There must be a better travel guide

I always try looking at a publisher's guide to London or the UK to see how accurate it is before buying their foreign versions.

They place a greater emphasis on presenting information through visual means than Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. I find them more interesting and enjoyable to read.

The drawback is that, because photographs and diagrams take up a lot of space, they tend to be quite bulky and the coverage of hotels and bars is very brief.

Yes I am looking for non-suckage, and a clear map, not as an even slightly comprehensive knowledge base.

Of course as an optional third thing search on here. I've been some good places after reading about them here.

That was noticeably more interesting than the Rough Guide.

(Dis is a Tourism Student typing here, nigga)

Lonely Planet isn't too bad, but yeah - they kinda suck for European destinations. Time Out is for cunts. Rough Guide is kinda overrated.

I've got a "Time Out London for Kids" at home, but I've never seen this edition is Waterstones.

Urgh. Don't ever try using those useful phrases. I think it's so ridiculous when people come into our shop mumbling something which resembles Dutch... Just stick with your own language.:-)

Time Out is for cunts and children of cunts.

Not everybody is like the Dutch, who actually have the common courtesy to speak English. Thus people get confused.

I wouldn't disagree with you, except that there really isn't a series that is consistently better, if you want a book that includes both "there are three trains a day from X to Y" and something that tells you at least a little bit about what there is to see in a place.

Footprint guides are supposed to be pretty good, but I've never been able to find one for the places I'm going. I don't know if that's because their distribution is poor, or if there just aren't many books.

But, they generally seek out vegetarian restaurants more than other guides which selfishly suits me fine and the Thorn Tree site is useful.

True dat.

What I want from a european guide is 'go to this area for the cool, cheap bars and restaurants and by the way here are a few you might try' so the directory nature of Time out is very suitable. I rarely have time to see more than one'attraction' and usually content myself with wandering around trying to get feel for the place.

Hmm differing requirements...

I usually travel by myself, and the last thing I want to do when I visit somewhere is to find the 'cool,cheap bars'. I can do that in London.

On my first trip to Hong Kong, I checked out the Philippe Starck designed Felix bar at the Peninsula - then the height of cool, according to Time Out. It might have been fun if I was part of a group, but as it was I found it incredibly tedious listening to posh honeymoon couples for whom this was just one stop on an expensive itinerary.

LP or RG, can't remember which, fuck'd up Venice by not having things like a decent map or the Vaporetti stops.

I'm not Dutch, I'm BELGIAN. :-)

I like Let's Go because they're kinda funny. Time Outs are pretty good for cities.

Heh. Belgium only exists in fiction, lil' newbie!

is there a website that allows you to specify a departure airport, dates, and a max flight budget and then supplies you with details of potential destinations?

skyscanner.net is pretty handy for this - just set your destination as "everywhere" and it gives you prices for various countries

kayak, too. Look under MORE, then EXPLORE