Lowdown on the High Life

If you're ready for a guidebook that's less rough and more refined, take a look inside the LOUIS VUITTON CITY GUIDES . These slim volumes ($55 for a set of eight, covering 35 European destinations) are tailored to slip discreetly into one of those famously monogrammed handbags. Apart from listing the finest hotel, dining, shopping and touring options, the books provide arcane survival tips for fastidious travelers, such as the fact that Blossom & Browne's Sycamore Laundry in London uses "softened water to protect your Pradas." But not all the attractions have five-star ratings. Flea markets happily coexist with big-name boutiques in...