Knopf MapGuides: London: The City in Section-by-Section Maps Paperback – March 3, 2020

Very easy to read and since I am going there next summer and will be there a couple of days before the tour starts, it appears to be written so that the first time tourist will be able to find their way around the city.

This little book is a nice combination of guide and map. I'm somewhat obsessed with finding the perfect guidebook every time I take a trip ... I often buy more than one just to be sure I don't miss anything. While it's great to have that kind of information on hand, it's best to have on hand back at the hotel in my suitcase rather than weighing down my purse while I'm out sightseeing. I read through my big guidebooks, then made a few sticky notes with a few things I wanted to remember and stuck them on the relevant pages of this one to take with me. After all, who needs to lug a guidebook containing things like hotel information around all day?This is a great size for carrying in a purse. It's also small enough that my husband can be persuaded to stow it in his jacket. Even better!The book starts out with a double-page horizontal fold-out showing a map of the entire city divided into 10 sections. It gives some very basic information on the city, getting around, etc. Each section then gets its own two-page vertical fold-out, including a larger map. Points of interest are reviewed, including a number of restaurants, bars, shopping, and things to see. There are lots of color pictures on every page. The maps include Underground stations and there's also an Underground map in the back.The section maps are MUCH easier to read than the little maps you can get from the hotels or at the Metro stations. Not only is the print bigger, but the maps themselves are not as unwieldy as a regular map. I felt just a little less touristy reading them.While I wouldn't recommend this as your ONLY guide to London, overall I think they did a good job of balancing the need for information with a manageable size.

This compact little book (5”x7”x 1/2”) cleverly includes 10 separate London area maps that each fold out when you turn to the indexed page. Of all the maps I’ve used this is the clearest because each section map has beautifully large, clear type and contrasting colors for parks and stars and bold type for points of interest. There are also restaurant, hotel and attractions recommendations. Subway (tube) map included but not bus routes (which is a problem with every map book…. but can be found online.). And the importance of the Oyster Card for the transport system is hidden away in one small paragraph . But the combined maps cover the largest area of London of any of the maps.

My wife and I recently spent 4 days in London and I used this book extensively. The book is compact enough to carry around and the maps are much easier to read than the large foldable maps. My wife was recovering from a sprained ankle and we wanted to minimize the amount of walking we had to do. The maps in this book helped us immensely to get around without a lot of extra walking. I highly recommend this book.

I love this whole series. I used one book in Paris and another in Naples and loved them both. The maps are great: they highlight key areas of interest, they are easy to read, and they are accurate. The book itself is well-designed - the maps are easy to access, the book FITS in a purse and it is LIGHT. I cannot tell you how important that is if you are walking around all day with a travel book in your purse, you want it to be LIGHT. Put a thicker, more comprehensive (i.e. weighs a pound) travel book in your rolly suitcase so you can read sections of it on the plane or in the hotel room, but bring the Knopf Mapguide along with you as you explore the streets of whatever awesome place you are in. In terms of content - these books try to include a mix of high-profile things (ex. the Ponte Vecchio in Naples) but balance it with well-chosen restaurants, shops, and things you might visit if you have time (ex. the old roman amphitheatre in Paris, which I found down an alley and no other tourists were there...). I personally like the way it splits up a city by neighborhood so you get a sense of what the city is like right away, and can sort of divide and conquer section-by-section. I cannot recommend this series enough.

This is a great map guide. I will most likely order other city versions in preparation for future vacations. It was great not to have to wrestle with a big city map while touring London. I opened to the section required and a fold out square allowed me to navigate London easily. It has easy transitions to other sections and the metro map at the back is invaluable, in that in London, you have to know the NAME of the tube line as well as the last stop in the direction that you require. They are color coded, so all one needs to do is match the color of the line to the legend at the bottom, and it tells you the name of the line. It fits in a good size pocket, and it held up well. The index at the back has main roads as well as tourist sites and train stations. With a decent idea of what area to look in, I was able to locate a particular small street and find a restaurant that I had heard of. A very good value.

Ken, Thank you so much! I received the KNOPF mapguide for Naples today ... ahead of schedule and In great shape. I wanted to Thank You for wrapping the little book in bubble wrap ... much appreciated by me to protect the guide. I have ordered several of these wonderful mapguides of late ... figuring if I can’t travel I can at least enjoy the books. I love this mapguides ... sadly, KNOPF is not continuing most of these wonderful little travel guides. Anyway, you are the only person who has wrapped the book in bubble wrap ... so, THANK YOU again!!!