Reviews (12)

Great Travel Book
This book is a gem!!I love the colorful photographs and the chapter on the history of St. Petersburg.

You can't go wrong with Eyewitness Travel Books!
I typically buy 3 or 4 books for each city I visit and I would have to say Eyewitness Travel Books are my favorite... Their list of hotels, resuraunts, clubs and sites are dead-nuts!

St. Petersburg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Beautifully photographed, very easy to follow, informative, great guide for what to do first.When I got home, I could look at the book to mark my photos!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Russia    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel / Russia   

Reviews (9)

Lonely Planet- not with this many package tourists.
"Nobody touches the Lonely Planet for budget travel advice," states the back cover of this book.
Great to read but difficult to do so due toVERY SMALL print.
I really like the Lonely Planet guides, and this one is very good regarding the amount of information it contains. My main complaint is the size of the type. Not only is it very small and difficult to read even with glasses on, but the paper is very thin so the words from the reverse page show through. I'd rather pay a couple of extra dollars and have higher quality paper. I also agree with other reviewers who felt that the Indonesia chapter could easily be eliminated, partly because it is difficult to due justice to that widespread country in a chapter.

typical shoestring guide
This guide is really good value, although you notice easily that it covers a lot of countries. South East Asia is big, the book is limited in size and therefore detail is missing. I bought seperate guides for Laos and Cambodia and this benifited my trip greatly.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Asia, Southeastern    3. Guidebooks    4. Special Interest - Ecotourism    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. South East Asia    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

Great Guide book to South America
This is a great guide book for South America.I was looking at many of them, and thought this was the most useful for how to get around, different levels of accomodations in case you wanted high end, mid or budget...really gives you a good sense.I looked at Lonely Planet, which I normally like, but feel the South America book was lacking.I also looked at Footprint for Peru and Ecaudor...but those were hard to follow for the price ranges of hotels as they use a lettering system.I have used Frommers in the past and will continue to do so for future trips as it gives you a balanced approach and extra tips on where you may want to spend more money for the location or safety. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. South America    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / South America   

Reviews (8)

Good overall guidebook...
I found this book to be extremely helpful in covering all the bases of transport, taxes, tipping, typical business hours, history, background, and a good overview of what's where, and how to get there.Often times, we'd have questions about things like poverty level, health coverage, average income, quality of water -- and found that the guide pretty much answered all of those, and more.
Great Guide!
This was the first time I bought a travel book from Lonely Planet.I loved it because it provides a historical as well as a modern background on the cities being visited.The recommendations for dinner, site-seeting, etc were great!The only thing I would've added is a rating of the top sites to see if you are only in the city for a short time.

Injustice!
This LP guide is a pretty good guide to HK and Macau. Being a foodie, I think their food guide section does not do HK's gastronomical scene justice! Beautiful food galore on the islands and LP can't even manage to cover half of that wonder. Oh well ;) Otherwise, it is quite a comprehensive guide to what's there to see around HK and Macau. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Reference - Guides (General)    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Hong Kong    6. Macao    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (11)

Eyewitness Travel Guide Vienna (2003)
Rugged bound handbook for touring Vienna. Outside cover is plastic coated card stock, doesn't soak up water when lying on the lunch table, easily cleaned. Glossy paper throughout its 288 information packed pages: a district map on inside front cover and public transport map on the inside back cover.
As rich as a piece of Viennese cake
The Eyewitness DK guides are beautiful books in their own right--you would enjoy reading them even if you didn't make the trip. The text is well organized and extensively illustrated with artwork and 3-D pictures of the major tourist attractions. The directions are excellent and they direct you to the important things to see at each location.
Excellent reference material to plan your Viennese vacation
There are two kinds of travel guides, and both are useful: those guides that help you to plan your trip, and those to carry in your shirt pocket when the shoes hit the pavement.This Eyewitness Travel Guide is one of the best, if not the best, guidebook to use for planning your Vienna trip before you go.There is a tremendous amount of material, so the book uses small fonts and thin glossy paper; still, it has quite a bit of heft and may not be convenient to carry in your shirt pocket (and if you think this is thick, you should see the China guidebook).But I read about a lot of attractions here that I couldn't find in other reputable publications, and found more details in DK.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Austria    2. Guidebooks    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Vienna (Austria)    7. Travel / Europe / Austria   

