of emergency. You'll learn about the customs of each place, the currency and how to deal with transportation.

Another interesting feature is the word-of-mouth tips from other travelers gleaned from fodors.com.

These are large planning books with hundreds of pages, pictures and maps. There's a black, white and orange color scheme for text and maps. A color map is at the back of the book.

They are good for gathering information before your trip, but may be too thick and heavy to carry comfortably while you travel.

Fodor's Gold Guides are a solid choice for the novice or for the typical traveler. They are not the best choice for adventure travelers, budget travelers or backpackers. If you fall into those groups, try Let's Go, Lonely Planet, Rough, or the Pauline Frommer's travel guides.

These are good general guides. You won't find a lot of in-depth information on history, culture, art or architecture. If that's what you're looking for, you may want to consult other guidebooks to delve more deeply into these areas.

Even though Fodor's travel guides are updated every year, you still may find inaccurate, outdated information on hotels, restaurants and attractions. There is a somewhat cumbersome rating system using different numbers of dollar signs to indicate price range. Other guidebooks use exact prices, which some travelers have found to be more helpful.

The maps in these guidebooks are not the best. Check out our maps section for ideas on good, detailed maps to carry with you.

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