Rick Steves' London 2008 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves gives excellent advice on what are the best sites to see, which are not worth your money, and secrets to make your tour of the city enjoyable. His advice on places to stay are very accurate too. If you are going to London and want a heads-up on the city then I highly recommend you get this book.

I am in London right now delighted with how helpful this book is. Many guide books try to give too much information and end up more like phone books. This book is perfect in that it gives you the most important information about what is worth seeing. His tips on saving time and money are right on. This is the best book you will find for a visit to London.

I loved this book. I used it to help plan my trip beforehand and it helped me re-evaluate the plan when I couldn't cover all the stops I wanted.
The information was very accurate with great tips.

My wife and I went to London for a week and this book was excellent for time management to see what we could actually pack in and what was worth checking out. Additionally, Rick's writing style is great and we often found ourselves laughing at his commentary that was right on the mark.

My wife and I returned for our 4th trip to London last spring and the most current edition of this book has always gone with me. I tear it apart while I'm there, taking sections with me for the day as I explore. It is updated annually so I always get the newest version before I leave. Rick's guides are not comprehensive - they don't list every hotel or eatery - but they do filter out the best ones in each area of town and that is what I want in a guide book. Recommendations on hotels, sites, local culture and transportation are more valuable than those on eateries. Maps are simple but accurate, providing enough direction to keep you from getting lost while still encouraging you to wander a bit and discover your own gems. There is a heavy emphasis on history, the arts and experiencing life with the locals. The abbreviated tours - like the one of the National Gallery - help you see the "best of" the site when you don't have time to see it all. First timers, don't leave home without it.