Zagat London Restaurants, Nightspots, Shops, Attractions & Hotels 2009 Book

I'm a big fan of the Eyewitness Travel Guides. The format is appealing -- a lavishly illustrated introductory section expounding on the history and key features of the city followed by color-coded sections, each devoted to a different area. For those in a hurry to get an overview, the brief introductory section on history and "Budapest's Best" (museums and galleries, churches and synagogues, palaces and historic buildings, baths and pools) makes an excellent "quickie" blueprint for planning a trip. The next sections give more details and include some more specialized and off-the-beaten track sights.

The rear of the book is devoted to practicalities such as transportation, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. Since it heavily relies on pictures rather than words, it's easy to pick up a guide, thumb through it, and let a striking photo serve as inspiration for where to go or what to do. The text on even the major sights is succinct, so if it's the full monty you're after, supplement this guide with something more substantial like a Blue Guide. However, if you want to get a quick sense of what a destination has to offer, an hour or so spent with one of these guides is probably one of the most effective ways to do background research.

One quibble is that since the Eyewitness Guides are printed on nice, heavy stock, they're not that light. Perhaps in the future another format - digital? - will get around this problem.