So that it won’t be excruciatingly painful...
A virtual trip through the pages of books, of course, cannot replace a real-time journey. Nevertheless, guidebooks are not just a favorite genre of literature for me, but also a subject of professional interest and the topic of my thesis. The latter is what brought me to the Club of the newspaper “Zagranitsa”.
“Traveling without a guidebook is simply indecent,” says Yuri Onishchuk, manager of the Club of the newspaper “Zagranitsa”. “It’s as embarrassing as buying a $1,000 computer and not learning to use it, or not reading the instructions for a $400 refrigerator. Of course, you can save on a guidebook when buying a tour for $700. But why? To walk within ten meters of a world-famous attraction and not happen to see it because you turned left instead of right? You invest considerable money in a tour, and a guidebook is exactly what will help you make the most of it.”
By the way, you can buy a guidebook or any other literature at the Club of the newspaper “Zagranitsa” with a decent discount: you just need to subscribe to the newspaper (the monthly subscription costs 4.98 UAH). All subscribers become members of the Club of the newspaper “Zagranitsa” and buy literature at a special club price with a 20% discount. It applies to all books – whether a brochure for 5 hryvnias or a luxurious world atlas for 500 hryvnias.
Guidebooks are far from the only thing the Club of the newspaper “Zagranitsa” offers to the discerning reader. It has a wealth of country studies literature, books and reference works on immigration, studying, and working abroad, educational literature on various languages, including languages of Asian and African countries (“A Concise Dictionary of Understatements and Allegories of the Modern Chinese Language” – how about that?!). But in this article I want to talk specifically about guidebooks, without which our trip may become a waste of time and money – at best. And at worst, a ruined mood, seriously and for a long time.
“Le Petit Futé”
Many of my trips began with acquiring the “little sly one” – which is exactly how “Le Petit Futé” is translated (by the end of the trip, the book somehow turned out to be covered with “rock paintings” with the names and addresses of new friends). The idea of the creators of “Le Petit Futé” is to give the tourist as much useful information as possible, not to create a masterpiece of the printing art, so I dare to disappoint those who look for color illustrations, a dust jacket, and colorful inserts. But the “filling” of the guidebook more than compensates for the somewhat ascetic appearance of the publication!
In terms of the volume of textual information, “Le Petit Futé” guidebooks are ahead of their counterparts of a similar format. The reference section contains just about everything: sections on history and geography (climate, flora, fauna, underwater world), the “What’s What” section (religion, crime, tips, shopping, etc.), useful advice (when to go, money, communications, accommodation, transport, formalities, holidays, gastronomy, etc.), maps (admittedly black-and-white, but with labels in both Latin and Cyrillic script), a mini-phrasebook... The main part is devoted to descriptions of cities and towns with all their attractions. At the end of each chapter there is an additional “gentleman’s set” of tourist information: about hotels and restaurants (with approximate price levels, but for some reason without indicating their “star rating”), transport, tourist information offices, currency exchange, post offices, banks, etc. The information, it is true, is presented somewhat haphazardly, but given its volume, the “little sly one” can be forgiven its minor flaws, put down to purely French carelessness.
The geographic coverage is also extensive: the Club of the newspaper “Zagranitsa” offers just under 70 books in this series! Lovers and seasoned travelers alike are offered guidebooks not only to the most popular tourist countries and cities (Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Egypt, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, France, etc.), but also to countries that have only recently entered the Ukrainian tourist market (Malaysia, Cuba, Maldives, Seychelles, Dominican Republic). The range also includes guidebooks to states that can hardly be called countries of “mass demand”: Australia, Azores (Madeira, Cape Verde), New Zealand, Morocco, Republic of Korea, Canada. It is somewhat disappointing that for some reason there are no guidebooks to our neighbors – Poland and Slovakia.
Recently, the “Le Petit Futé” publishing house launched a new series of guidebooks – on the regions of Russia (13 books have already been released). The “little sly one” has been to Baikal, learned what recreation in the Moscow region and Zamoskvorechye is; traveled along the “Golden Ring” of Russia and even made its way to such places unexplored by Ukrainian (and, probably, Russian) tourists as Kazan, Tatarstan, Altai, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Novosibirsk, Samara, Sverdlovsk and Tomsk Oblasts.
