Product Description

This book is not an alphabetic list of towns, it contains 'map-driven' days out, so that the visitor can see at a glance the scope of a day and what there is to do.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #279527 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

From the Publisher
Not for nothing is this book sub-titled a practical guide....
telling you how much attractions cost, and at what age they consider a
`child' has become an `adult' (anywhere between 4 and 26!) - so that you
know what you'll be paying before you get to the ticket window....
giving opening times (closing for lunch and on Monday is common in France)

what about a trip to an island? How much? Do you need to pre-book? How?
clear and easy to use, with dozens of purpose-drawn maps, showing you
exactly where things are
There are background essays on subjects such as driving, cycling, language
and history to make your visit even more memorable.
Full colour photographs are used throughout

From the Inside Flap
Foreword.
Dear reader,
In planning and writing this book, I have aimed to provide clear answers to
those eternal travellers' questions - what, where, when, why, how, and how
much. I have also tried to make it readable and easy to use. To meet these
goals, you will notice that I have structured it slightly differently than
a conventional guide book....
rather than being an alphabetic list of towns, the book is based on and
driven by maps. By looking at the map of Brittany on the next page, you
should see at a glance several days-out near you. Each day then has one or
more maps pinpointing enjoyable things to do - which are described in
detail.
Where there are admission charges and opening times, I give them next to
the attraction. I do not list phone numbers with attractions, but web site
and email addresses, and post codes. This is because I doubt whether one in
ten thousand non-French readers ever phone a French attraction, while most
use the web and many use online mapping.
And I generally put tourist office addresses and opening times at the start
of a town walk. You don't need to visit the offices to use the book, but
it's a good idea to do so if they're open. French Tourist Offices are
almost invariably well situated, and their staff are friendly, helpful,
knowledgeable and multi-lingual. More importantly, perhaps, they generally
supply free maps of a standard and size that a guide book, however large,
cannot possibly recreate. They often provide other services, too, such as
ferry bookings: and they always know exactly what is happening in the way
of festivals and so on in their local area.
information on France. I shall continue to improve and extend it. I
appreciate feedback, and always seek to improve: don't hesitate to contact
me via the site if you have any comments or suggestions.
I hope that you enjoy your visit.
Alan Biggins

About the Author
Alan Biggins has studied French in France and lived and worked
there for several years.

This is his third book on France - the others being A Normandy Tapestry and
Selling French Dreams

Customer Reviews

30 Great Days Out in Brittany
I bought this book after reading The Mail on Sunday's review by Frank Barrett (It was Travel Book of the week). He said "Some people write guidebooks because it's their job - others see it as a labour of love. Alan Biggins, author of 30 Great Days out in Brittany, is in the second category.....if you're planning a holiday in Brittany, take this book - it could turn your trip into a genuine delight."
...and he was right. I love Brittany and have visited several times but this book shows that there is an awful lot that I don't know about. I can't wait to go again. Well done Mr Biggins!

Descriptions good but thin on pictures
This could have been so much better. You can tell the writer loves his subject and has gone to a lot of effort. The descriptions are spot on but there are precious few pictures. For the cost of the book one would have expected more photographs. The binding is decidedly poor: a page came out in my hand the day I opened the book, and it looks like it will fall apart if its opened too far. Despite that it is a really handy little guide, with plenty info on places one would otherwise not be aware of.

Good guide, shame about the binding
For our first visit to Brittany this was an excellent guide; the amount of information is sufficient without being overwhelming, the writer's style is clear and informative, the map-based "day out" structure makes it very easy to visualise the options available in any particular area, and his identification of some of the more obscure, but nevertheless fascinating, places to visit (alas we didn't make it to the living bee and the city of ants at Kercadoret, but the guided walks to the mussel and oyster beds from Le Vivier sur Mer were fascinating), provided the sort of variety necessary for children (and adults!) to avoid being overloaded with beaches and medieval towns.

But why oh why did the publishers (Kirkdale Books) choose this particular type of binding? The first page fell out during the first evening of trip planning and after two weeks of relatively careful use (but it is a guide book after all and so surely the expectation is that it gets taken out on trips with you?) we basically have a loose-leaf book that has completely disintegrated.

It will still be one of the first books to be packed when we return, but perhaps Kirkdale Books would like to provide a folder to hold the pages!