Lonely Planet Spain

Average customer rating:

Excellent reference
Not Very Helpful
Poorly written
Nada
YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS GUIDE

Lonely Planet Spain
Damien Simonis
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rick Steves' Spain 2006 (Rick Steves)
Spain (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

ASIN: 1741045541

Amazon.com

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

Here is an imagination-fueling guide on how to experience the best Spain has to offer. With lively features on Spanish history; coverage of Spanish Catalan, Basque, and Galician languages; more than 145 maps, including metro maps for Madrid and Barcelona; details on outdoor activities, including national parks; chapters on Madrid and Barcelona; plus hundreds of options for food and accommodations no matter what your budget, you'll be hard-pressed to limit your stay. --Kathryn True

Book Description

Spot a nesting falcon at the top of Barcelona's soaring La Sagrada Familia. Squelch in the warm mud baths by the beaches of the wild and beautiful Illa s'Espalmador. Watch the sun set over the Sierra de Guadarrama then bar-hop the medieval streets of Madrid's La Latina district.

--Ten-page pilgrim's guide to walking the Camino de Santiago. --Seven authors, 59 years of living in Spain, 146 detailed maps. --Incorporates over 300 travellers' tips and suggestions. --The only guide to Spain that also includes coverage of Andorra. --Content updated daily: visit lonelyplanet.com

Customer Reviews:

Excellent reference.......2007-04-18

I am amused by some of the comments made knocking this Lonely Planet Spain publication. Comments such as those indicating that their hotel was not listed show ignorance of the way I think this book is designed and intended. Spain is a large, historic and diverse country and visitors are there for equally diverse reasons. If one can only take one reference publication to cover the country, this is the book to take. I travel to small towns as well as larger metropolitan areas and I am amazed at the coverage provided in the text. Do I stay at their recommended hotels all the time? No, but I always check them out on-line before leaving home and some of them are the best I can find. Do I end up in places that do not appear in other guides? All the time and this book has never let me down.
I find the book to to be well written and researched as is the Lonely Planet Italy by the same author. (For a really lame publication I'll refer you to Lonely Planet Switzerland!)
If you are a Tourist visiting only large cities and magnet tourist spots, then other publications may have added value for you, but if you are a Traveler seeking out of the way venues in addition to the normal sights, then this is an excellent reference! . . . ignore the other whining commentators.

Not Very Helpful.......2007-01-12

I found most of the information in the book confusing to use and not updated information. Never did find any information on the hotel we ended up staying in. I did not get a good feel for the city using the information provided. I was hopeing for more information to make my trip a more affordable vacation. Overall, I got more information off the Internet just searching.

Poorly written.......2006-05-22

This was our only reference guide to 6 weeks in Spain. We tried to use it for Hotels and buses and trains and all of the things a traveller would need to know. Instead of useful information, we were assaulted with so many adjectives and adverbs that bordered on stupidity, we almost threw the book away. It does contain some information of value if you can get passed all of the pompous verbiage. We did use the book for some things, but important information could be a great substitution for many adverbs and adjectives.

Nada.......2006-03-01

This volume is so thick and so heavy that when it arrived, I couldn't wait to dig and delve into it for my upcoming trip to Spain. Our accomodation and flight plans already made, I was most interested in details about the Northern provinces we'll be driving around. Lonely Planet Spain does not seem to contain any details that don't have to do with hotels/hostels, restaurants, or public transport, or other practical topics. We were more interested in soaking up the flavors, the ambience, and the culture of the country and its people, its customs and traditions, its arts and its music. Guess it's just as well, as this tome would probably throw our luggage over the airline's weight limits.
We'll be returning to and sticking with the good old Blue Book and Insight Guides.

YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS GUIDE.......2005-11-23

I've purchased and relied on several Lonely Planet Guides. Unlike the other guides, the Lonely Planet Guide to Spain was not useful or helpful. Although I travelled to Spain in 2005, the 2005 edition's information concerning prices for lodgings, food, transportation and attractions was already out of date. One wonders when it was last updated. Moreover, the book is bulky and poorly organized, making it difficult to pinpoint information. Finally, information concerning secondary cities and towns is impressionistic at best. The Lonely Planet Guide to Spain was a disappointment, poor value and--most importantly--a poor guide to Spain.