I don’t know who came up with the word “tusovoditel” (a blend of “tusovka” – a hangout – and “guidebook”), but I clearly like it, and “Le Petit Futé” is so far the only publishing house that has seriously taken up bringing them out. The name speaks for itself: here you will read where you can “get together,” “hang out,” “let loose,” “have a blast,” and so on. Well, to say that the tusovoditels are written brilliantly would be an understatement!
“World Around Us”
The “World Around Us” guidebooks (“Simon-Press” Publishing House, Moscow) have repeatedly won the “Crystal Globe” – the all-Russian annual award for achievements in tourism in the “Best Guidebook” nomination – and not without reason! Most of the publishing house’s guidebooks are about the countries of the former Soviet Union (Arkhangelsk Oblast, the Golden Ring, the Republic of Lithuania, Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts, the Republic of Karelia, the Black Sea coast: “From Taman to Tuapse” and “From Tuapse to Adler,” Yakutia: a cruise along the Lena, river cruises).
This series also includes a good guide to the Crimea, but the most interesting book in the «Мир вокруг нас» series, in my opinion, is the guide to St. Petersburg and its environs. It was prepared especially for the city's 300th anniversary and published in 2002. Detailed maps, color inserts, a wealth of useful information (up to the bridge opening schedule, not to mention museums, monuments, hotels, restaurants, etc.) and, most importantly, a wealth of historical and local history information mixed with a selection of quotes from prominent people... This guide will be an excellent companion and guide for you if you are planning to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the Northern Venice.
In addition to guidebooks on Russia and the CIS, the publishing house has released four books on foreign countries: Croatia, Slovakia, Bavaria (the only Russian-language guide to this German land!) and Rome («Рим в ореоле легенд и преданий»). The «Мир вокруг нас» guidebooks are compact, functional, informative, and at the same time quite affordable.
Poliglott
Excellent printing, colorful photographs and maps, a simple and logical structure, an almost complete absence of advertising (yes!), and routes developed in detail with German pedantry make the Poliglott guides the complete antipode of their French “colleague”. They are “thinner” than «Маленький хитрец»: they do not have such a broad historical overview, detailed descriptions of hotels and restaurants, or the animal world of the country of your dreams (or business trip). Nevertheless, all the information a tourist needs in the guidebook is collected, systematized, verified, and presented in a very entertaining form.
The guides begin with a mini phrase book; then comes history with geography, statistics, climate tables by season, information about culture (architecture, literature, etc.), religion, economy, history, cuisine, outdoor activities, accommodation, and transport. Practical advice (visas, customs regulations, money, medicine, safety, holidays, shopping, etc.) takes only 2.5 pages and is presented at the end of the book.
The first section of the main part of the guidebook is a detailed and vivid description of the most important tourist centers and attractions, interspersed with extremely interesting additional information, practical advice, color photographs (on every spread!) and detailed maps. The second part of the book—its main difference from all other guidebooks and its main “know-how”—is well-thought-out, calculated literally down to the kilometer, rationally compiled routes. They usually combine 4-8 cities or towns. All attractions are arranged by experts according to a priority system and marked with asterisks according to their degree of significance. The reference section of each edition includes addresses, telephone numbers, opening hours of museums, theaters, shops, and restaurants.
In the Poliglott assortment you will not find guidebooks to countries that are far from accessible to all our compatriots. The geography of this series’ guidebooks mainly covers Europe, and not only countries, but also individual cities and regions. For example, in addition to a guide to Austria, there are separate editions on Vienna and the state of Tyrol, and in addition to a guide to the Netherlands, a separate book on Amsterdam was released. There is no need to even mention culturally and historically rich Spain—this country has as many as five guidebooks devoted to it (Spain and Andorra; Andalusia; Valencia - Costa Blanca; Canary Islands; Catalonia - Costa Brava). Among non-European countries, Israel, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and the city of New York are represented.
«Окно в мир»
Gennady Iozefavichus, an economist and a dandy, was born at the same time when Milan was beginning to turn into the fashion capital. All these years, Milan and Gennady were intently studying each other. Milan made the first move: from there, Gennady was commissioned to write a small guide to Moscow. The response was not long in coming: Afisha asked Gennady to write a guide to Milan, and he, in return, requested good weather, invitations to fashion shows, a lot of money for expenses, and a hotel in the city center. No one, naturally, gave him the money; it rained every day of work on the guide, and he had to obtain a hotel himself. Nevertheless, the book was a success! — that is how the publishers of the Afisha guidebook series write about the author. Stylish? You bet!
