London (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The verdict - Eyewitness is more useful and user-friendly than Frommer's, most of the time.
On a recent 2-week excursion to London, I brought Eyewitness and Frommer's along for comparison purposes and to be sure not to miss anything. I ended up using Eyewitness every day throughout the day and referring to Frommer's only for occasional reference. Mapwise, Frommer's is virtually unusuable with its pull-out map being too clunky while covering too little. Eyewitness' many maps at the back of the book were a life-saver, and the mini neighborhood maps in each section were a nice touch as well.
Visually, Eyewitness is more appealing with its colorful photographs and better paper. Initially I thought all those photos, drawings and captions would be too distracting and superfluous but they turned out to be quite nifty.
The restaurants featured are a select few (perhaps too few?) and the couple we tried based on recommendation from Eyewitness (Sofra and L'Odeon) did not disappoint.
I must acknowledge that Frommer's tends to be more in-depth when it comes to historical info and off-the-beaten-track/quirky stuff. At the same time, there seems to be almost too much text in Frommer's which can be difficult to weed through when hunting for a hint or two in a rush. Frommer's also includes admission/ticket prices missing in Eyewitness, while neither guidebook bothers to provide info on free admission times offered by many museums.
And, since I have your attention, here's a sample of the places I grew to love in London during the trip -
The National Gallery (be sure to check out the audio tour - it's an immense resource)
The Courtauld Gallery (a small but mighty collection)
The Theatre Museum (do ask about a complimentary - on Wednesdays, at least - tour of the nearby Drury Lane Royal Theatre - it's the most underappreciated tourist attraction in London!)
A walk in Kensington gardens - as close to urban heaven on earth as it gets.
Have fun!

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