Fodor's South America, 8th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides)

I have only been using it as a reference to plan a trip. Haven't taken the trip to measure its accuracy.

We are about to go on a cruise to South America and are planning to spend a few days at the cities where the cruise starts and stops. This book has given us ideas of what to see and where our hotel is located. Very helpful.

Fodor's "South America" is a comprehensive guide to all 10 countries of that continent, which concentrates on cities and major attractions, in 653 pages. It is arranged logically and uniformly, with an index and table of contents that make it easy to locate information.The yellow-tabbed pages upfront contain smart travel tips for South America in general, and the book is then divided alphabetically by country, with sections dedicated to 2-7 of each country's major cities and regions. Although it is a good guide for large cities and major tourist sites, it deals with outlying areas with a broad brush, if at all.Each city or region's section contains extensive listings under the headings of Top Attractions, Lodging, Dining, Museums, Nightlife, Shopping (including flea markets), Outdoor Activities, Day Trips, and those wonderful City Walks that Fodor's designs. Following all of those headings is the "A to Z" section for each city, where one can quickly find information on how to get to hotels from the airport, bus station or port; how to get around within the city; locations and hours for banks, post offices, etc.; tour operators and where to find tourist information.Listings are of the type that would interest those who enjoy accommodations that are cream of the crop in their price categories, good dining, the arts, and shopping, with cost not being the first consideration.On the down side, as with any comprehensive guide to a vast area, details are not as extensive as they would be if the entire book were dedicated to one country. However, if you plan to cruise or fly to several South American capital cities and only want to stuff one guidebook in your bag, this is a good bet.On the other hand, if you dream of off-the-beaten-track places and your budget calls for you to eat, sleep, and travel on a shoestring, or if you're looking for student hangouts and hostels, you should keep looking.