The word "stylish" can be used to describe everything in these guides: a stylish manner of narration, a stylish cover, a stylish format and fonts, a stylish epigraph, and even the absence of photographs — that is stylish too! Afisha guides are not translated editions: they are written by Russian authors for Russian-speaking tourists.
Afisha publishes guides exclusively to cities. Their geography is also interesting: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Vienna, Venice, London, Milan, Moscow, New York, Paris, St. Petersburg, Prague, Rome, Istanbul, Florence, and soon a guide to Helsinki will be released. By the way, besides "instructions" to world cities, Afisha has also published the guides "Children", "Cinema", "Internet", and "Moscow Shops".
The books begin with a section titled "Orientation", which includes the headings "How Not to Ruin Your Trip" (when not to go, how to get a visa, pass through customs, useful internet addresses...), "Survival Rules" (currency exchange, communications, time, transportation, emergencies), and "Coordinate System" (geography, chronology, what things look like). In the "City" section, the author will take you not only through the popular, well-trodden tourist places — entertaining you with jokes and anecdotes along the way — but will also show you sights that are not known to everyone.
The "Places" section will tell about museums and galleries, hotels, clubs, theaters, etc. (wherever possible, an approximate price or price range is given). The highlight of the Afisha guides is the "Cheap..." section (Amsterdam, Barcelona, etc.) — a truly wonderful discovery for the "Russian tourist": how to get there cheaper, where to stay cheaper, eat, buy clothes and souvenirs. (An interesting observation: in the guide to Milan, 6 of 224 pages are devoted to museums, and as many as 26 to shops!) In addition, the Afisha guides contain a mini phrasebook, maps, and a metro map.
Fregat
The guides of the St. Petersburg publishing house Fregat are quite informative and affordable: they are written by Russian authors in an interesting and lively manner and are recommended by the country's tourism bureau or the mayor's office of the city the book is about. History and modernity, what you need to know before setting out on a trip, city sights (or cities, regions), useful tips, recommendations for gourmets, those who like to shop, and parents with children, entertainment, useful addresses and phone numbers, a mini-dictionary — all this (plus color photographs and a separate fold-out map) is generously supplied in the Fregat guides. The pages of several recent editions are not glued, as in most cases, but are attached with a spring — this is really convenient for a traveler!
There are, however, drawbacks: first, there is no standard rubricator, and the information is presented somewhat unsystematically; second, the guide pages are clearly overloaded with all sorts of graphic elements and teem with fonts of different sizes and styles.
Capitals of Tourism
How to choose a travel agency, how to open a bank account, how to find a business partner? What to do if you have lost your passport or return ticket? Or maybe you didn't have enough money to pay the bill at a restaurant? Where to turn if your group has flown away without you? How to extend a visa? What to do if you have been detained by the local guardians of order? Where to call if you have forgotten the address and name of your hotel?.. Answers to these and many other questions can be found in the reference guides of the "Capitals of Tourism" series from the St. Petersburg publishing house Welcome.
As of today, these are, perhaps, the only guides that offer information not only for tourists but also for businessmen, students, and those who are planning to work abroad. Interestingly, the book opens with a detailed section on how to assess the reliability of a travel agency if you are going to buy a tour package.
The design of the books in this series, though, is rather modest: softcover, two-color printing, no photographs. Nevertheless, each guide is accompanied by a separate city map. The main drawback is that these guides were published back in the "pre-euro" era, so all prices are given in pesetas, lire, francs, etc.
Dorling Kindersley
To paraphrase an American writer, Dorling Kindersley (DK) guides are like popcorn: once you start reading, you can't stop. And you don't want to! Unfortunately, only four guides have been released in Russian: "Spain", "France", "Greek Islands", and "London", which has already become a rarity.
This well-known English publishing house specializes in producing colorful photo albums and children's books, so guidebooks are far from its priority. Nevertheless, «ДК» guidebooks are perhaps the most detailed, thorough, and best-printed books on the entire guidebook market. I would say that these books, in terms of volume (400-672 pages), level, and quality of information presentation, are closer to encyclopedias than to guidebooks. In addition to comprehensive country, historical, and geographical information, the «ДК» guidebooks include floor plans and cutaway images of architectural monuments (like a layer cake). Three-dimensional street plans allow you to see every house from a bird's-eye view, and a wealth of color photographs will fill your reading with true aesthetic pleasure. «Everyone only tells, we show!» - that is the slogan of Dorling Kindersley, and no comment is needed.
