Book Description
This is the land for all the senses: the site of timeless light-suffused landscapes, the scents of lavender and olive groves, the taste of sun drenched produce and the sound of the sea gentle lapping the feel of the sun. This travel guide maps the region of Provence and sets it in its historical and cultural context. Learn about sites and sounds of Provence with maps, photographs and illustrations. All this and more can be found in the new The Eyewitness Travel Guide.
Customer Reviews:
Travel to Provence.......2007-01-04
We've been very pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail on the cities and the beautiful pictures in this book on Provence. The book contains historic and cultural information as well as information on hotels, restaurants, and shopping.
We hope to visit some vineyards in the area and there is an itineray included, however, it doesn't give the "specific" locations - but maybe that isn't possible.
Although we usually don't travel with guidebooks, we are definitely planning on taking this one along with us!
Good Introduction to Provence but Lacks Specific Detail.......2006-11-04
The book was invaluable in assisting us determine what city to home port in during our one-week visit to Provence -- Avignon. But once there we discovered the book lacked sufficient specific detail about the nearby vilages and town we wanted to visit. We suspected as much beforehand and purchased other travel guides to the region and between all of them, developed a decent undertsanding of the sites and places to visit. Don't forget to purchase the Michelin map titled "Provence, Cote d'Azur" (No. 582 Regional).
Provence comes to life!.......2006-08-24
This book has it all...colorful photos, lots of interesting & historical background...a very good book if you're planning a visit to this region. Highly recommended.
The Starting Place For Every Trip.......2005-07-31
My work has provided me with the opportunity to travel a good bit. I am the type of person who wants to get a working background for my destinations, both in terms of history and geographic layout. Because I work, I don't have a great deal of time to spend reading and studying different, often lengthy, travel guides before or during my trips.
Because these guides are concise, beautifully illustrated, relatively compact, and impeccably organized, I cannot recommend highly enough the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides! The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is THE guide I buy for every destination. Not only do I get a quick history and background of the destination, but I also will be provided with a visual guide to everything. The visual detail is really what sets the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides apart.
The street maps of common destination points are drawn in dimensional detail so you will visually recognize when you "get there." This is particularly helpful when you don't speak the native language.
The regional maps are colorful and concise. However, the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide really shows its stuff with the drawings associated with attractions such as museums and churches. Their presentation of building layouts allow the traveler who is short on time to quickly see the best of the attraction within the time the traveler has to spend.
Each DK Eyewitness Travel Guide has a good summary section in the back with practical information about where to eat, where to sleep, what to do, and how to get around.
While I may supplement the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide with others for a more detailed travel guide, the other guide is only more to read, not more to see. Buy the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide first for any destination.
Great and helpful!.......2004-08-25
This book is everything you would want in a travel guide....easy to read and understand, entertaining and interesting, and best of all, accurate!! It's the perfect companion to a GREAT place!!
Customer Reviews:
Great Road Map.......2007-09-30
Colorful, very useful road map. Little in the way of points of interest, but excellent for navigating the roads. Didn't seem to have any indications of toll vs freeways.
This is the map to use IF you plan to drive in FRANCE.......2007-05-20
Michelin map played a critical part in ensuring successful vacation. Two friends and I rented a car in AVIGNON - right near new TVG just south of town. We drove thru most of Provence (Luberon and Vauclause) and Cote de Sur (St Tropez) taking many day trips from both St Remy and Crillon le Brave.
NOT all small routes are indicated with rt #s - you will see the RT on the map just not assigned #. this proved to be an issue twice with novice map reader.
SAFETY TIP if you plan to drive - many designated routes are really one lane - though not labeled as such in actual road signage. be prepared to be gracious about ceding "right of way".
