LUXE City Guides

The design of these incredibly chic, accordion-folded, pocket-size guides is as luxe as the information they offer. Not your grandma’s travel guides, these will tell you everything you want—and really need—to know about 31 cities around the world from Paris to Phuket. Not only are they updated each year but Luxe City Guides also offer monthly online updates so that you can be certain the information you’re getting is the hottest, newest, and trendiest there is.

In addition to keeping you in the know about hotels, restaurants, clubs, and shops, they also include practical advice delivered with wit and just the right degree of “attitude.” Here are a few tidbits:

LONDON: “On a budget? Don’t come to London!” “Clued-in Londoners hit bars, restaurants, and clubs on weekdays; weekends in town can get very skanky.”

BERLIN: “On footpaths, keep a peeper out for cyclists and stay out of their way or you could get a verbal bashing.” “Smaller shops and restaurants are often cash only.”

PARIS: “Excepting Fashion week, there is no bad time to visit Paris, but bear in mind that during peak spring season the city is swamped and for the whole month of August the entire population goes on holiday, or so it seems.”

NEW YORK: “Walk. New York is extremely pedestrian-friendly.” “Take ID Everywhere. It will be required at the door of clubs an bars (N0, they’re not flattering you).” “Yellow taxis are abundant, but impossible to find weekdays at 8 am and 4:30 pm and on rainy days.

One word of warning: If you go to their website and buy the Luxe City Guides online (as I did) allow at least 3 weeks for delivery—they’re shipped from Hong Kong. For faster delivery the Luxe City Guides are available at Amazon.