Average customer rating:

Lonely Planet Portugal
Excellent guide for the adventurous traveler

Lonely Planet Portugal
Regis St. Louis
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Rough Guide to Portugal 12 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

ASIN: 1740599187

Book Description

Hang on tight as tram 28 rattles you up to Lisbon's Castelo de Sao Jorge, p. 105. Step back in history as you enter Braganca's astonishingly well-preserved 13th-century citadel, p. 444. Savour the world's best port amid the terraced vineyards of tiny Pinhao, p. 389. Feel the rush as you scramble to your feet on a surfboard at Baleal beach, p. 272. Two authors, over 1000 hours of on-the-ground research, 86 detailed maps. Six-page Outdoors chapter covers everything from horse riding across the sands to scaling Portugal's highest peak. Don't just take our word for it; see what travellers are saying at lonelyplanet.com

Customer Reviews:

Lonely Planet Portugal.......2007-05-20

We always use Lonely Planet because they tell it like it is---good, bad and ugly !

This latest book on Portugal is no exception.

Wonderful !

Excellent guide for the adventurous traveler.......2007-05-15

This guide excels in the ins and outs of
travel by other than rental car and plush
hotels. The public transportation information
is useful.

Average customer rating:

Useful, detailed map of the city
Best Barcelona Gudie Book Ever
Sound guide to a fanbulous city
Old Information
Attn. Forum Attendees

Lonely Planet Barcelona
Damien Simonis
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lonely Planet Madrid

ASIN: 1740598601

Book Description

Bordered by Mediterranean beaches and packed with beguiling architecture and stunning art, Barcelona is the Catalan capital of cool. Whether you're here for the world-renowned restaurants, funky tapas haunts, lively festivals, or to find your favourites among the traditional bodegas, cocktail lounges and late, late clubs - our insider's take on every aspect of the city is all you need for a smart and stylish stay.

o EXPLORE the backstreets of the most distinctive neighbourhoods with our easy-to-follow walking tours and detailed colour maps <BR>o SHOP IN STYLE with our area-by-area guide to the city's retail treats <BR>o DRINK IT ALL IN - follow our resident author to the hottest nightspots <BR>o SLEEP WELL in hostels by the beach or the hippest boutique hotels <BR>o GET OUT OF TOWN - sip cava in the Pened's, tour medieval Girona or seek out the hidden gems of the Costa Brava

Customer Reviews:

Useful, detailed map of the city.......2007-04-10

This is a nice, detailed map of the main part of Barcelona's city. It has all of the major sites labeled right on the map, and it includes all streets, even the very small ones. It also has a subway map, which is a necessity. It doesn't include much of the outskirts, but that is fine for a map of this size. The plastic covering on the map has come in handy, but it isn't completely sealed, so it did leak in a little water when I used it in the rain. Glad I bought it - I would buy it again!

Best Barcelona Gudie Book Ever.......2007-03-30

My boyfriend and I had three days to spend in Barcelona and I'm so glad we had this book. It was super up-to-date (i.e., warning us ahead of time that the cable cars at Montjuic were under construction and non-operational) and the views on the suggested walking tours -- especially the Modernisme walking tour -- were gorgeous.

Most importantly, the eating guide within was very helpful.

Sound guide to a fanbulous city.......2007-02-11

I went to Barcelona recently, and in the planning of the trip I consulted four guide books:

Lonely Planet's Barcelona City Guide
Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Barcelona and Catalonia
Cadogan Guides Barcelona (Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls)
Time Out Barcelona

All of them were good. I took two with me: Lonely Planet and Eyewitness.
The reasons I chose those two:

LP specialises in listings, which seemed to be more up-to-date and comprehensive than either Time Out or Cadogan, It also had a good Excursions section which helped a couple of times when I travelled beyond the city. I also liked a couple of the walking routes they recommended. Information on matters such as public transport is comprehensive and detailed. I like the chapters on history, architecture and food as well.

I took Eyewitness because it unfailingly has a good quality map, which in my view is LP's downfall. Eyewitness always includes a Street Finder Index which LP does not, and LP often misses out on streets other than the major ones, which can be very frustrating, especially in a city like Barca where there are many alleyways. I never use Eyewitness for hotels - the information is scant and usually more expensive than my (more Lonely Planet) budget, but it has fantastic colour photos and cutaways of buildings, and illustrations which place buildings within their streetscapes. It's a nice book to read on the bus or train going somewhere.

