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Product Description
Review
Sherman's Travel, April 2007
'...Encounter guides...discreet in size, but generous enough on page count to provide a fuller city experience minus the hefty guidebook load.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'...Encounter guides...discreet in size, but generous enough on page count to provide a fuller city experience minus the hefty guidebook load.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Lonely Planet Istanbul
Gaze in awe at the soaring dome of Aya Sofya
Submit to the mitten in a historic "hammam"
Sip a cocktail and watch the sunset from a rooftop bar
Eat like a Turk in a traditional "mayhane"
In This Guide:
One expert author, 500 hours of research, over 350 places recommended
Special color section on the city's architecture and full coverage of Bosphorus ferry trips
Locals give the inside story on the city's culture, fashion and contemporary art
Gaze in awe at the soaring dome of Aya Sofya
Submit to the mitten in a historic "hammam"
Sip a cocktail and watch the sunset from a rooftop bar
Eat like a Turk in a traditional "mayhane"
In This Guide:
One expert author, 500 hours of research, over 350 places recommended
Special color section on the city's architecture and full coverage of Bosphorus ferry trips
Locals give the inside story on the city's culture, fashion and contemporary art
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is an excellent and pretty definitive travel guide for getting to grips with Istanbul. I had previously always relied on Rough Guides, but in this case only the Lonely Planet Guide was available. Having relied on this book for the best part of a week, I will consider switching alleigance for future expeditions!
All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.
One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.
Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.
All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.
One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.
Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love Istanbul, having lived there in the early 1990s. In 2005 I made my first return visit since then, and although I feel confident I know the city well, much has changed. This guide contained information which locals I stayed with weren't aware of, particularly public transport info.
My main criticism of LP books is that the maps are pretty useless, and this is once again the case. You really need to get a separate map f you are going to venture beyond the really well trodden path. (There are a couple of bookshops on Istiklal Cadessi that sell good maps).
I found the tone of the book suited me - it is enthusiastic about an amazing city, and the author certainly knows the place well. I don;t usually follow guide book suggestions for places to eat, preferring to discover those on my own. I am gald I allowed Maxwell to lead me to a couple of cafes and bars, however, as they were excellent.
(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)
I recommend this book for both the novice and experienced traveller to the city (which I don't with all LP City Guides - some, like Paris, I think reather too basic for the experienced visitor to that city).
My main criticism of LP books is that the maps are pretty useless, and this is once again the case. You really need to get a separate map f you are going to venture beyond the really well trodden path. (There are a couple of bookshops on Istiklal Cadessi that sell good maps).
I found the tone of the book suited me - it is enthusiastic about an amazing city, and the author certainly knows the place well. I don;t usually follow guide book suggestions for places to eat, preferring to discover those on my own. I am gald I allowed Maxwell to lead me to a couple of cafes and bars, however, as they were excellent.
(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)
I recommend this book for both the novice and experienced traveller to the city (which I don't with all LP City Guides - some, like Paris, I think reather too basic for the experienced visitor to that city).
41 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In my experience, seasoned travellers fall into one of two camps - Lonely Planet fans and Rough Guide fans. Okay, seasoned travellers don't even bother with a guide book, but you get my point. I'm a big Rough Guides fan but unfortunately they don't have a guide to Istanbul, but I'd found LP's Pocket Guide to New York City really good so I took my chances with this far more detailed tome for my recent visit to Turkey.
It has almost everything you need in it for an enjoyable stay but the layout, and some of the content, left a lot to be desired. It starts with a series of introductory chapters talking about all the exciting aspects of Istanbul life as well as a very poorly written section on the city's history, before moving on to discuss the different areas of Istanbul, and detailing all the main tourist hot spots (may I recommend the Basilica Cistern), followed by a list of things to do - eating, drinking, entertainment etc. At the back there's a series of maps for all the areas discussed in the book - while basic, they usually sufficed, although I still got lost on every trip I made to Beyoglu and, despite being printed in 2005, are already out of date with regards to the tram routes.
However, due to this design - intros then details - you lost all context and the facts were broken up. For instance, there's an introductory chapter on food and drink that discusses the types of restaurant you should expect to find (mehaynes, lokantas, pideci, etc.). One hundred pages later it begins reviewing restaurants, referring to the style of restaurant, sending you scurrying back through the pages to find out what it's talking about. Bad design - the introductory chapters don't serve a sensible purpose because, by the time you've bought the book, you've already planned to go there.
The facts about the tourist attractions are concise and accurate, but could have done with some historical context/perspective (probably to be found in the earlier chapters). The same applies to the Walking Tours chapter: there are six tours through particular areas, sometimes with a theme (Ottoman, Byzantine). Would a short opening paragraph explaining the significance of the area/architecture have been too much to ask for? It also had several day-long exursions although I ran out of time for these.
However, the worst thing for me, travelling alone and in the off-season, was any mention, as far as I could see, of the issues of travelling alone and out of season. This is a terrible omission. Lone travellers are prey to the touts who prowl the city and sites and in the off season touts are especially desperate/aggressive. It could also have mentioned that, in the winter months, sellers will offer you ridiculously cheap prices to make you their first sale as they believe this will bring them good luck. I'm not kidding here: one store keeper was so desperate to sell he cut his price from €120 to €10!
So, it has the basic content right but the basic design wrong. Unfortunately, it seems to be the most detailed guide on the market.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Istanbul disencounter
I've always been and am a big fan of LP travel guides.
This was my first Encounter... Never again... Useless.. No important information at all in so may pages.. Read more
This was my first Encounter... Never again... Useless.. No important information at all in so may pages.. Read more
Published 6 months ago by RG
out of date and with almost universillay bad restaurant...
It makes it a bit difficult when you no longer trust your guide book. A lot of the information on transport - ferries and trams and such - is really out of date. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. Alaa Owaineh
Another bbok
I don't wish to write a review for this book either but I still can't see how to get off thnis page without putting something down.
Published 7 months ago by Mr. Geoffrey R. Cram
Kindle edition very disappointing
This Kindle version is not a success. Much more work is required to adapt the maps to the electronic version - maps are one of the main reasons to buy Lonely Planet or Rough Guide... Read more
Published 8 months ago by paulbru
useful practical information but not much more
For the serious visitor to Istanbul, this book is useful only for the practical information it provides and for its maps; for those wanting more, it has to be used in combination... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Saba Risaluddin
Poor guide
I wouldn't recommend this guide, I bought it accidentally while I was in a hurry and thought I was getting the Rough Guide for Istanbul instead. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bunny
A good background for my trip
I have a four day visit to Istanbul planned and the guide has given us good background on getting around to see the sights. Now look forward to the actual visit...
Published 11 months ago by Paul Green
Good Small Travel Book
For its size, this was a very good guide to Istanbul. You'll probably want to supplement it with a more in depth book for guides of the Hagia Sofia and Topokai etc, but this was... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Traveler 1357
good buy
I used this guide very much and it was very helpful for those who have already visited Istanbul and have seen the " high light" monuments of the city ( AG. Sofia etc. Read more
Published 13 months ago by A. Bank
A useful, up to date guide
I have just come back from Istanbul and this guide was a constant companion. The information is as up to date as a guide book can be, allowing for publication dates, and most of... Read more
Published 15 months ago by everton500
Listmania!
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