As we've become more imaginative about our weekends away, so we've come to expect more of our guidebooks. We can work out the basics for ourselves; what we want is insider tips on hidden corners. A handful of publishers seem to have cottoned on to this and are coming out with smartly packaged guides aimed at travellers who've grown out of Rough Guides. The pocket-sized guides from the travel team at Wallpaper* - due out next month (Phaidon, £4.95) - are stronger on style than substance but they do have a couple of features we like - tips on the best room to book in each hotel and a guide to the city by someone who actually lives there.

Also out next month are three new guides to Paris, Madrid and Istanbul from Luxe, the laminated fold-out city guides, which until now have concentrated on Asian cities.

Meanwhile, the Hedonist Guide to... series is launching a bookable website (hg2.com) featuring a selection of hotels listed in the guidebooks - 50% will be guaranteed lowest price on the net - interactive maps and reviews of bars, shops and cultural attractions.