Time Out's great strength was in helping to plan. It had a huge array of hotels, and if you were especially interested in nightlife, I would take Time Out. I was there primarily for a conference, and many of my evenings were organised. And I'm also night a great nightclubber, perhaps contrary to Barca lifestyle!! If you are - consider Time Out. Its maps were pretty good, but not comprehensive for the area I was staying in, beachside Barceloneta.

That is where the Cadogan guide excelled. Its maps were so good that I pulled them out of the book and took them with me. I would have taken the whole book, but for the weight in my suitcase! Its info about places and sights seemed accurate and comprehensive.

Old Information.......2006-06-01

We used Lonely Planet guidebooks all over Europe while we were there with our kids for 7 months. This book was the first time Lonely Planet let us down.

The book is organized badly and it was full of bad information. Two of the restaurants that were recommended in the book (both of which sounded as if they had been there forever) were nowhere to be found. In fact, one was a pile of rubble. This was very frustrating when you're hungry and you're dragging four kids around the city looking for a place to eat.

Attn. Forum Attendees.......2004-08-31

I visited Barcelona to attend one of the Forum events scheduled all year long. The Lonely Planet guide was of no help as the Forum was not on the map. The subway stop and the tram were also not on the map. This is a major attraction in Barcelona. Also, Lonely Planet advised that hostales don't take reservations- this is outdated information as I booked my room on line with no problem. My advice to Lonely Planet is: time for a new edition!

Average customer rating:

Helpful
The best thing you can bring with you
Great

Spanish: Lonely Planet Phrasebook
Marta Lopez , and Lonely Planet Phrasebooks
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
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Binding: Paperback

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Lonely Planet Spain
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Lonely Planet Fast Talk Spanish: Essential Language for Short Trips; Sightseeing, Business, Shopping, Sleeping, Transport (Fast Talk Guide)

ASIN: 0864427190

Book Description

This phrasebook makes a great sangria coaster and provides some protection while sunbathing. Opening it reveals a whole world of other possibilities. <ul>

comprehensive two-way dictionary & user-friendly sentence builder </li>

pronunciation for every word </li>

fiestas, flamenco & fútbol: goes beyond the basics into contemporary Spanish culture </li>

Basque, Catalan & Galician sections plus local slang for fun & friendly exchanges </li>

useful culinary dictionary for dining with confidence </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Helpful.......2007-01-12

Bought the book before a vacation in Madrid. It was very useful and well organized. When I needed to look up a phrase, I found the book very easy to use. It gave more information that I needed!

The best thing you can bring with you.......2006-01-21

I bought this book on a whim before traveling to Spain for a summer study abroad trip. It turned out to be one of the most important things I brought with me! Particularly helpful was the food dictionary, which was frequently passed around the table during lunch and dinner (it may save you from ordering baby squids! Unless you're into that sort of thing). It is really a time saver to be able to quickly look up a phrase such as " Do you sell stamps?" instead of studying your spanish dictionary for 20 minutes. I highly recommend that anyone traveling to Spain who is not fluent in spanish take this book with them!

Great.......2005-04-30

I'm studying spanish in college as a prospective major, and am traveling to spain in less than a month. This book has tons of sayings that are very useful. Most of them are everyday expresions that native english speakers would not say very colloquially. It's divided up into different sections for easy access to a certain aspect of conversation. It is aimed at European(Spain)spanish and includes a few pages on Basque, Catalan, and Galician sayings. Great for a quick reference.

Average customer rating:

Pleased so far
Many inaccurate info
new guide is better
um, i thought the guide was pretty good.
How NOT to do Madrid

Lonely Planet Madrid
Anthony Ham , and Sarah Andrews
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1740598598

Book Description

Effortlessly cool yet uncommonly welcoming, Madrid has many faces. Lazy cafÃ© mornings spill over into unhurried lunchtime feasts, while shady park naps reinvigorate you for intoxicating flamenco and late hot nights. Bringing out the unique character of each barrio, from gritty backstreets to exquisite art galleries, this guide will help you weave your way through the plazas, palaces and 3am traffic jams like a true MadrileÃ±o. EXPLORE hidden gems and try tasty tapas treats with our easy-to-follow walking tours GO SHOPPING - find the street that suits your style with our area-by-area guide DRINK DEEPLY at tiled tabernas, swanky designer bars and balmy terraces - follow our resident author to the city's best nightspots DINE OUT using our expert restaurant recommendations SLEEP SOUNDLY at the hottest hostels or boutique palaces - reviews for every taste and budget ESCAPE - high-speed it to CÃ³rdoba, trek into the sierras or step back in time in Toledo

