Planning a trip to Paris? Check out these unique and quite awesome guidebooks. Not only are they full of creative ideas for your vacation, they also show you sides of Paris that you would never even know to look for without their help!
Best For: Families
"Practically speaking, one major monument or museum a day plus one child-centered activity is an enjoyable pace at which to see the city."
Bringing your kids on your next trip to Paris? This guidebook will help you tour Paris in a child centered way. You'll find cafes where Parisians take their children, items on Parisian menus that appeal to children and even where to find merry-go-rounds.
It also touches on more practical information such as how to find a babysitter and words you may need at a pharmacy if your child gets sick.
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Best For: Connoisseurs of Quiet, Slow Travelers
Ah, what a fantastic idea for a book. Quiet Paris is all about hidden, tranquil places where one can get away from the crowds and experience a more intimate Paris. From bookshops to places of worship, this book will show you a side of Paris that may be a little more quiet, but is definitely not any less special than the places most people visit.
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Best For: Movie Lovers
"The walks in this book follow the movie-makers and take in all the major sights of Paris. On the way, you'll also learn a few things about the sights and the city itself..."
This is THE guidebook for movie lovers taking a trip to Paris. Explore Paris a loa Truffaut, Godard or Hebpurn, check out the Old Paris of '30's and '40's film classics, fill your movie loving heart up with guides to locations used in 160 films.
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Best For: Public Transportation Fans
If you want an easy way to see Paris get your hands on the only official guidebook to Paris using the Metro. 145 of Paris's 300 metro stations are covered including a map of each neighborhood, unusual tips, sites to visit and more.
The metro is such a great way to get around, why not use it as a means to explore the city?
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Best For: Bookworms, Art Lovers, History Buffs
"As you retrace the steps of some of Paris's most illustrious residents - walking along both familiar boulevards and unknown streets, eating and drinking at their favorite spots, exploring their neighborhoods, seeing where they painted, wrote, argued, learned, loved, and lived - you can see the city with a fresh eye and come to appreciate it's intoxicating, inspiring power as never before."
Paris is a city full of stories. If you use Forever Paris as your guide, you will find yourself exploring those stories by following in the footsteps of 27 of Paris's artists, authors, lovers and politicians. Can you imagine dining in Napoleon's favorite restaurant or exploring Josephine Baker's haunts?
The book gives you a little background on each person and their relationship to Paris followed by a walking tour of places they once enjoyed. What a remarkable way to spend a day of your vacation!
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Best For: Nature Lovers, Romantics
"There's the balm of tall old trees, bright flower gardens, fountains, and ponds delicious to the singing birds. On the surrounding benches and chairs, under what Collette calls "
It's easy to find excitement and bustle in the city of lights, but sometimes you just want serenity, trees, flowers, fountains and ponds. If this sounds like you, you are in luck. Hidden Gardens of Paris helps you find incredible, tucked away, off the beaten track places that you probably would miss if you were just exploring on your own.
A few examples of what you will find in the book are a garden out of sight on the roof of the Gare Montparnasse, a garden that is invisible from the street and only accessible if you know how to find the path and a square with a children's carousel hidden inside a grove of oak and maples.
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Best For: Fashionistas, Manhattanites
"...expect to be surprised, bewitched, puzzled, maybe disappointed at times, but always dazzled."
Curated hotspots and hidden gems in one of the world's greatest fashion destinations. What more could a girl want? From where to go for lunch with your friends to the best places to buy vintage clothes, this guidebook gives you the chance to travel in Paris like a true insider.
While a lot of guidebooks focus on the tried and true tourist destinations, The Fashion Insider's Guide to Paris is more about the details like finding a place to get a great facial or take an early morning yoga class. This would be a great guide for big city girls looking for the same type of amenities and excitement they are used to!
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Best For: Antique junkies, book lovers, foodies, & market mavens
"Making the most of an outing to a Parisian food market cannot be reduced to a simple formula. Go when you're not rushed and take along a sturdy shopping bag, a curious mind, an adventuresome attitude, and a pleasant disposition."
One of my favorite things to do in Paris was visit the food markets. The colors, the people, the amazzzzing produce. They are truly a food lovers paradise. Markets of Paris is a pocket sized book that gives you an easy to use overview of the markets (food, antiques, crafts, books and more) in Paris and even better, it is organized by arrondissement giving you an easy way to find markets based on the locations you will be visiting.
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Andrea Travillian has a passion for personal development, based on a belief that if we are all our best selves then we can all make the world a better place. Andrea runs a personal finance blog, and two health and fitness blogs that try and help others be better. She also loves travel coffee & family.
I held off on taking the trip for years, but every year I thought about going. I finally did, and it was amazing. There is something about rural Missouri that I just love. I don’t know if it is the down to earth nature of the people, the rugged yet beautiful landscapes or simply the midwest sensibilities – whatever it is, it is magic.
I’ll leave the particulars of our trip for another day. For now, I want to tell you about what it means to get away from everything in a place like Rock Eddy.
The first night is a little intimidating. You don’t know exactly how to light a kerosene lamp, you are not sure how much wood you need to add to the stove and yes, it can be a tad bit scary making the walk to the outhouse when darkness surrounds you and things rustle in the woods. 
The next day passes amazingly fast. It is spent exploring the woods, hanging out in the hammock, canoeing the Gasconade River and filling the cabin with wonderful smells of simple food cooked with patience and love. 
