Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 914.04559
EAN num: 9780028626406
ISBN number: 0028626400
Label: Addison Wesley Longman
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Longman
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 687
Printing Date: 1999-07
Publishing house: Addison Wesley Longman
Sale Popularity Level: 2229649
Studio: Addison Wesley Longman
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Europe is a gay adventure just waiting to happen. Written in a fun, frank, and fabulous style by four travel writers who know all the ins and outs, Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe is the very first queer guide to Europe to include coverage on all aspects of your trip--from how to get there to how to get around, from where to stay and dine to where to shop, from what to see and do to where to work out, from where to sip a cocktail to where to cruise.
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).
Amazon.com Review:
There's more to queer Europe than gay Paris. Until recently there was no good guide that catered to gay and lesbian tastes and needs. With Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe, gay and lesbian travelers can get the lowdown on transportation and lodging, sightseeing and shopping, food and nightlife. But there are also such issues as comfort levels and cultural expectations, finding gay-owned or gay-friendly establishments, meeting fellow gay travelers, and fraternizing with the locals.
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
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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My partner and I are going to Europe this summer for an extended vacation and were planning on spending a good amount of time in Germany. We were hoping to find a comprehensive guide that would give cultural cues and listing of gay/gay-friendly hotels, clubs, restaurants, etc. We were hoping to find such spots in almost every city were were planning on visiting.
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 very 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.
Rated by buyers 
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Having brought this along for not one but two Europe trips where it wasn't even worth the space it took up in my bag, it's time to retire it to a shelf permanently. Frommer's is trying to capitalize on the sucess of Fodor's GAY USA books which are pretty informative and well organized. Frommer's offering is too little, too late. Now-a-days there are gay mentions in lots of mainstream travel books. Virgin, the same people who bring you the record company, superstores, etc. also make travel books for major European cities which always include gay bars and gay hoods. Dorling Kindersley may not be gay, but they are hands down superior to any other guide out there and worth every cent. Just grab a Spartacus or look online to find out where the gay areas are, or pick up a gay mag or flyers once you get there. By all means, don't plan on this book giving you anything but a frustrating, jarbled mess of vague maps and bland information.
Rated by buyers -
Like the description for this book says, there IS more to queer Europe that gay Paris. Unfortunately this book only hits on 7 other countries, so if you're headed anywhere in Scandinavia, forget it. Same with Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland, and a bunch of other European countries. Make sure you're going to one of the Chosen 8, or this book will be worthless.
Rated by buyers 
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This book provides a decent overview of the biggest cities and sites in Europe for the "family" traveller. It gives a nice description of these places, but not as much depth as I would have liked. For instance, only three cities in England were discussed (London, Manchester, and Brighton). It provides a nice, down to Earth, heads-up on what to expect and areas you might want to explore.
If you're looking for cruisy places or sex clubs, this isn't the book you want. If you want touristy information from a gay perspective, then this is a good book to start planning your trip.
Rated by buyers 
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Armed with Frommer's Gay Guide to Europe, my partner and I headed for Amsterdam and Rome last month. While he was a seasoned travaler, I was a first-time tourist. We found that the guide was invaluabe to both of us for different reasons. For him, a complete and informative guide to attractions he missed on other trips; for me a vital source of all kinds of new informatiom and advice. We are certain that the Guide enhanced our visit to Europe. It will be of great value to any kind of traveler.
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