Customer Reviews:

Pleased so far.......2007-01-22

I bought this book recently (the new edition). I have read through it in planning my upcoming trip. Although I have yet to test the accuracy of the information in person, the book strikes me as practical. First, the book is paperback and fairly slender-- so not too bulky or heavy to actually carry around while you're traveling. The second thing that struck me is that it provides maps, including a metro line map. Although the maps may not be the most user friendly with their small print, they'll do fine for the trip planning stage of the trip (I usually get a good city map for navigation once I arrive to my destination city). The sections seem thorough, with an entire chapter on the history of the city. I was pleased with the day trip chapter as well, which lists many options for day trips, how you can get there, what you can do there, and how long it takes to travel there.
As far as the accuracy issue, I have yet to find a guidebook that is completely accurate. That being the case, I view them as one source of information among many and do not rely exclusively on a single guidebook.

Many inaccurate info.......2005-10-13

I have been reading the last 3 editions of Lonely Planet Madrid and it contains tons of innaccurate information over and over.
As in Spain one can not fine a lot of Australian wines, they draw the conclusion that "Spaniards do not take leaps into the unknown"
It is like everytime they make a new edition the stay 2 days in Madrid and take everything of the last edition, fading Madrid's feeling, culture, way of life and thinking.

Photography is also awful but this is just my opinion.

new guide is better.......2004-12-10

Looking at the dates, it seems like the reader reviews for this book are all for the old guide. The new version just came out, and I think it looks and reads a lot better, so maybe it's time to put up some new reader reviews.

um, i thought the guide was pretty good........2004-07-09

I spent 5 days in Madrid last August and found this book to be a useful guide. it will lead you to a good time in madrid, which consists of going to the museums, a bull fight and eating a lot. also, i recommend going to one of the sherry bars mentioned in the book.

How NOT to do Madrid.......2002-02-27

First and foremost, this book states that the Madrid Metro is "safe". This is not true for foreign males! The central part of the Metro (near the art museums and the city center) is rife with pick-pockets. We caught 1 attempt each day, or first 3 days there. The perpetrators were not, as some claim, "South Americans".

Many restaurants listed are gone. All prices in the book are quoted in pisitas, which is annoying now that everything is in Euros.

The maps are barely useful, being rather too small to read street names easily.

Book Description

Fall under the spell of the fabled Alhambra from the terrace of an AlbayzÃn restaurant p376. Hear the contented snuffles of Iberian pigs digging up acorns in the Sierra de Aracena oak woods p171. Watch barmen chalk your bill on the bar top of a Seville tapas haunt p118. Synchronise your finger twist with your foot stamp on a passion-filled flamenco course p111. Over 900 hours of expert author research provides indepth regional knowledge and uncovers hard-to-find gems. Seven-page AndalucÃa Outdoors section covers everything from hiking through forested valleys to kitesurfing. Get insider perspectives - interviews with a host of Andalucians, including villagers, cowboys, flamenco stars and Muslim students. "Lonely Planet's readership now includes everyone from backpackers to well-heeled independent travellers."

Customer Reviews:

Very useful - personal experience.......2006-12-16

I used this book to plan my trip to Andalucia in March 2006. It helped me to budget for the trip, and to plan my iteniary effectively. I went to resturants mentioned in the book in Marbella, Malaga, Granada and Seville and they offered the service I expected. The maps were very helpful and informative.

I highly recommend.

It's very useful........2005-08-20

I'm supposed to spend more than 6months in Andalucia, so I needed more than 'Lonely planet Spain'. The book is great.
The reason I gave 4 stars because it took a little bit longer than I expected, but it wasn't bad for oversea delivery.

Not up to traditional Lonely Planet standards.......2004-04-05

Lonely Planet Andalucia is clearly inferior to Rough Guide Andalucia and below the standards I have come to expect from Lonely Planet. I found repeatedly that the author(s) appear morei interested in cutesy writing style than in incisive fieldwork and allowed their infatuation with their glib comments to gloss over their lack of good travel writing and description. The guides to eating are almost useless. For those who think otherwise, check the section Where to Eat in Seville. For those who make the mistake of buying the book, I suggest you don't even bother with the reviews of eating places.
I decided to leave my Lonely Planet Andalucia in Seville and brought my Rough Guide home with me.
The series editors need to clamp down on the writing style of the individual volumes and force them to write for the traveler,not for themselves.

