book links

online booksellers

abebooks.com
alibris.com
amazon.com
barnes and noble
booksense.com
borders
edward r hamilton
half.com
powells books

Michelin Green Guide: Egypt

I actually pre-ordered this book from Amazon, since the new 2002 version was due out in Spring and this one was so essential to our travels before. The Michelin green guides (travel guides) red guides (restaurants, hotels) are definitely not glitzy or even attractive. Utilitarian and usually bland, the Michelin guide is a gazetteer-type listing of cities closely referenced to their maps with basic information about local sights and driving tours.

But if you want the latest and greatest on admissions, hours, or directions, this is the book to have. Nearly every city, from Aswan to Zagazig is listed with at least a mention of most of the notable sites within driving distance. Many of the larger sites (pyramids or valley tombs, for example) have a short self-guided tour.

All the sites are listed with relevant dates and related information, albeit with terse descriptions in some cases. Each area has a "Worth a Visit" section that highlights the major attractions nearby, so people on a tight schedule can pick and choose what to see. Travel details such as hotels and other resources are scarcely mentioned, so I use this as a reference for the sites instead of travel in general.

Opening times and costs are clearly listed and seem to be very accurate. Driving or walking tour directions are easy to follow. This is the content that I usually grab one of the Green Guides for.

I've never used the other Michelin guides. There are "red guides" for restaurants, I guess, and blue guides for something else...I'm not actually sure!!