Lonely Planet Taiwan

Average customer rating:

Lonely Planet Taiwan
Amateur Effort from Lonely Planet
Must have!
Tons of information, but not enough pictures
An ever useful guide

Lonely Planet Taiwan
Andrew Bender , Julie Grundvig , and Robert Kelly
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Taiwan | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

National Geographic Traveler: Taiwan (National Geographic Traveler)
Culture Shock! Taiwan: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette)
Taiwan Nelles Map (Nelles Maps) (Nelles Maps)
Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau
Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan

ASIN: 174059360X

Book Description

Ilha Formosa, the 'beautiful isle', is a modern society steeped in Chinese heritage, a land of tropical islands and mountain retreats, neon-lit noodle bars and teeming night markets. Whatever you crave - a soak at a hot spring, a temple-hopping itinerary - this is the only guide that puts it all in one book. From the practical to the inspirational, let us connect you with Taiwan.

• BE INSPIRED by itineraries through old Taiwan, new Taipei and the East Coast • ESCAPE to idyllic mountains, tropical islands and coastal strips with our excursion ideas • FEAST LIKE AN EMPEROR - our expert-written Food & Drink chapter is at your service • CROSS THE LANGUAGE BARRIER - with our extensive Language chapter and loads of Chinese script • GET AROUND - with the help of 78 detailed maps

Customer Reviews:

Lonely Planet Taiwan.......2007-06-05

This book was better than the National Geographic Traveler: Taiwan book that I bought for the same trip. A pretty comprehensive guide book that called out most of the important sites, hotels and restaurants. However, I felt the authors could have done a better job of highlighting more of the local eateries and explaining more about the local culture. The book also included maps, which were helpful.

Amateur Effort from Lonely Planet.......2007-04-20

I have a love/ hate relationship with Lonely Planet guides. On one hand I detest the `budget backpackers are holier than thou" attitude which seems to permeate many of the guides' contributions, on the other I am remarkably impressed with their information, maps, attention to detail and notes of interest- hence I continue to reference them. Previous LP guides which I have used and swear by for their usefulness include previous editions of Thailand, Bangkok City guide, Bali & Lombok and India to name a few.

Lonely Planet's Taiwan guide in a word...sucks. There is just too much information lacking from this guide for it to be considered anything near complete. As an example, the section for the city of Kaohsiung ( the second largest city in Taiwan) had all of six (count `em) six entries for hotels- in a major metropolitan city, and one in which I counted at least twice that amount before I even left the train station grounds. Albeit the information that is actually provided is quite sound, the considerable amount of lacking details make this guide not much more useful than maps and guide given out free at Taiwan's Tourist Information centers. In fact, it is surprising just how many times the authors flat out advise you to go to various Tourist info centers to gather required information- rather than write about it themselves. To get an idea of just how spartan this guide is, one only needs to look at the mere size of it. Compare LP's Taiwan with LP's Thailand or Bali (both excellent publications). Then take into consideration the sheer size of the country. LP's Taiwan is about the size of LP's Bali, when it really should be a lot closer the size of LP's Thailand. Recommend you only borrow this one just to orient yourself prior to going, then head straight to the nearest tourist info center for the real scoop.

Must have!.......2007-03-29

I brought both the Lonely Plant and National Geographic Guide to Taiwan. The Lonely Planet book was great! The Chinese characters were great for taxi drivers. There are not a lot a pictures, so the National Geographic Guide came in handy, too! If you are only buying one, the lonely planet guide is esssential.

Tons of information, but not enough pictures.......2007-01-12

I bought both the National Geographic Traveler and Lonely Planet guides for Taiwan before working there for a month. While I was there, I found that National Geographic Traveler was more useful for planning places to go and things to do because it uses in depth highlights of tourist spots to visit and has full color photos and drawings throughout. However, I found that the Lonely Planet guide had more information, both useful and not. It had descriptions, hours of operations, and costs for many destinations that both tourists and residents would frequent. It could be described as an insider's guide of what to do in Taiwan, but the quantity of information was more than the quality. Lonely Planet's few color plates were okay, but not as helpful as those found in the National Geographic Traveler. This made the Lonely Planet harder to decide what to do from the many options provided because the choice was usually only based on a couple of sentences. The maps were better in Lonely Planet, but I ended up using a tourist map when I was in Taipei.
I recommend getting both. I found that I would see interesting photos in National Geographic Traveler and then look up the information in Lonely Planet to decide if it was worth doing or not.

An ever useful guide.......2006-12-02

One of the best guides on Taiwan available in English. It is organized like most Lonely Planet guides with history, geography, and travel information followed by general thoughts on Taiwan then regional information. Anyone visiting the island knows what a complex and bewildering maze Taiwan is. The book does a fine job of making sense of it all. Of course, things change there all the time. On my first visits, private boating was prohibited. Now I believe it is available. Hualien has become much more a tourist center. The MRT has made simple convenient transport in Taipei and the surrounding cities a reality. As such, it is forgiveable if the book is not up to date on everything. Even so, it is often wonderfully effective in pointing out good things to see and places to sleep and eat while picking up on some more obscure matters like the Festival of Lanterns, a kind of fireworks equivalent of the running of the bulls. In some areas, the book seems limited by the interests of the author. Information on shopping in Taipei could certainly be expanded. Clearly no one could provide a perfect guide. Imagine someone having the time and money to explore all the restaurants of note in Taipei. Nevertheless, the book is essential reading for anyone traveling to Taiwan. Additionally there is expanded focus on the scenic east coast with more detailed treatment of the likely visitor's spot of Hualien. The fascinating town of Yingge which has been a pleasure to visit for many years but has been curiously absent from the guide finally gets a writeup.

