Forget the flimsy, unwieldy map from the tourist office you can never get to grips with, which disintegrates after it's rained on it once. Forget the exhaustive and very useful - but very heavy - guidebook you end up wishing you`d left in your hotel room. Forget you can`t read a map on your small smartphone screen. Forget you haven`t been given an iPad for your birthday. A MapGuide is the most portable and practical all-in-one map-and-guide available today.
And it`s easy to understand how they work: early in the guide a general map shows the division of the city into areas and pinpoints the 10 sights you really shouldn`t miss if your visit is short. Two pages cover each area: one highlights our favourite restaurants, shops, bars, tearooms and markets in that district, and the other - which you discover when you unfold the restaurant page - features a map of the area and the sights not to be missed there. These sights are illustrated, carry a brief description and marked clearly on the map.
At the front and back of the guides are two horizontal foldouts - the first with practical information on the city, the last with hotel reviews and transport information. To top things off, each guide now has a useful street index at the end. At the back of the book a fully illustrated spread highlights the best experiences to be had in the city. In all, between 120 and 170 addresses, regularly updated, plus some 60 to 100 not-to-be-missed sights and a list of a 20 to 30 carefully selected hotels in all price ranges. Whether you are away for two days or seven, these compact guides are the perfect travel mates.