Poor service -- very poor follow-up........2006-08-28
As part of a $250.00 order, I ordered the Michelin France Provence map in English, and the Michelin 2006 Red Guide France: Hotels and Restaurants in English - both Items they sent me were written in French, which are of no value to me. I requested a shipping label to return the map and the book and asked they send me the English versions. The Amazon Outsourcing Desk in India refused both request. I requested an American Amazon Customer Service Manager contact me on this Issue. That has never happened. I am also being asked my Satisfaction on a 3d book - Markets Of Provence - which they never sent me. The remainder of my $250.00 order were the English Versions, as ordered. My Overall Satisfaction: Well below the 1 Star shown. Actual Satisfaction "F Minus" for all departments in Amazon and far less for their very poor Customer Service and lack of ethical follow-up for their mistake.
Book Description
Showcasing 22 beautiful homes in Provence and the Cote d'Azur, "Provencal Escapes" is an abundant source of inspiration and practical decorative ideas, making it a feast of delight for all those who are seduced by the thought - and the reality - of the Provencal way of life.
Customer Reviews:
Good but wanted more.......2007-07-16
A nice inspiration source for charming, rustic country french design. I wanted more out of the book though - perhaps photos of full rooms rather than vignettes of tables and kitchen counters. It makes it hard to get a sense of design style without a full room effect in my opinion. The book does ooze charm and if you have other books on this style and just want a little extra something this would be ok. If however you really need a good book to learn all about french country style I would not suggest this one.
STUNNING!.......2007-02-26
This book oozes with charm! The homes featured in this book are very old and beautifully brought back to life by its owners while respecting the history and integrity of these buildings. The title "Provencal Escapes" is appropriate since this book lets you escape into a dreamy and ancient world of Provence. The photos are gorgeous and you feel that you are actually walking through some of these homes. This book is a must for any fan of Provence or just of beautiful escapes. I highly recommend it!
Magnificant Redecoration of Older French Homes.......2005-10-12
This magnificant book consists of photographic studies of some 22 homes in the Provence and Cote d'Azur regions of France. These homes are primarily older (as much as 300 years) that have been seriously redecorated to make them into jewels of plesant styling.
For the most part, the redecoration of the homes has been to retain (or return to) the styling of the time they were built. Magnificant old beams show off well with modern appliances and decorations. The traditional outside of the houses hides the modern interiors. The original builders could not have imagined things we take for granted such as electricity that now has been fitted into their houses.
Redoing an old house is easily as expensive as modern construction, so these houses have not been done for cost savings but for other reasons like living in a part of history.
While this book concentrates on this region of France, many of the techniques used in these houses could well be applied to houses in the United States where old houses be they farm or city center can be made into something unique and wonderful.
Average customer rating:
|
Provence and Cote D'Azur (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Provence
| France
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Eyewitness
| Guidebook Series
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Travel Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0751368628 |
Book Description
Sniff out fungus worth its weight in gold with a truffle dog in Avignon's forests, p. 178. Learn how to choose the sweetest Cavaillon melon from the lively morning market, p. 223. Fill your lungs cycling through lavender fields from Buoux to Saignon, p. 226. Exfoliate like the stars with a diamond-dust massage in Monaco, p. 88.
--Two long-term, France-based authors, more than 1200 hours of on-the-road research, 63 detailed maps. --Get active with extensive outdoor coverage from bird-watching to donkey rambling. --Bursting with local interviews and brimming with insights on Provencal culture. --You asked for it, we researched it - more of the region's best painting, cooking and French-language courses.
Customer Reviews:
not so useful in traveling with children........2007-09-02
I had taken out the prior version of this book from the library and was pleased to see that there was a 2007 updated version to read. However, in the prior version there was much more specifically directed toward traveling with kids. In this version, most of that was eliminated, and I was bummed not to have that pointed out. While the color pictures are beautiful in the front of the book, more maps and more detail about traveling would have been more useful to me, rather than looking at fields of lavendar. I think a couple driving around for 3 weeks in Provence would have found it really useful. For our 1 week trip with three kids, I found I just didn't use the book very much.
The information on internet cafes was very useful as was the entrance fee and time information to exhibits, etc.