Reviews (1)

Diana
This book has everything you need to see Southern Africa.
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Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Southern Africa    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Editorial Review

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive, engrossing, and just plain fun-to-read guidebook than the Read more

Reviews (18)

Best Planning Guides I have used
We have traveled to France the past 3 years and are in the process of planning the 4th at this writing. As always (since discovering these guides)I started with this guide to determine which part of France we will visit and the potential route. I also own the guides to Paris, Loire Valley and Provence. The Green Guides offer much more detail but are infuriatingly arranged in alphabetical order. Eyewitness guides are arranged by area and include some theme tours (wine,cheese,troglodyte, etc)This and the beautiful pictures make planning a joy. I just wish they published an area guide for Southwest France, where we are headed in 2003!!

Great Travel Guide, Beautiful Coffee Table Book!
. A great handbook
We found this book to be compact and yet so complete with information and details about Paris and the rest of France.We used it much more than any other books we'd taken with us. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. France    3. Guidebooks    4. HotelsInnsetc.    5. Reference - Guides (General)    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Travel Guides    9. Travel / Europe / France   

Reviews (5)

Missing coordinates
Yes, LPK is fine source. But there are lot of people (including me) using GPS. And we miss coordinates & waypoints.

Lonely Planet guide to Kenya
Lonely Planet giudes are in general great.The guide to Kenya is no exception.The guide not only gives you a great deal of information about where to go and what to see but also lets you learn about the country before you get there.They also describe the country in an interesting and easy to read style.A little knowledge goes a long way when traveling and this guide is filled with useful information.

This is THE travel guide for Kenya
I was simply stunned by the number of detailed maps in this book.The amount of information for each region of Kenya is outstanding and well done.If you need to know it - it's in this book.Hotels, restaurants,parks, reserves, tribes, Swahili it's all here.Very nicely organized. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Kenya    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. Travel Guides - U.S.    4. United States - New England - Massachusetts    5. United States - Northeast - New England (General)    6. Massachusetts    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / United States / Northeast / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)   

Editorial Review

Mexico is a heady sort of place; it inundates you with sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations. A dry text, no matter how informative, just doesn't do justice to Mexico's allure. DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide series, on the other hand, does. Sure, it provides the necessary data points. The "Travelers' Needs" section contains 168 recommended hotel options and another 168 restaurants--as well as a beautifully illustrated guide to the foods of Mexico. And there are pages of practical information on visas, health precautions, time zones, electricity, taxis, security, banking, communications, and the like.Read more

Reviews (7)

The best I've seen
I've been to Mexico twice, and I'm in love with it. I was planning a special short trip on Easter week this year, but because of personal reasons I couldn't go. In my frustration, I went to the book store and looked at every guide about Mexico, and to my surprise, this was the most complete. The rest were just text. I bought it inmediately, and while I read it I traveled without leaving home. The most importante feature is the abundance of pictures. Great Travel Guide, Beautiful Coffee Table Book!
. A work of art that fails to inspire
If you want the definitive picture guide ot the wonderful archaeological sights of Mexico, then this book is it.All the major cities are covered in spendid colour - as is Mexico city.The eidtors have done a wonderful job in bringing the highlights alive.When you open the pictures pages you will really want to see the real thing up close. Read more

Subjects:  1. Mexico    2. Travel    3. Travel - United States    4. Travel / Mexico   

Reviews (5)

