Art/ Shop/ Eat London

By Alison Hartley and Delia Gray-Durant

Book Overview

This intelligently planned series divides each city up into 4-5 districts centred on a key sight - for example the Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona and the Vatican in the case of Rome - and gives ideas for a perfect day in that part of town: the main sights and one or two quirkier ones too, the best places to eat or have a coffee, and some original shopping ideas, presented in an uncluttered and navigable format that respects the reader's intelligence.

A good 50% of the book is dedicated to the art and history of the place, distinguishing these useable little books from many guides which are little more than practical information listings.

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Vast and varied, London might seem daunting, but this book takes a unique approach to guiding visitors in a clear and concise way through the city, dividing it into five districts and providing the information you need for a great day out in any one of them: the South Bank, the city, Bloomsbury and the West End, Westminster and Kensington, each with its own distinctive character and major sites.

Within each section the major art collections are covered in depth, as well as other monuments and museums to visit in the area. Each section has suggestions on where to eat, and selected recommendations on where to shop.

Practicalities include a brief background to London, how to travel around, the latest on food, and a short selection of places to stay. The history provides the dates of key events, and the glossary at the end of the book explains certain art terms and gives information on major figures mentioned in the text. With the help of the index, you can dip in and out of the book.

There are excellent maps throughout, inside the front cover is a map of all London, clearly indicating where the detailed maps to each district are to be found at the beginning of their sections. The numbers (1) on the maps locate the caf s and restaurants described later in that section, and the letters (a) locate the shops.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1905131259
• ISBN13: 9781905131259
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Blue Guides Limited of London
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Museums in depth, plus a surprisingly useful general guide

This is a small book, chock full of information for the London visitor who expects to spend a lot of time at the major museums. While most travel books devote a few pages (at most) for a museum, this one spends 22 pages on the National Gallery alone. In addition to the mundane details, such as opening hours, charges, and tube station -- which are a lot less mundane when you're in need of that data! -- the museum listings show you the highlights (i.e. the art you'll want to see if you're on a mad rush), plenty of maps, and a wing-by-wing guide. For example, for rooms 52-53 of the National Gallery, it says (in part), "The paintings in this room and the next were made before 1400, and show how the rather static, frontal style we recognize from Byzantine icons gradually incorporated greater realism, through the influence of Giotto." And then it tells you a bit about the paintings (or whatever) you're looking at. I'm not sure this is better than a live guide, but it's sure an improvement from wandering around the place, feeling as though I'm supposed to be impressed but unsure why.The book gives detailed information about these museums: National Gallery, Courtauld Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Wallace Collection, Sir John Sloane's Museum, Tate Modern, Saatchi Gallery, Tate Britian, Queen's Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Each is grouped by neighborhood, so you can plan your day at Westminster or South Kensington, etc.If that's all it did, it might be worth the modest price... assuming you're doing a trip devoted to museums. But if, like me, you'll spend only a bit of time in the museums, buying (and lugging along) a book solely on that subject might seem silly.However, that's where I was pleasantly surprised. Art/Shop/Eat London really does live up to the Shop/Eat part of the equation. For each neighbhorhood, the book includes a section called "On Route," which lists commercial galleries as well as other, and smaller attractions (such as the London Transport Museum or the Photographer's Gallery). You'll also find a list of shopping destinations in the surrounding area, everything from bookstores to clothes to kids' stores. *Quite* appreciated is a description of the eating and drinking at both the museums themselves and restaurants in the surrounding area. As I'm sure you know, sometimes a museum cafe is a destination in itself, and sometimes it's an overpriced fast-food joint. This book really guides you: "small and can be very busy," or "sophisticated French cuisine, with a surprisingly good range of vegetarian options." Plus, the general restaurant listings are clear enough (if short) that I'm certain I'll take this book with me on my next trip.It does list hotels (also by neighborhood), but they're nothing to shout about. You'll probably want to turn to one of your other travel books (or the Internet) to find a place to stay.