guide / guidebook
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guide
A person who accompanies tourists or travel groups at a place, shows them sights, and gives information.
Unser Reiseführer in Rom wusste zu jeder Ruine eine spannende Geschichte zu erzählen.
Our guide in Rome knew an exciting story to tell about every ruin.
guidebook
A book or brochure with practical information, maps, and recommendations for travelers about a particular country, region, or city.
Ich habe mir einen Reiseführer über die Toskana gekauft, um den Urlaub zu planen.
I bought a guidebook about Tuscany to plan the vacation.
The word is made up of 'Reise' (trip / travel) and 'Führer' (guide), connected with an 's'. So it literally means a person who guides a trip, or a book that guides you through a trip.
Ohne einen guten Reiseführer hätten wir die besten Orte verpasst.
Without a good guidebook, we would have missed the best places.
You can tell whether the person or the book is meant from the verb. Verbs like 'erklären' (to explain), 'zeigen' (to show), or 'begleiten' (to accompany) point to the person. Verbs like 'lesen' (to read), 'kaufen' (to buy), or 'nachschlagen' (to look up) refer to the book.
Der Reiseführer hat uns die Geschichte der Stadt erklärt.
The guide explained the history of the city to us.
When the person is meant, they are often 'gebucht' (booked) or 'engagiert' (hired). They 'führt' (guide) a group or 'zeigt' (show) tourists the sights.
Für unsere Städtetour haben wir einen privaten Reiseführer gebucht.
We booked a private guide for our city tour.
When the book is meant, it is often 'gekauft' (bought) or 'gelesen' (read). You can also 'in einem Reiseführer nachschlagen' (look something up in a guidebook) or 'sich einen Reiseführer besorgen' (get yourself a guidebook).
Schlag mal im Reiseführer nach, wann der Bus zum Strand fährt.
Look it up in the guidebook to see when the bus to the beach leaves.
guide
Guide and Reiseführer can both refer to a book containing information and tips for travelers. Reiseführer is the established German term for this. Guide is a borrowed word that can be used more broadly and does not always have to be related to travel.
Für die Städtereise kauft Lea einen aktuellen Reiseführer für Berlin.
Lea buys an up-to-date guidebook to Berlin for her city trip.
Für die Städtereise kauft Lea einen aktuellen Berlin-Guide.
Lea buys an up-to-date Berlin guidebook for her city trip.
