Reading Pauline Frommer's guidebook is like talking to an old friend who lives in Paris. I found the book to be a great mix of advice on the touristy places you have to see and the off the beaten path places that give you an authentic experience.



We did two of walking tours included in the book, Montmartre and Marais and loved both. We saw beautiful streets and little shops before going into the more crowded, popular areas.



Unfortunately a lot of the restaurant/shop recommendations were closed for August, but it seems that's the norm for the authentic places. Only the touristy palces stay open!



I also have a Rick Steves book, which is good to have for additional information, but brought the Pauline book with us because I felt it was more down to earth versus the Rick Steves which felt very mainstream (and also bigger and heavier).