I’m planning a 4 month trip for this summer, covering 5 countries – Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. I’ve read almost all of those massive "Europe" guidebooks (LP, Lets Go, Rick Steves, Fodors, Rough Guides, etc) and have decided that I’m most fond of Let’s Go, but I’m wondering whether I should just slice out the country chapters that I want from the big book, or take the country guides. (I’d take the complete Italy, and Spain/Portugal books, and thin out the France one and possibly the Greece one, as I’m fairly sure where I want to go in those countries.)

I’m concerned because in the large book, some of the smaller towns and cities I want to visit only have a small paragraph written about them, with only one accomodation recommendation, whereas presumably the individual country guides would be more detailed. Also, I’m assuming that the comprehensive guide as a much bigger readership than the individual ones, so those few accomodations might very well be booked up. The weight of the individual guides would be greater presumably, but I could donate them to other travelers as I progressed in my trip.

What do you recommend?