Concise, organized and comprehensive.......2000-06-05

If you're traveling to Andalucia, Spain this is the book to take along. I reviewed Eyewitness Travel Guide (both Spain and Andalucia), Fodor, Frommer, Cordovon, and others. Lonely Planet has outstanding city maps and lots of them. It has built in "tabs" of the provinces, e..g. Cadiz, Sevilla, city guide maps with numbered legends on food, lodging and sights. The book is jam packed with useful information, things to buy, walking tours, practical information. The Lonely Planet guide has one two page color map, and some scattered color pictures, augmented with frequent and helpful black and white artwork. This book was recommended by a Spanish website.

Comparison to other guide books: The Eyewitness guides had much more color. Some had color photos, some not at all. Cordovon had bigger type, but much less information, and poorer artwork. Both Fodor and Frommer have full size maps with their main book on Spain. If you want an additional map, go with Michelin 446 available at Amazon.com or the more detailed EuroAtlas Spain Portugal by American Map--about 300 pages, including some cities. The Lonely Planet book, comes with a colored map and many supplements. A separate map is an option, not a necessity.

Lonely Planet Canary Islands
Average customer rating:
Lonely Planet Canary Islands
Sally O'Brien , and Sarah Andrews
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Insight Guide Tenerife and Western Canary Islands (Insight Guides)

ASIN: 174059374X

Book Description

Make the great escape! With volcanic landscapes and subtropical forests, sun-drenched beaches and soaring peaks, the Canary Islands are Spain's paradise isles. Whether you want to sip sangria in the heat, make the most of the fiesta atmosphere or roam the islands' rugged terrain, our definitive guide gives you in-depth regional coverage for the perfect getaway.

* UNCOVER ISLAND SECRETS - detailed itineraries and insider tips allow you to discover the best of the islands * MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME - accommodation to suit all budgets, from charming pensiones to palatial paradores * SPICE UP YOUR PALATE - enjoy hearty local gastronomy in the top island restaurants * JOIN IN THE CARNAVAL - party Canarian-style with our comprehensive fiesta listings * FUN IN THE SUN - extensive options for walking, cycling, sailing, swimming, surfing, windsurfing and much more

Average customer rating:

Good, solid guide with occasional florid prose and out of date information

The Best or Second Best Available

Lonely Planet Portugal

Overweight, stale, out of date

great tool, but you'll need a bit more...

Lonely Planet Portugal
Abigail Hole , and Charlotte Beech
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Frommer's Portugal (Frommer's Complete)

ASIN: 174059682X

Amazon.com

You won't miss anything Portugal has to offer with this lively guide at your side. You'll learn where and when to eat, where to stay--from cheap pensões to renovated manor houses, important historical and cultural facts, enough Portuguese to get by, and practical tips ranging from proper attire for visiting a church to suggested itineraries. --Kathryn True

Book Description

Stretch out on endless beaches, savour oak-aged port, party the night away at extraordinary festivals and explore Lisbon's historic backstreets - Portugal's list of attractions is as long as its spectacular coastline. This definitive guide enables you to discover the essence of this perfect holiday destination.

• FIND YOUR WAY around Portugal's array of sights with our inspiring highlights, practical itineraries and easy-to-use maps

• DINE OUT - discerning eating listings for sublime seafood and fine wines, plus dedicated Food & Drink chapter

• STAY IN STYLE - rest your head in the pick of pensoes, homely farmhouses and deluxe pousadas

• ESCAPE - teetering hilltop villages, stunning national parks and secluded beaches laid bare

• BE IN THE KNOW - incisive culture coverage helps you discover the real Portugal

Customer Reviews:

Good, solid guide with occasional florid prose and out of date information.......2007-05-08

I don't expect much from Lonely Planet. Usually, they seem to be written by some sandal wearing reprobate who thinks finding vegetarian food is important. They often skip over interesting historical fact, landmarks, culture and items of artistic merit -to say nothing of local custom and folkways, in order to have enough space to tell you about where the local discos are, and where you can buy more lonely planet books (think about why this is dumb for a minute). Personally, I only buy them because they have good maps in them, and halfway decent (if bizarre) hotel and restaurant recommendations. I also buy them because nobody else really makes serious travel books (I have high hopes for the "Avant Guide" franchise). I'd probably be better off collecting antique Baedekers.