Useful and thorough review.......2007-06-09
contains very useful information. However, the authors only covers major cities and tourist attractions, and ignore many beautiful villages and towns in country side. For this reason, I recommend reading other guide books and travel essays.
A fairly good guide to Provence.......2006-08-12
LP contains so much information that it makes it difficult to plan your trip without any other guide. So, at your planning stage of the trip I suggest you resort to some other guide.
But, while travelling, I found the book to be very useful. It gives you a lot of vital information that every backpacker needs. However, some of the maps in this LP are slightly incorrect, so I suggest you do not rely soley on the LP maps, but use some more detailed ones. Also, for a traveller on tight budget, the book could contain some more info about camping places.
All in all, a good book that is definitely worth the buy.
Almost Great -- Worth The Buy.......2004-12-02
The Lonely Planet series of travel guides is one I have come to depend on, and this is one of the better ones. Good, concise, useable information. The thing that keeps it from being five stars is the hotel and restaurant listings, which are woefully insufficient. But when you're driving around Provence and stumble on a medieval town and want to know if there's a story there or not, this book will tell you.
Great........2003-09-02
I must say this is my first experience with Lonely Planet guides, though i already had high recommendations and positive feed-backs. I decided to give it a go with my 4-weeks in Sun. :-) I spent four weeks travelling around Cote D'Azur and Haute-Provence from Monaco to Marseille and into Alps e.g. Castellane, St. Andre, etc. The information contained is ver much accurate and helpful (i was travelling alone, not with a group!). There are sufficient maps of major regions and city but this guide should not be used for the sake of map. Always take a detailed map e.g. a driving one if you got wheels otherwise every tourist office got full detailed city maps.
Five stars stuff.
Book Description
INTRODUCTION
The ancient Provenal version of Genesis maintains that prior to introducing Adam, the Creator realized he had several materials left over: large expanses of celestial blue, all kinds of rocks, arable soil filled with seeds for a sumptuous flora, and a variety of as yet unused tastes and smells from the most subtle to the most powerful. "Well", He thinks, "why don't I make a beautiful resum of my world, my own special paradise?" And so Provence came into being.
This paradise encompasses the snow-peaked lower Alps and their foothills, which in the east descend to the sea's edge, and to the west extend almost to the Rhne. In central Provence the wild high plateaux are cut by the deepest cleft in the surface of Europe - the Grand Canyon du Verdon. The coastal hinterland is made up of range after range of steep forested hills in which the warm scent of pines, eucalyptus and wild herbs intoxicates the senses. The shore is an everchanging series of geometric bays giving way to chaotic outcrops of glimmering rock and deep, narrow inlets, like miniature Norwegian fjords - the calanques. In the Camargue, the shoreline itself becomes an abstraction as land and sea merge in infinite horizons. Away from the Rhne delta there is nowhere that does not have its frame of hills, or mountains, or strange sudden eruptions of rock.
But all these elements would be nothing without the Mediterranean light, which is at its best in spring and autumn. It is both soft and brightly theatrical, as if each landscape had lighting rigged up by an expert for maximum colour and definition with minimum glare. It is no surprise that of all the arts, painting should be the one that owes so much of its European history over the last hundred years to the beauty and escapism of this world.
Yet Provence and its coast were far from being an earthly paradise for their early inhabitants. As with most mountainous regions, the soil is poor and cultivation difficult away from the rivers. The low-lying areas of the Camargue and Rhne Valley were marshes or rubbly plains subject to inundation. The coast had no natural defences of rough seas and high cliffs to dissuade invaders. So it was that communities clustered on easily defensible hilltops - the village perchs - with their tight labyrinths of medieval streets, passageways and winding stairs leading inexorably up to a chteau fort.
