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Product Description
Product Description
Presents a travel guide to twenty five destinations in China which the authors have designated as the most memorable places to visit, with information on accommodations, transportation, restaurants, events, and landmarks.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The basic information is fine but the layout that Lonely Planets use now is not the easiest to work round. The main trouble for me is that it is style over content. The pages of 'highlights' and then more pages saying what the highlight is for each section means there is less detail when you get to the section dealing with any particular area. Too flash for its own good. Now having to buy another guide to get the kind of info I really want. Lonely Planets used to be so good. I am disappointed with their shorter guides like this one.
Format:Kindle Edition
I am sure the book is great but I bought it as an e-book.
That was a mistake because it is not easy to "dip" into, as one requires with a guide book.
That was a mistake because it is not easy to "dip" into, as one requires with a guide book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
31 reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
good guidebook for shorter vacations in China
29 Sep 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Lonely Planet now has 2 different guidebooks for China: "Lonely Planet China" (now in its 12th edition and over 1000 pages long) and this new "Lonely Planet Discover China" (first edition and only 448 pages).
The "Lonely Planet Discover" book is obviously aimed directly at the kind of traveler that has been buying the DK Eyewitness travel books. It is printed on glossy paper with lots of color photos. This book is full of lists to help you find the best or most popular attractions in the country. In fact, the very first chapter of the book is titled "China's Top 25 Experiences". If your time in country is limited and you may never come back, this type of organization will help you make the most of your time.
On the other hand, the plentiful photos and much fewer pages means that the "Discover" book covers much less material than the regular Lonely Planet China book. Missing are the off-the-beaten path towns and historical sites that backpacker travelers crave. Also missing are the long lists of accommodations and restaurants that are very valuable to independent travelers (though you can find a lot of that on the internet these days). In fact, some whole regions of China are missing. The provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan are growing in popularity among tourists, but get only a couple of pages each in the book. Tibet is mentioned nowhere in the book, nor are most of the western and northern parts of the country.
This "Discover" book is great for people going on packaged tours that are only hitting the highlights anyway and have most or all of their hotels and meals taken care of by the tour. Independent travelers may be better off with the regular Lonely Planet book because of the much broader coverage and greater detail.
The "Lonely Planet Discover" book is obviously aimed directly at the kind of traveler that has been buying the DK Eyewitness travel books. It is printed on glossy paper with lots of color photos. This book is full of lists to help you find the best or most popular attractions in the country. In fact, the very first chapter of the book is titled "China's Top 25 Experiences". If your time in country is limited and you may never come back, this type of organization will help you make the most of your time.
On the other hand, the plentiful photos and much fewer pages means that the "Discover" book covers much less material than the regular Lonely Planet China book. Missing are the off-the-beaten path towns and historical sites that backpacker travelers crave. Also missing are the long lists of accommodations and restaurants that are very valuable to independent travelers (though you can find a lot of that on the internet these days). In fact, some whole regions of China are missing. The provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan are growing in popularity among tourists, but get only a couple of pages each in the book. Tibet is mentioned nowhere in the book, nor are most of the western and northern parts of the country.
This "Discover" book is great for people going on packaged tours that are only hitting the highlights anyway and have most or all of their hotels and meals taken care of by the tour. Independent travelers may be better off with the regular Lonely Planet book because of the much broader coverage and greater detail.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Useful guide packed with up-to-date info
10 Nov 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Lonely Planet's travel guide for China is easy to use and offers information in both English and Chinese so it's easy for the reader to ask a local for help by simply pointing to the info. (Whether you'll understand the answer, is another question.) What I really like about this guide is it's much easier to read -- and hence use on a trip -- than other travel guides. The font is easy on the eye, the writing is easy on the mind, and the pictures are relevant. It does not overwhelm you with packed text like so many other travel guides.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A Bit Superficial for China
9 Oct 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
A rather slim text for such a large country. The descriptions of the various locales are VERY limited. The size of the book only allows for (what reads like) tiny excerpts from much larger texts. The descriptions of Hong Kong along are tiny, with one good recommendation - visit the Museum of Hong Kong. But, Hong Kong is packed with interesting activities, this book will not help you there. There is just not enough information to allow for any reasonable visit to such an overwhelming country.
For China, you will be better-served by using several different guides. Plus, a history of China is highly recommended. A book about each city that you will visit is recommended. A single book for each city will still be inadequate, but will prove far more helpful than this book from Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet is generally a sound source for travel guides. But, with this book, they "bit-off more than they could chew".
* I gave 3 stars for the nice photography, and the fact that it does contain some useful information. Lonely Planet is trying hard with this book. But, it is simply not possible to encompass China in one small book.
For China, you will be better-served by using several different guides. Plus, a history of China is highly recommended. A book about each city that you will visit is recommended. A single book for each city will still be inadequate, but will prove far more helpful than this book from Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet is generally a sound source for travel guides. But, with this book, they "bit-off more than they could chew".
* I gave 3 stars for the nice photography, and the fact that it does contain some useful information. Lonely Planet is trying hard with this book. But, it is simply not possible to encompass China in one small book.
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