Frommer's San Francisco [With Map] (Frommer's Color Complete) [Paperback]

I'm reviewing both this book and the Lonely Planet San Francisco guidebook. On the surface, the books are similar with large sections of hotel and restaurant reviews combined with descriptions of various activities and sights. When you start reading the books, however, they are obviously very different. The Lonely Planet book focuses on lower priced hotels and restaurants with only a few higher end places for comparison. Frommer's has few low-end places and focuses on the mid-to-high end.

A bigger difference between the two books is types of activities and sights that they recommend. Lonely Planet has long sections describing the hipper, edgier parts of the city such as the Mission, Castro, and Richmond "Avenues" districts. This is the real San Francisco where that locals love to visit. Frommer's recommendations for exploring town are almost all in the more touristy Chinatown, North Beach, and Fisherman's Wharf areas.

I think younger travelers will be disappointed with the coverage in the Frommer's book. Mainstream travelers will probably feel right at home with Frommer's coverage, but I do recommend that they try so spend at least a couple of days visiting parts of the city outside the tourist areas.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have hosted many visitors coming to San Francisco in the past. This guide book provides very good and comprehensive information about the area. The back of the book comes with a folded pocket sized map for San Francisco as well as a BART transit map.

The book is organized in various sessions covering a brief history of San Francisco, places for accommodation (with ratings for the hotels), meals, shopping, entertainment, as well as its vicinities places to visit. It also provides specific recommended itineraries for an one to three days visit. However, this might not be an one-size fit all recommendation due the variety of interests for the visitors. As example, this book excluded the Golden Gate bridge for the one-day itinerary which I think is a must visit place for anyone who is new to San Francisco. The other must visit place it did not emphasize much was the Fisherman's Wharf. It is a great for shoppers and diners.

I would recommend this book for those who are new to San Francisco as it provides a lot of good reference information which would make their trip planning a lot easier.

I thought I knew all about my home city, but after reading this new guide, I want to get out and join the legions of visitors from everywhere. The Frommer's guide and an inquisitive nature will ensure an interesting visit. The book starts with the basics - some "bests"; some history; some suggested itineraries, all worth considering. Well, let me qualify that: The descriptions of us natives in our habitat being ourselves (page 12), would have one believe that the strange man who jumps from behind a bush and scares tourists and a naked bicyclist are must-see sights. What a waste of time! Take the suggested walking tours, and spend an extra hour or so walking a couple of blocks away from the suggested route. You might find an exquisite garden, an outdoor graffiti gallery, or a winery tucked into a former warehouse.

The guide suggests activities that should whet the curiosity before visiting, so the reader can choose must-sees according to personal interests and available time. There's never time to do everything, but with the depth of information given, visitors can have a memorable trip. There are hotels listed covering the whole price spectrum, but there's barely a mention of the bed & breakfast inns that abound or of the vacation rentals to be found on sites such as airbnb or vrbo. The restaurant listings provide a huge selection, and most are very good. But even the good ones close with alarming regularity and new ones take their place. Just ask around; every local has a favorite.

The book itself is very user friendly. Of course, the map tucked into the book is invaluable. It's printed on heavy paper that won't fray or blow around on a windy street. Even more thoughtful is the practice of printing a map of a neighborhood right in the section that describes that area. Another guide I reviewed has a separate section of maps that require searching both for the text about the area and for the related map.

For its variety and depth of descriptions, plus ease of use, this is the guide that works.