Best of Travelguides
My family used Frommer's Ireland 12th Ed. extensively before, during ,and after our trip to Ireland in July of 2002. The first two chapters Best of..., and Planning your Trip... were worth the purchase price alone. All of the Best of tips we followed were excellent choices. Frommer's Ireland, 12th ed.
My wife and I traveled around Ireland for two weeks this summer, and Frommer's Ireland was an amazingly helpful tool. Hurray for Frommer's!!
I planned a trip to Ireland for my Mother, 4 sisters and Myself.Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Ireland    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Ireland    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Europe / Ireland   

Reviews (6)

Egyptian-Arabic This Book is a Must !!!!
This book is outstanding! It gives you everything that you will need. One thing I would advise is to couple it with something audible because the Egyptian language is very particular in pronunciations. Most of their vowel sounds are quite a bit different from English. Just one slip of the tongue and you could be saying "I want to go to the bathroom" or "I want to eat pigeon"
Don't Go To Egypt Without This!!!!
I love this book!!! When in Egypt this June, I used it to my heart's content. Thanks to this book, I have learned very much in speaking the Arabic language. Being a student of Arabic, I found this small phrasebook even more efficient in teaching me than my textbook from school! It is simply awesome. Although the grammar could have been talked about more, I found this book a life-saver in many situations while being in North Africa. This book will teach you pronunciation, the Arabic alphabet, numbers, and thousands of useful phrases whilst in Egypt. The best Arabic-learning tool out there!

Excellent Arabic Phrasebook!
This is one of the most thorough, and easy to use Arabic phrasebooks I have ever used. Covers traveler's issues (tickets, directions, hotels, etc), but also includes food/eating, health/emergencies, entertainment, general conversation, and other everyday topics as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone who will be visiting or living in Arabic-speaking parts of the world. Great for students of Arabic as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Multi-Language Phrasebooks    5. Travel    6. Egyptian    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Reviews (13)

Great resource
This had all that you would want or need out of a guidebook--helpful maps, ideas and descriptions, etc. A bit outdated, but that is to be expected with a country that is changing as quickly as Cambodia.

5th edition not updated as it should be
So I thought that investing in the most recent edition of this book would behoove me, but upon looking up one of the "author's picks," for lodging, I discover that he and Lonely Planet have not updated the book for the hotel's *price.*This is really important to me, as I work in non-profit and can't afford expensive digs when travelling.
Great Guide
I love this book.I was able to find out lots of new things in the book that I couldn't find in others.My parent went to visit Cambodia and I gave them this Lonely Planet Cambodia book.They were able to find great accommodations and good restaurants.I love the tips and quick facts in the book.I learn lots of new things I didn't know before.After going through the book, I felt that the author really love the country and knew things that only Cambodian natives would know. I can't wait until I get to visit Cambodia and experience all the places in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Cambodia    3. Guidebooks    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. North America    2. Reference - Cruise Guides    3. Special Interest - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - General    6. Travel Guides    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / North America   

Reviews (12)

Terrible book and terrible trip
This book is bad. REALLY BAD. We spent countless precious vacation hours being lost because the directions in this book for restaurants and bars, etc. were either terrible, nonexistent, or the place did not exist altogether.
The best book in the world for Japan bound tourists.
Hello I just want to say that I can not belive all the info about Japan that is in this book. Granted It can't have it all no book does. But that's only because gernalists are lazy ha ha ha! This book has Busniss names, Addresses, Phone numbers, International calling codes, Maps, Also the avrage costs of common items your likely to buy. It has places to visit that arn't tourists traps! And if they are a tourist trap it says so. It even has a list of words in the back of the book in Japanese to learn to help you get around. For example, Where is a hospital? and How much does this cost? and Do you have any rooms availible? and much more. I can say I realy enjoy this book. Personally I have never been to Japan. But I will be a much more confadent tourist when I go now that I have this book.

