Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe
by Haas Mroue, Olson. Donald, Todd Savage

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Book Reviews of Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe

Book Review: Frommer Doesn't Deliver For Europe
Summary: 1 Stars

The book was intended to be that guide. However, once we opened it up and started looking we were dismayed. Basically, for Germany, they make the crass statement, "Why call this part 'Germany" when Berlin is the only city included? Well, that's the first place you think of Germany? What German city has the most fascinating (and scariest) history? The widest cultural spectrum? The hottest gay nightlife? The most gays and lesbians? Berlin."

So, Germany's guide was limited to Berlin. I, quite personally, don't give a crap that the Frommer writers think this is the only city to focus on/write about. The book promises to deliver this information, as they do in other cities on their USA guide, yet absolutely don't deliver. [Wow], my partner has spent time in Germany in the past and knew generally of (at least) the gay districts in Frankfurt, Hamburg and other cities.

So, if you haven't figured it out yet, find another guide. Unless you only want to travel to the few cities in Europe that Frommer features, don't buy this waste of a good tree and ink.

Summary of Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe

No matter what your budget, you'll find candid reviews of the best hotels and restaurants--mainstream, gay-friendly, and all-out gay. Are you looking for a plush suite with silk-covered walls and baroque paintings at the Hôtel Costes in Paris, a pleasant room with hand-hewn beams at the Hotel Bernardi-Semenzato in Venice, or an atmospheric room with bondage hooks and a galvanized steel cage at the Black Tulip in Amsterdam? Feeling hungry? You can choose from French haute cuisine, British pub fare, German comfort food, Spanish tapas, Greek specialties, and more.

Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe also offers the dish on queer sights (do you know where Oscar Wilde died and where he's buried, where there's a Homomonument, where there's a Gay Museum?) , neighborhoods, and beaches, plus all the top attractions. The guide also shows you where to shop for everything from antiques to clubwear to toys and sends you to the best venues for the performing arts. And, of course, it gives the lowdown on what to do after dark--bars and cafes, discos, saunas, and more.

If all that weren't enough, there are also fun little features like A Queen's English (on British gay slang), The Queer Quiz (on British gays), and A Toast for the Boys (on where to find toast--not what you think it is--on your way home from the clubs in Athens).

If you're heading to Paris, you might want to know about the rustic gay restaurant that looks like a French farmhouse (complete with dog napping in the corner). Frommer's includes the sightseeing standards, plus extras like the Erotic Museum, Proust's hometown of Illiers-Combray, and Le Marais--the heart of gay Paris. You'll find gyms and bookstores, plus stores that specialize in chocolates, club wear, and gourmet foods. There's a full section on bars--gay, lesbian, and mainstream--as well as cabarets, supper clubs, dance clubs, sex clubs, gay saunas, and leather shops.

There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek cleverness here, with chapter headings like "London: The Queen's at Home," "The Czech Republic: Coming Out of the Past," and "Greece: Where It All Began." There's also sensitive and useful information about what's accepted where, from hotel reservations to public displays of same-sex affection. For anyone who's here and queer but wants to be queer and there, this is the guide to take. --Stephanie Gold

General Books

• Gay & Lesbian > Nonfiction
• Travel
• History
• Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Lesbian Studies
• Travel > Europe > General
• Reference & Tips > Guidebooks
• Guidebook Series > Frommer's