For hundreds of years, Provence remained a prime target for foreign invaders. The ancient Greeks established bases on the coast and on the Rhne, including Massalia and Nikea - modern-day Marseille and Nice - and, later, the Romans cleared a route all along the coast to their cities on the Rhne. Settlers came from all over northern Europe and from across the Mediterranean, and if this wasn't enough, Provence's independence was also contested with France, the Holy Roman Empire, Burgundy, Savoy and the Popes, with internal feuding between rival fiefdoms aggravating the insecurity of daily life. After just fifty years of reunification with France, Provence was again invaded, and within a hundred years was suffering the bloodiest of French civil wars, the Guerres de Religion. Legacies of this turbulant past include some of the best Roman monuments in France, plus great reminders of the medieval age, such as the palace of the Popes in Avignon; the three great monasteries of Silvacane, Thoronet and Snanque, built by the Cistercian order in the twelfth century; the ruined city of Les Baux; the border fortresses of Tarascon and Sisteron; and the frescoes and paintings in the village churches north of Nice.
By the 1800s, the character of coastal Provence was already beginning to change. Foreign aristocrats and royals, who had already turned Nice into Europe's most fashionable winter watering hole, began to spread their influence east and westwards. Tiny fishing villages such as Cannes, Villefranche, Le Lavandou and St-Tropez began to follow the course that Nice had taken, with avant-gardists in art and lifestyle and successions of celebrities gradually discovered how much simple and sophisticated pleasure this coast could provide. By the 1950s mass tourism on an upmarket scale began to take off in these parts, the Sixties brought the starlets and the hippies in their droves, and in the 1970s the French government began to realize the horror that their greatest tourist asset was threatening to become. Today, the Cte d'Azur is one of the most built-up, overpopulated and expensive stretches of coast anywhere in the world.
Yet between the urban conurbations and the tourist developments there still lies the remarkable scenery that drew artists here in their droves in the decades either side of 1900. Seduced by the light and relative ease of living, they bade farewell to the gloom of northern winters and set themselvers up on the Cte d'Azur, making the region as much a part of the European art scene as Montmartre and Montparnasse. The great names of the Modern period who painted and sculpted on this coast include Matisse, Renoir, Signac, Lger, Dufy, Mir--, Bonnard, Chagall, Cocteau, Drain, Modigliani, Soutine and Picasso all of whom came in summer and shocked the natives by swimming in the sea. Many of their works are permanently exhibited in superb museums from St-Tropez to Menton; reason in itself for a visit to the Cte today.
The one great artist native to Provence is Czanne, who was born in Aix in 1839. Many of his canvases were inspired by the landscapes around his home town but very few remain in the region. Because of his relationship with his subjects, a pilgrimage to the Mont Ste-Victoire and other favourite scenes is still compelling. The man whose works on show outnumber any other artist is Hungarian- born Vasarely, who chose Aix and Gordes as centres for his studies into an all- embracing concept of art, science, architecture and social life. In and around Arles and St-Rmy you can follow the sad passage of Van Gogh, but again there are hardly any original paintings to be seen.
Customer Reviews:
Really Disapointing, almost ruined our trip.......2004-09-29
I haven't had such a bad time with any guidebook before. The authors seem to really dislike most of the places in this area, so almost put me off visiting a really nice town, and their restaurant research seems confined to the few standard tourist offerings and then a listing of fancy expensive restaurants. It's not difficult to find a good meal in France for 35 EU, any hotel can recommend one, we wanted the book to help find which was the best of the cheaper places. I saw a ton of restaurants in Marseille with menus 20 EU and under, but no clue which of them were good. Really disappointing, useful for the usual city maps and all, but the opinions for things to visit, eat, etc. not helpful at all.
Book Description
The purest of human joys
Enduring inspiration to countless artists, Provence is a rural paradise, a verdant, fertile environment that offers endless opportunities for those practitioners of what the philosopher Francis Bacon called "the purest of human joys".