Very solid guide, great maps and in-depth info
We recently returned from a 2-week trip to Tokyo and this was the guide we took with us on our trip. We had originally planned to venture outside Tokyo but due to some unforseen circumstances we ended up staying in Tokyo the entire time. So, although I think we would have been better off with Frommer's Tokyo-only guide this was a solid guide and served us well on our trip.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Guidebooks    3. Japan    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / Asia / Japan   

Reviews (5)

Scotland ~~ Eyewitness Travel Guides
As always, this Eyewitness guide provides lots of beautiful pictures and basic information. If you just want to preview the country before visiting it's great. If you are going on your own, I'd suggest a guide with more detailed information.

The best one book for planning a vacation to Scotland
The DK Eyewitness Guide to Scotland is a superb one book resource for planning a vacation in Scotland.DK's combination of pictures, maps, facts, and commentary allow the visitor to find not only the major tourist attractions but also the places and events off the beaten path that are often even more worthwhile.The Eyewitness guide includes a nice history of Scotland as well as practical information on travel, custons, money, safety, and climate, as well as tips on food and uniquely Scottish souvenirs. The cut-away sketches and diagrams of castles and historical sites increase the visitor's appreciation of the place.The guide provides some useful tips on places to hike.This reviewer and his wife found this guide, supplemented by local roadmaps, entirely adequate to plan and enjoy two weeks in the Scottish Highlands.This guide is highly recommended to the traveler planning a vacation in Scotland.
Excellent overview
Fantastic book if you are thinking of visiting Scotland but are not sure which parts of this beautiful country to visit. Maps and drawings are great; cutways of castles and homes very interesting; sections on history and culture excellent. The book divides Scotland into geographical regions, describing the climate and terrain of each, the highlights of the area, sites to see; even walking or touring maps to follow.Perfect for an overview of the country as a whole, and if you are planning to travel there, use this book to narrow down the parts of the country you want to visit and then get more specific information on them.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. Europe - Gt. Britain/Scotland    3. Guidebooks    4. Scotland    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel / Europe / Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. France    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Europe / France   

Subjects:  1. Asia - India    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. India    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (6)

Pretty pictures, no details -- maybe good for riding a tour bus.
This book looks impressive, but when I tried to get down to details of actually traveling in Portugal, they just weren't there.
Everything You Need and More
I have just returned from a 10 day trip to Portugal during which this travel guide was a valuable companion.The layout of the book is easy to use and it is chocked full of extra information on wine regions, the making of port, cork and regional food.While I did not use the guide to select hotels, it was great for information at the various stops.Highly recommended!

Great Book!
I have to say, eyewitness travel books are definately the best travel books there are. They provide many pictures, and explain the history of places in portugal. This book gives a brief overview of everything, you do not have to read big lengthy travel books to find out about a place. The pictures are very helpful, and they allow get a glimpse of what you are going to see, if you deciede to go there. Although, if you want a very extensive travel book, I would suggest something other than this book, lonely planet has some good travel books. Overall, really good, and the sites in Portugal are absolutely beautiful! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Azores    2. Europe - Spain & Portugal    3. General    4. Guidebooks    5. Madeira Islands    6. Portugal    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel / Europe / Spain & Portugal   

Reviews (2)

Probably your best option for now, but . . .
Having just returned from three weeks in China and Taiwan, I can report that the Lonely Planet Guide to Taiwan is generally helpful and reliable, but it's hardly the ideal guide and often is entirely counter-intuitive.For instance, there is a section on p. 31 consiting of five paragraphs on the topic of population.And yet nowhere in that section do the authors tell us what the population of Taiwan actually is.For that bit of information, we have to look at a sidebar on p. 19 entitled "Fast Facts."There seems to be a presumption that the traveller will read through the entire guide from front to back, rather than use the book as a reference guide.Similarly, the maps are less than ideal, and the spare use of color plates does little to provide any real information (color maps of Taipei would have been far more useful).Given that the authors judge the National Palace Museum as a "must-see" (and they're right about that), it would have been nice if they had mentioned that the museum will be undergoing major renovations from 2004-2006 (providing a website address for the museum also would've been helpful).
Star of the Sea
"Taiwan sees a lot of change in one generation. And here, three years is one generation."
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Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Taiwan    5. Travel & holiday guides