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This is an excerpt from our larger guide to all of Hungary, focusing on Budapest and the surrounding area primarily. The author is a resident of Budapest, who knows the region intimately and takes us behind the scenes to discover its best features the sights, the places to stay and eat, the shopping, and all the activities. Millions of people every year hike into, bike, drive or climb into the green valleys and limestone mountain ridges of Hungary s national parks and the hills. Storks, eagles, wrens, blackbirds, woodpeckers, and flocks of thousands make their home in forests, grasslands, and cliff-sides. Majestic antlered stags and deer range the forest. Fresh springs and cold clear creeks tumble down from the mountains. The author takes us there. Sitting astride the Danube, Budapest has been called the Paris of Eastern Europe and The Pearl of the Danube. There are thousands of restaurants and virtually every type of cuisine. Hotels and nightspots are just as numerous and the author guides us to the best of them all. This is the only guide illustrated with color maps and photographs throughout. Print edition is 586 pages.

Mary Kingsley went alone, in 1893, to remote areas in West Africa crawling with cannibal tribes. Some areas had never been visited by a white man, much less a white woman. She’s at her best when writing in travel journal style. The rest of the book that is not travel narrative is her thoughts and research on Africa and its “fetishes”, which is what seems to be her word for the religious and traditional customs of the natives.

A detailed guide to every aspect of Genoa: history, culture, foods, restaurants, hotels, sightseeing, things to do - written by an author who knows the place intimately. Two marble-carved lions crouch flanking the stairs leading to the entrance of Genoa's monumental cathedral of San Lorenzo. Their proud features are marred by graffiti - cartoonish scribbles rendering their expression more pathetic than fierce. They're an apt metaphor for the city of Genoa itself, which can be a challenging one for tourists. During two millennia of tumultuous history, Genoa has seen its fortunes rise and fall. At its pinnacle, the city - center of the Genoese Republic - had unparalleled wealth and economic and political power. French historiographer Fernand Braudel wrote of the city, ""If ever a diabolically capitalist city can be said to have existed before the capitalist age in Europe and the world, then it is Genoa, opulent and sordid at the same time."" From these heights Genoa would plunge over successive centuries, losing hegemony, then autonomy, and finally prosperity. Today, it is a city in the grip of evolution. There is much that is decrepit and shabby, but there are also the heralds of a renaissance both economic and cultural. The lion that is Genoa may be blemished and humbled, but there is every evidence that with attention and caretaking it is regaining - if not its former brilliant grandeur - at least its dignity and relevance on the world stage. Perhaps that's why Genoa is particularly poignant, and important for travelers who hope to leave Liguria with a greater understanding of the region - both what it was, and what it is becoming. It is impossible to leave Genoa unimpressed and without an opinion. Genoa is - and has been for millennia - a port town, and the nature of a port is to facilitate trade via access to both sea and land routes. The geography of Liguria is characterized by mountains that plunge steeply into the sea, and that are criss-crossed by deep valleys. Genoa - which sits at the near middle of Liguria's great land crescent - is not only at the epicenter of what, from above, appears as one giant harbor. It is also at the crossroads of land routes that made use of these deep valleys to cut across the Apennines to northern Italy and the rest of Europe. This guide is drawn from our Adventure Guide to the Italian Riviera, but with added pictures of the hotels, restaurants and other features.

This guide is excerpted from our much larger Adventure Guide to Provence. It zeroes in on the Western Cote d'Azur, including Fréjus, Saint Raphael, the Plage Pamplonne, the Estérel, the Massif des Maures, and La Garde Freinet. For years, Ferne Arfin has been playing in Provence, a place where Van Gogh spent his most prolific years painting. She draws from her experience to tell you about the people, their culture and the way of life. Covering every town, village and city in the region, this book takes you sightseeing, shopping, and to the best beaches. Comprehensive background information - history, culture, geography and climate - gives you a solid knowledge of each destination and its people. Regional chapters take you on an introductory tour, with stops at museums, historic sites and local attractions. Places to stay and eat; transportation to, from and around your destination; practical concerns; tourism contacts - it's all here! Following are some reviews of the complete guide: ""The Adventure Guide to Provence and the Cote d'Azur offers plenty of practical information for the visitor who wants to explore the region. It includes info on places to stay and eat, but that isn't its strongest point. Its best features are the adventure tips it provides for each area (boating, biking, walking, kayaking, windsurfing, you name it!) and the pertinent background information that adds depth to a visit: for example, a note about French author Antoine de St Exupéry when covering Agay, a word on Winter on the Mont Ventoux. These fall outside of the classic insights on these locations. As a frequent and long-time visitor to the region, I find the information in the guide right on the mark and recommend it highly."" -- Florence Chatzigianis. ""I've just returned from a trip to Antibes and Nice and I used this book as my guide. The recommendations were spot on; really terrific. This is a rare thing, a guide book that inspires and tempts you without making your head spin. All the detail you need is there but this book is so much more!"" -- Annie Smith. ""What a great hands-on book.This is best guide to Provence and the Riviera I've come across. Her section on St. Remy and Eygalieres is perfect. ""Le Petit Bru"" may have been the best meal I had...and a good value. This is the one to get before you leave."" -- Chuck E. ""Not being the type to jump off bridges or hang glide over the treetops, I was a little worried about ""Adventure Guide"" in the book title, but it turns out that this guidebook features just the kind of soft adventures I enjoy: hiking, touring and poking into the interesting recesses of a country, followed by an evening of good food and wine. The author's biography says she's been visiting Provence for 20 years and it shows in her writing, which includes all the little insider tips that you'd expect from someone with her experience. With the practical information I've found in the ""Adventure"" guide to Provence, it may take me the next 20 years to enjoy everything this book brings to light."" -- Betsy Malloy. ""There are a lot of tour books for this region, but this new one is really fun. There is lots of information on ""out of the way"" places and interesting festivals, all sorts of things which you wont find anywhere else. I love Provence, and this book will definitely come with me the next time I go. The information is presented clearly and is well written, so it's easy to use. Lots of nice pictures, too. I like this guide a lot, and I hope to see more French guides from this writer."" -- J. Kingan. ""If you are interested in experiencing the gorgeous Cote D'Azur and Provence areas and not just enjoying the scenery from a tour bus or car,this is the book for you. Filled with tips on out-of-the-way places,great hikes and bike rides."" -- L. Lotz

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