This guide to Portugal was, on the other hand, quite good; well above their average offering. It's out of date in some significant ways. For example, one of the central train stations in Lisbon, Rossio, has been out of service for years; it's somewhat excusable that this is out of date information in the book, but the same thing is on their website, so I have to imagine the next edition will have the same problems. Also, when I went, there were all manner of bizarre ceremonies involving students in robes being tormented by other people; nary a mention in the book. None the less, there were many sights I had never heard of which were mentioned in the book. Many were described as "like out of star wars" by the voluble Miz Hole (or Beach), which pretty much meant: you should really see this. It wasn't a bad description, as Lucas obviously modeled some of his alien looking stuff after Manueline gothic style -just a bit matey for my tastes. There were also a number of excellent "small detail" recommendations for restaurants; a really cool fried chicken restaurant in Porto, run by a midget and a guy who looks like an undertaker -a remarkable hotel in Tomar run by the world's happiest man, Esteve. These sorts of little details made me forgive all the flaws I mentioned above. The details also made me love Portugal. Portugal isn't as dense in history and monuments as Italy, nor is the food as good as in France, but they have a very deep and wonderful culture there. This is quite a good book for getting a flavor for it, and seeing the sights which need seeing.

The Best or Second Best Available.......2006-07-20

There are two strong books on Portugal - my opinion - and the two books are the Eyewitness Travel (DK) guide which I personally prefer or Lonely Planet Portugal. These two books are both approximately 500 pages and both are tremendous efforts. They are well balanced guides with lots of photos, maps, history, etc. Both are clearly 5 star guides.

I would rate both (and DK Eyewitness Travel and Lonely Planet) head and shoulders ahead of Frommers, or Rough Guide or similar books that are less well balanced. Overall, the DK guide has better photos and visuals and makes for a better souvenir so it gets the nod as the better book, but it is a close call.

Portugal is an old country with lots of fun things to see and do. I prefer to Algarve region but also enjoy visiting Lisbon - which can be expensive. Also I like to go well armed with maps and books because unlike the USA or Canada some areas have no English signs so the more information the better.

This book is well balanced and like the DK guide it pulls a lot of things together such as history and culture, food, towns and lots of interesting information on Lisbon. The book brings it all to life with just magnificent photos and maps.

Either case this is an excellent buy. 5 stars.

Lonely Planet Portugal.......2006-03-15

I enjoyed the book Lonely Planet Portugal. I will be taking it along on my upcoming trip and I am sure it will be a great help to have with me. Lot's of great information!

Overweight, stale, out of date.......2004-09-08

I have used the Lonely Planet guides in Asia, the Middle East, and in Europe. Lately, they seem to have lost their way. Originally, the LP guides were for people who had travelled at least a little bit before and needed some pointers to an area. The guides usually had some sort of walking tours in the cities they indicated. Their guides have become filled with useless colour photos of generic scenes, The quirky, fresh information has disappeared -- In the summer of 2004, I used the LP guides for both Portugal and Spain. I was traveling for about three months. I had been in both places before and had used a LP guide. The most recent guides are stale and minimally updated. They are also occassionally misleading; especially concerning food. Sadly, the LP guide to Portugal is not worth the weight that goes along with carrying it.

great tool, but you'll need a bit more..........2003-11-01

i've used LP Portugal on many short trips to portugal (i live in madrid, so going to portugal occurs once in a while)... after purchasing several guidebooks, i have ended up taking LP every time and leave the other guidebooks on the shelf at home... despite this, some caveats are necessary!

the pros: the maps and city plans are substantially better than in the competitors' guidebooks.. lonely planet is one of the few economic travel guidebooks (economic travel, i mean, the book is not economical at all!) that gives you information on at least a few hotels that are not youth hostels, dives or other forms of bottom-barrel accommodation; in other words, they at least give you a few mid-range and expensive options if you wish to go that way... all the essentials are there, with great suggestions on places to sleep, eat and visit

the cons: as with ALL of the backpacker/youth travel guidebooks (LP, footprint, rough guide, let's go), the information on sights/monuments/museums, etc., is SEVERELY lacking... there is just the most basic of information on the history of the sights that you have gone so far to see... which makes it necessary to buy another book, pay an expensive guide or some such thing... (for instance, you will rarely read detailed descriptions of the artwork to be found in a church and are often left wandering about saying 'this is so beautiful, i wonder what it is???...i wish the guidebook would tell me more!') i know this would make the guidebooks huge, but even 50% more information on what you are gawking at would be wonderful so as to have a little bit more of a grip on the backgrouns after flying so far to see it!

