GinnVillas - Travel in America, Europe, South America and australia

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.