The art of landscape gardening demonstrates more than almost any other activity the human need to create havens of peace and contemplation. Benignly fashioning nature, the landscape gardener responds to what is present, as well as importing dazzling exotic plants and trees to reveal an extraordinary new world of the senses. Provence then is a gardener's idyll - a place where the extremes of "wilderness" and the symmetry of geometric construction come together in some extraordinary designs.
These creations, building on the qualities of the area - light and a dry climate - do not divorce themselves from their surroundings but rather create the impression that indeed the whole of Provence is one magnificent garden. Whether employing the region's evergreens, its widespread shrubbery (for topiary), its lavender meadows, its plentiful herbs and spices, or its "desert" vegetation - cactus and the like - the soil's the limit and the imagination the only perimeter fence.
From the humid tropical to the unspoilt hills, from the cubist inspiration at Hyères to the Zen patterns of Erik Borja, and from the coast to the valleys, only in Provence can you say that you walk in gardens as varied as dreams, yet as sensual as life.
Book Description
Get hip-deep in purple walking through lavender fields, slip into castaway mode on sunbelievable beaches, paint yourself into Van Gogh's favorite corner, or go fishing for the perfect bouillabaisse—Fodor's Provence & the Côte d'Azur, 7th Edition offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout the area to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for your trip be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.
The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best —"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."
- We frequently update our Provence & the Côte d'Azur guide, and we make every effort to bring you the most accurate and thorough book. Plus we provide timely updates about the area at Fodors.com
- Unlike other travel books, Fodor's guides rely heavily on local experts who know the territory best—so you know you're seeing the real Provence & the Côte d'Azur.
- We give you the planning tools you need to tailor your trip. We give options for all budgets. You make the choices.
-----------------------------------
With Fodor’s you get much more than a guidebook–we make it easy for you to customize your dream vacation.
Visit
www.fodors.com to find up-to-date travel bargains, mini-guides to worldwide destinations, information on local festivals, dazzling drives, maps, vacation planning tips and much more!
And, for more insider secrets, visit “Travel Talk” and “Rants and Raves” online at
www.fodors.com/forums to get advice from other travelers like you.
Average customer rating:
- My favorite travel guide
- Spectacular and different!
|
Vacances Provence & The Cote D'Azur: Including The Camargue: The French on France
Hachette
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Provence
| France
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Pictorial
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1842020064 |
Book Description
336 pages (all in color)
Customer Reviews:
My favorite travel guide.......2007-05-18
I have bought many travel guides for Provence & the Cote D'Azur and this is my favorite. I like how it is broken up into regions and what that region offers. I always return to this guide for information. I only wish more books were available from this specific series.
Spectacular and different!.......2003-06-26
I bought so many guides for our trip to Provence. Among others (like the Touring in Wine Country and the Markets guide) this one is one of the best (despite the fact that the prices are not actualized and everything is still in french francs). Anyway, you'll find many tips and places to go that you won't find in the classic guides to Provence. And don't forget the price!!! for $ it is more than worthy!!
Books:
- Rome Venice Florence, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan)
- Snorkel Hawaii: The Big Island (Snorkel Hawaii)
- Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table
- Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor: The Extraordinary Autobiography of Jay Hammond Wilderness Guide and Reluctant Politician
- The Cambridge Illustrated History of China (Cambridge Illustrated Histories)
- The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History
- The Cruising Guide to the New England Coast: Including the Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and the Coast of New Brunswick, Twelfth Edition
- The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day
- The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria
- The Language of Threads: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work: How to Use the Enneagram System for Success
- What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations
- The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory
- The Successful Sales Manager's Guide to Business-to-Business Telephone Sales
- Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Project 2003
- Twilight of the Superheroes: Stories
- The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance
- College Accounting Sec Acct - Part 1 Tex
- The Matching Law: Papers in Psychology and Economics
- The Tale of Holly How
Rick Steves' Provence and the French Riviera 2008 (Rick Steves)
Michelin France: Provence/Alpes/Cote d'Azur (Michelin Maps)
Michelin Green Guide: Provence (Michelin Green Guides)
France (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