Book Description

Tackle the rugged Pyrenees, Picos de Europa or Sierra Nevada, tread history along the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail or sample Spain's diverse natural and cultural beauty, from misty Galicia to Alpujarran Muslim villages. <ul>

142 days of walking, from easy coastal strolls to multiday high-level challenges </li>

detailed route descriptions, including nine new walks </li>

two-colour contour maps for each walk </li>

the lowdown on accommodation, food and transport options </li>

includes Andorra, Mallorca and walks a pebble's throw from the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca </li>

practical tips on buying gear, staying healthy, navigation and safety </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Good resource, but make sure to do fact-checking for hikes!.......2005-11-16

I used this book to plan a loop-hike in Sierra de Grazalema in Andalucia. Luckily, the inn keeper informed us that the book had published the hike in reverse of the intended route, due to some sort of copyright issue.

If we would have followed the book's instructions, we would have had a more difficult hike, and might have gotten lost. The inn keeper said that many hikers have complained of getting lost after following this book, since all the arrows are pointing in the opposite direction, and the cairns aren't necessarily even visible from the route, if you follow the book. Once on the hike, we could see that he was correct. I found Lonely Planet's inclusion of this "backwards route" to be extremely unethical.

But the book is the reason I even ended up on this beautiful hike, and it has a lot of good information. I don't know if there is a better guide available. But I DO recommend verifying/checking your route with someone local and NOT relying solely on the book for planning your route.

Walk Spain until it's Flat.......2005-08-19

This Guide lives up to "Lonely Planets" reputation as a publisher of well researched Travel guides. It's the only guide you really need to "Walk Spain Flat"!

All the basic info is provided, Maps, discriptions,and language in easy to read format {although now that I'm in my 60's the print/font seems smaller??}. For walking Spain the guide is a "must have" piece of equipment.

Great and lightweight.......2003-10-27

I think some of the reviewers' comments below are probably correct but none of them are serious drawbacks. True, the maps in this guide are not EXTREMELY detailed, but if you want a really detailed topographical map, you can always get one. The actual trail descriptions in this book are painstakingly detailed -- it even gets tedious. So if you can't find every tree along your route marked on the maps here, just use your imagination a little and wing it.

"Walking in Spain" describes thirty or so of the best trails in Spain, highlighting trails in Mallorca, the Alpujarras Mountains of Andalusia, the area around Valencia, Castile's Sierra de Gredos and Sierra de Guadarrama, the Spanish Pyrenees, Galicia, and the Cordillera Cantábrica. Hikes vary from longer hauls like the 23-day Pyrenean traverse and the month-long Camino de Santiago to shorter 5- and 6-day hikes and walks you can do in less than a day.

I've used the guide to get some great ideas for an upcoming hiking trip to the Alpujarras Mountains and the Sierra Nevada and have found it extremely useful. It lists numerous places to stay, ranging from 30- and 40-euro "pensiones" to dirt-cheap hikers' "albergues". You're not going to find a list of every single cheap place to crash your head here (if you did, you would have a book twice as big as this one), but you won't find yourself stranded. There's also a bunch of affordable eating places listed in this book.

A plus for hikers who want to tackle all or part of the famous St. James pilgrimage route is that the guide's recommended day-to-day itinerary drops you off at the end of each day in towns where you can get food and water. A chart also shows the distance between each official "albergue" and the next.

This book comes up a little short on cultural information, but you can always take a look at Lonely Planet's general guide to Spain. Recommended. Five stars.