The sections «Accommodation and Food» (information provided in table form, which is very convenient) and «Practical Tips» are impressive in their scope and thoroughness. There you will read about language, etiquette rules, visas and passports, health, money, shopping, and also get comprehensive information about international and domestic airlines, airports, railway stations, bus stations, and even bicycle tourism.
«Вече»
The historical guidebooks of the Russian publishing house «Вече» are intended for particularly meticulous tourists - those who are not satisfied with a traditional historical overview of a few pages (or even a few dozen pages). These guidebooks will take you deep into times and centuries and tell you about the present through the prism of the past. This edition also contains useful information about the country (statistics, essential phone numbers, cuisine, a mini phrasebook), but the emphasis is on history rather than the practical side of the trip.
The design of these guidebooks is, unfortunately, still far from ideal: softcover, glued pages, and the majority of photos are black-and-white (though there are color inserts, maps, and diagrams).
The club of the newspaper «Заграница» offers the following historical guidebooks: «Байкал, Якутия, Камчатка - края чудес», «Болгария и семь ее чудес», «Египет - вдоль и поперек», «Испания, которую мы не знали», «Кипр - остров богов и святых», «Подмосковье - культура, история, география», «Турция - страна странствий», «Чехия - путешествие за здоровьем».
An equally interesting project of the «Вече» publishing house is the books «Памятники всемирного наследия». They are not classic guidebooks with their standard set of sections: here you will not find travel tips, mini-dictionaries, etc. However, these books are a wonderful find for «продвинутых» tourists and especially for travel industry professionals, who by the nature of their work have to «знать все обо всем и чуточку больше». The books contain the most detailed information on history, architecture, famous names, and the most detailed descriptions of attractions. This edition also stands out for its good printing quality: sewn binding, hardcover, with high-quality color illustrations.
Guidebooks on Ukraine
It is funny and shameful: there is not a single guidebook on Ukraine in Ukraine! On the English-language market, however, there are several books about our country, and quotes from them, by the way, could well serve as the basis for a separate article. In one of the guidebooks «about us» I read the following: «When buying vegetables and fruits (especially mushrooms) at the market, ask where they are from. If they answer that they are from Chernobyl, don't take them!» On store shelves you can find booklet guides to individual attractions (mostly Kyiv ones): churches, cathedrals, or even streets, and up to a dozen Russian and Ukrainian guidebooks to Crimea. Of the truly serious publications, I can name only a few guidebooks: on Crimea («Мир вокруг нас», 2000), on Lviv («Центр Европы», 2001), and two guidebooks on Kyiv («Центр Европы» and «Балтия-Друк», 2002).
Despite the abundance of high-quality historical and country-specific information (indeed, excellent historians worked on the texts!), the mass of color illustrations, and the good technical execution of the Kyiv and Lviv guidebooks from the «Центр Европы» publishing house, these two books can hardly be called modern guidebooks. If only because the weight of the books is about a kilogram, which cannot be counted as a guidebook's advantage. Moreover, the format of the book is more suitable for keeping on a shelf than for carrying in a pocket. The price also «bites» - about 80 грн. The text of the «Центр Европы» guidebooks is presented in two languages at once - Ukrainian and English. On the one hand, this increases the weight, volume, and cost of the publication. On the other hand, for many it is a lifesaver (for example, if the burden of «showing around» an English-speaking friend who has come to visit falls on your fragile shoulders). The book's reference apparatus includes data on hotels, service agencies, embassies, restaurants, travel companies, banks, etc.
Last year, the Baltic publishing house «Балтия-Друк» released the first truly modern guidebook to Kyiv. The book was published in three languages at once: Russian, English, and German, but, unlike the «Центр Европы» publications, a «separate» book was issued for each of these languages. A well-thought-out, well-structured text, excellent illustrations, superb printing quality, functionality (the guidebook fits easily into a pocket), a reasonable price (56 грн.) - in short, the publishers did a great job! The reference part of the guidebooks (with a mini-dictionary) is intended, of course, not for you and me, but for foreign tourists and former compatriots from the former Soviet Union. It includes everything that foreigners coming to Ukraine need to know.
Are you still thinking about what to give your foreign friends?