There are many highly detailed travel guide apps for smartphones and tablets. However, the good old paper guidebooks have not lost their relevance either, since they do not require recharging, do not slow down or freeze. And text written on paper is often perceived better than electronic one. We will not give preference to any one type of guide and will consider the best travel guides, whether in print or electronic format.
10. Google Trips
Russian language: no.
Cost: free.
The ranking of popular travel guides is opened by an excellent mobile application for iOS and Android, which contains information about all the popular tourist destinations in the world. All available information is sorted into sections: Food, Attractions, Interesting Information, and so on. You can read the comments of tourists about the places where it is better to go, or vice versa, it is absolutely not worth visiting. The program is integrated with Google Maps, so that the most detailed maps will be at your service anywhere in the world. The routes offered by the program can be changed at your discretion: change the number and composition of objects, reduce or increase the duration of the excursion and make notes. And if you have booking notifications in your inbox from Google, Google Trips will show you the flight and departure time.
Minuses: there is no Russian language.
9. TripAdvisor
Is there Russian language.
Cost: free.
This mobile app offers many photos of hotels and restaurants that have been uploaded by travelers, not advertisers. In addition, TripAdvisor has detailed maps of 300 cities around the world and can be accessed even offline. Thanks to the reviews of real users, it is very easy to find the cheapest tickets for flights, hotel rooms and restaurants, and you can, as they say, in one click to book a seat.
Disadvantages: search has problems with sorting, the "my trips" option does not work on the tablet.
8. Afisha's guides to the cities of the world
Is there Russian language.
A series of domestic guides around Russia and the world was written taking into account the interests of Russian tourists. Each Afisha guide is compiled by an author who often visits the city in question or resides in it. The books describe in great detail the most popular tourist routes, as well as the main points of city life: shopping establishments, popular restaurants, clubs and theaters. An added plus: these guidebooks are sold in most bookstores.
Minuses: there are guides only for cities, not countries in general.
7. Rough Guides
Is there Russian language.
There is a reason why people fall asleep reading history books, and that reason is boredom. However, reading Rough Guides city and country guides will not get bored. The descriptions in them are very vivid and objective, there is useful information not only about the history of a particular city, or its attractions, but also about bars, restaurants, hotels and clubs with an indication of price categories. There are many cards in the books.
However, because of their detail, these guides can scare away those who value brevity.
6. Travel Guides Dorling Kindersley
Is there Russian language.
Some of the very best travel guides of 2017 on our list. They have diagrams of districts, beautiful and informative illustrations and photographs, and the presentation style is not mentoring, but very interesting. There are practical tips for travelers, a description of seasonal events in different cities, and, of course, information about hotels, markets, cafes, pubs and other leisure activities. However, in the reviews there are complaints about not very high-quality paper, the pages can easily fall out of the book. The text in the books is small, which is inconvenient for people with poor eyesight. And the price of guidebooks is high - from 750 rubles and more.
5. Polyglot guides
Is there Russian language.
The first guidebooks in this series were published in black and white, while modern "Polyglots" are full-color books on high-quality paper. There are guides both in the cities of Russia and in the most popular destinations in Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Oceania. The books have a mini-phrasebook, and they are written short and to the point. There is information about the main tourist routes, detailed maps, practical tips and photos of the main attractions.
4. Bradt Travel Guides
Is there Russian language.
Small and inexpensive travel guides for those who are interested in leisurely travel (travel by public transport and train, hiking). From Bradt's guides, you will learn brief historical information about the city you want to visit, about its most interesting places.
Disadvantages: there are no color illustrations or city maps, the maps available are very small, so be prepared to view them with a magnifying glass.
3. Guides Around the World
Is there Russian language.
The top 3 best travel guides to Russia and the world are opened by a series of domestic editions. They are very informative and "without water" tells about the main attractions of different cities and countries. If you like objective recommendations and a lot of photos that make it possible to understand whether to go to a given place or not, then the paper guide "Around the World" will be an excellent choice.
Disadvantages: maps of most cities are tied to the central part.
2. The National Geographic Traveler
Is there Russian language.
These travel guides provide information on the national characteristics, cultural traditions and attractions of the place you have chosen to travel. The books are full of informative maps and great illustrations. There are options for hiking in the main cities of different countries and trips to specific areas.
Disadvantages: not all sights are given detailed and interesting descriptions.
1. A series of travel guides from Lonely planet
Is there Russian language.
In the first place in the selection of the best guides for tourists are very detailed, detailed paper guides, which contain all the subtleties of staying in a particular country. The reader is provided with information about the history of the country or city being visited, all more or less interesting sights are described and the time at which it is best to visit them is indicated, as well as the approximate cost of visiting. The guide also gives advice on what transport is better to move around the area and what transport cards are best to use to save money on the trip.
These guides have two drawbacks: the weight of the book (about 2 kg) and the price - about 1000 rubles. There are free electronic versions in pdf, but they are very slow due to their large size.
Thanks! We are just going on a big trip to Europe and your article is just in time.