For Camino de Santiago, still excellent info in 37 pages.......2003-10-22

I walked the Camino in 2001, using the 36 pages of the 2nd edition guide, in conjuction with the Confraternity of St. James Camino Frances. I found a large amount of excellent info in the 36 pages, and have been recommending it on our Camino web page ever since. The refugios change so rapidly that you shouldn't rely just on one guide. When I saw the recent negative review from a 2003 pilgrim, I went out and bought the 3rd edition, to see if there were drastic changes. The changes were few, and were all improvements - a list of refugios at the beginning, bolder print on the maps, so they are easier to read, slight rewording of some of the text. The authors of the Camino segment are still Nancy Frey and Jose Placer. Nancy has a PhD from University of California, Berkeley, and has written a well respected book on the Camino: Pilgrim Stories. The two of them own the On Foot In Spain adventure company and personally lead walks on the Camino and other treks in Spain. The history in the Lonely Planet segment is authentic, though necessarily condensed. I stand by my original recommendation. In addition to these 37 pages, get the Confraternity Camino Frances guide, and get either Davies and Cole's guide or John Brierley's guide.

You will find some errors or changes needed in all of these guides, due to conditions changing on the trail, overlooked typos, etc. When you do, help future pilgrims by sending an email to the publication's website so that they can revise the next edition.

Lonely Planet's Worst Offering.......2003-08-14

I am walking the Camino de Santiago now and can only comment on the Lonely Planet in this context. Day after day I become more convinced that Lonely Planet's researchers have never been on the Camino. They make much of the albergues or refugios but all this information is printed on the back of pilgrims' credencial (price one euro not 25 cents as LP claim). All of the other places where one might stay are hardly mentioned if at all. Punte Reina is described as a one street village, absolutely wrong! The trail leaving the same town is totally mis-described and all the trail mythology plagiarised from other sources takes up space that might be given over to hard facts. Distances are frequently misleading because of sloppy language. A typical example, is something like ¨"start from the crossroads, you'll pass x, y and z and continue for 5 kms to reach a crossroads¨." So where does the 5 kms start, at the crossroads or is it x,y and z? Whichever you choose you'll be wrong, there's no consistency. It happens time after time. An iron bridge near Estella is described as wooden. All small errors you may say but it just piles up day after day. Do not waste money on this useless book. What you need to know is what awaits you at the end of each day when you struugle into the next place after 20 or 30 kms only to read more vague errors from this.

Average customer rating:

Lisbon is easy and wonderful, even more so with this book

Lonely Planet Lisbon
Julia Wilkinson , and David Sandhu
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1864501278

Book Description

This savvy guide to one of Europe's most vibrant cities will lead you through ancient Alfama, Art Deco cafes and Manueline monuments by day and into the country's hippest dance and music clubs by night. <ul>

detailed information on where to stay, from budget pensões to luxurious palaces </li>

insider's tips for finding the city's finest rhythms, from fado to techno, salsa to folk </li>

comprehensive coverage of the city's best eating, dining and clubbing venues </li>

useful guide to Portuguese food, wine and language </li>

14 maps, including the new entertainment complex of Pargue das Nações </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Lisbon is easy and wonderful, even more so with this book.......2002-07-31

I have been spending prolonger periods of time in Lisbon, and thought I felt a 'local' there. I thought I knew all of it - its unique Old City and other sights to see, the places to hang out, things to do. I would have never thought that I would need a guidebook. In fact, Lisbon is a very easy and relatively inexpensive city to get around (unlike chaotic Rome, ... London, or confusing Asian cities). It is a wonderful place, which I thought I could fully enjoyn without the help of any guidebook. Yet, even for someone like me who knows the place and speaks the language, this Lonely Planet guidebook proved extremely useful. It is indeed one of the best LP books I have ever used - extremely well-written, entertaiting, easy-to-use, and filled with precious information. I thought I had seen all the beautiful sites, but this guidebook led me to even more places which I would have not otherwise found: to beautiful coast resorts just outside the city, Estoril just on her outskirts, etc. - with full advice on places to visit, to eat, etc. I thought that I knew what to do at night (it's not hard to find night life in Libson), but this guidebook opened my eyes even more to the wonderful life of the city after dark: the less-known discos and cafés with live music from São Tomé e Principe or Cabo Verde, the Angolan and Mozambican restaurants, etc. Also, I had been unable to find more 'formal' places for business lunches, and this book has that also ! All this is, without mentioning the excellent coverage on the city's history, art, architecture - an excellent guide indeed to her museums, churches and other sites. So, even if you do feel confident, don't go to Lisbon without it - you might be missing something you would not otherwise find.

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