London guidebooks

My favorite London guidebooks (Photo images courtesy of the publishers)
My favorite London guidebooks

Travel guidebooks to London

Look, I love my website as much as the next bloke, but when I travel somewhere I also like to have a couple of excellent paper guidebooks with me.

It's good to get perspective from multiple sources, discover the hidden treasures other authors have turned up (great B&Bs, favorite pubs), and learn some background on sights some sources may not cover. Plus, print guidebooks don't come with data roaming fees and batteries to recharge.

If I had to travel with only one London guidebook, it would be the Frommer's EasyGuide to London, written by Jason Cochran—and I would be saying this even is he weren't a friend and former colleague. His brilliant, award-winning book is simply the best London guide on the market.

But I wouldn't travel with just one book. I would probably take all of these:

You should travel with the books that best suit your own tastes, budget, and interests.

Peruse many, buy four or five, feel free to rip them up and carry only sections around with you each day.

Tips

How to pick the right guidebook
Who each guidebook series is for
Best guidebooks for first-timer travelers
Don't skimp on your guidebooks
Ignore the price tag
Check that publication date (then cut some slack)
Pointers & pet peeves
Disclaimers

General tips of similar interest