Average customer rating:

Still A Handy Tool For an Ex-Pat
Love foodcourts?
Lacks even the most essential practical information
May not be as bad as the other reviewers suggest.
Disappointing

Lonely Planet Taiwan
Robert Storey
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Taiwan | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Culture Shock! Taiwan: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette)
National Geographic Traveler: Taiwan (National Geographic Traveler)

ASIN: 1864502118

Book Description

Taiwan - a fascinating island that balances Chinese tradition with new-world technology. Whitewater raft through spectacular mountain scenery, explore old underground military bases, or wander through the world's finest Chinese art museum - this guide has it all. <ul>

over 80 maps featuring Chinese script with English place names, for easier orientation </li>

dos and don'ts, protocols and tips on etiquette for the business and cultural traveller </li>

dozens of detailed and informative listings for the temple aficionado </li>

advice on visiting the island of the Taiwan Strait - blue skies, turquoise seas, great seafood and no mosquitoes </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Still A Handy Tool For an Ex-Pat.......2004-10-05

Although I have been living in Taiwan for nearly 16 months, I still take LP Taiwan Guide along for weekend trips, and even jaunts to nearby cities, regardless of how many times I've visited.

The information is vast, for major urban areas as well as more out of the way locales. Also, the brief Chinese/English dictionary at the end of the book proves an invaluable tool. Even with a rudimentary knowledge of Chinese, simply pointing to Mandrin characters saves time and a lot of headaches.

LP Taiwan is a must for brief vistors as well as long term residents.

Love foodcourts?.......2004-09-29

I have to begin by admitting that I love to hate the tone of some Lonely Planet guides--an edition for Japan from the early 1990s distinguished itself by one of author's disdain for touring Japan!

That being said, Robert Storey's take on Taiwan (where I've been living for the past year or so) is remarkable for its general laziness. Many examples have been noted in other online reviews, but it's worth mentioning some of them again: the overwhelming focus on "ex-pat" hangouts, the author's love of foodcourts located next to train stations, and the compulsive need to mention that we can find McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, and so on in Taiwan's major urban centers.

What's left behind in all this is the astonishing beauty of parts of Taiwan, the compexity of its history and its social formations, and the genuine warmth of its people.

To Lonely Planet: please find someone who actually cares about this place to research and write an edition that Taiwan and its visitors deserve!

Lacks even the most essential practical information.......2004-05-23

Taiwan being one of the few Asian countries I have not yet been to, I bought this book for advance planning.
It has already failed even before leaving home!
When trying to estimate travel costs by looking for long-distance bus fares, I could hardly believe they were not given! In the "Getting There & Away" section after each town/destination, it was merely mentioned that buses do run there (surprise, surprise!), but no information on how long they take and how much they cost.
That is exactly the kind of practical information people usually buy Lonely Planet guides for, and I don't think I have ever seen another LP guide that didn't have them...
The 2 stars were given as it does give information about major sights, but given how poorly-researched the practical information is, I would be surprised if the rest was accurate.
This may just be the worst LP guide of all.

May not be as bad as the other reviewers suggest........2004-01-30

I just spent about 6 days in Taipei, and I brought this book with me. Yes, most of the sights mentioned in the book are pretty tourist oriented, but that may be because there is not much else to see (in Taipei, at least). My relatives, who live in Taipei, laughed when I mentioned some of the sights listed in the book. But when I asked them for other recommendations on what to see, they really didn't have any suggestions. Also, I think the section on conduct and behavior is absolutely dead on. The author isn't exaggerating when he says that there is a long sequence of insisting and refusing when exchanging gifts or doing something of that nature. I have witnessed countless times my parents (who are from Taiwan) and my aunt/uncle argue for literally 10 minutes about who should pay for a dinner bill.

I give the book only four stars, though, because it doesn't really tell you how to get to various places. It wasn't a problem for me, because I had relatives take me to the various sights. But if I had been on my own, then I would have had a lot more difficulty. In addition, it is now 2004, so this book, which was published in 2001, may be starting to get out of date. Looking at older editions of the book, it appears that Lonely Planet Taiwan gets updated only once every 3 years.

Disappointing.......2004-01-14

I never imagined that Lonely Planet Taiwan could be so bad, but it indeed is. For instance, maps in the book are useless, and the Taipei metro direction is unclear and useless. And I cannot understand why the author says " For sth really special you can try Haagen Daz."

I didn;t belive the previous reviews, and now I learned how bad it is.

If you need more information, lots of Taiwanese websites provide very useful information. You can just go to Taiwanese consular office website and find the links.

Lonely Planet: Korea & Taiwan (Lonely Planet Korea: Travel Survival Kit)
Average customer rating:
Lonely Planet: Korea & Taiwan (Lonely Planet Korea: Travel Survival Kit)
Geoff Crowther
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Taiwan | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0908086717

Lonely Planet Books:

Lonely Planet Books

Lonely Planet Books