Best Travel Guide (book)

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Hey guys, I'm in Spain right now and will be until the end of may, after which I plan to backpack across Europe (particularly Western Europe though I may(?) deviate a bit). Anyways, I am finding myself in sore need of a comprehensive guidebook. The most popular one, I guess, would be Lonely Planet's guide to Western Europe. Is this, in fact, the best or are there those that you think are superior? Thanks.

Primary uses for the guidebook will be for information regarding, of course hostels, transportation, main sights and activities. I don't need one that tells me where the classiest places are though. I need a cost-minimizing type thing. Thanks guys.

 

Well, if you want one thats free, or at least the price of an internet cafe, there is always this brilliant one called SP... Seriously, alot of members here could probably tell you decent places to stay or go in most countries.

 

I don't like travel guides. I prefer to do everything myself.

While planning our European trip, I started with a general idea of where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to see. Using Google Earth in conjunction with Wikipedia was a major help too. Just from planning our trip, I've learned a lot about the places we want to see.

In my planning, one of the most important things I did was leave entire days open to "explore the city" for wherever we are on that day. Locals are going to be key for those days.

 

@Dalveen

oh, no doubt, I will certainly be asking for lots of advice on the boards, but a number of the places I'd really like to see (with the exception of Germany and the Netherlands, though I have made friends in the Netherlands already), Greece and Italy in particular, are not countries that currently active SP'ers are from.

@Kit

I know what you mean and will more or less be doing the same. But I fill that I need the guide, if only so that I can get my bearings with its built in maps. Buying maps in every city I enter doesn't seem practical to me. Also, said guides have good ideas on which hostels, transport, restos and attractions to take/visit and while I can do this on the internet, it will be more convenient if I had these references on hand. After all, I wont always be able to access the internet.

Which countries and cities did you hit (or are planning to?) during your trip? What would you recommend?

At present, I have classes until the end of May. After which, my initial plan is to leave Salamanca (Central Spain) and go Northwest to Santiago de Compostela and work my way inwards through Gijon, Oviedas, Santander, maybe a few more places in Galicia and Asturias, finally ending up in San Sebastian where I plan to join a 1week surf-travel program that will take me to various beaches in Northern Spain and the nearby area of France.

After that, I am unsure how to proceed. I'll probably go up to Groningen in the Netherlands to visit some friends then go south through Germany. I have to work my way down until I hit Greece. Greece is a must for me this trip. Perhaps Turkey as well?

Also, would anyone happen to have any advice regarding the actual cost-minimizing usefulness Eurail (or other brand) passes have?

 

Lonely Planet's guides range from mediocre to utterly useless. I tried using one when I was in Amsterdam some months ago and eventually managed to find my way much more efficiently by just randomly walking around (yes, the guide was that bad).

The only travel guides I actually think are very good are TimeOut. Unfortunately they tend to be made for specific cities rather than countries, and don't cover as many as Lonely Planet's do. They are however much more useful.

 

@Ziad

Do you have any others to recommend? As I wont be restricted to one city or even country, I'll need something thats quite general so I don't really mind if it isn't ultra specific or in-depth. I just need something that knows which buses go where, for how much, which hostels are affordable and good, etc.

 

I just had a look at what you're actually looking for in a guidebook, and I think Lonely Planet's Western Europe could be the best. Mind you, I don't know this particular book, so can't say how good or bad it is. I may have come across a bit harsh about Lonely Planet earlier. If you're looking for a listing of hostels, eateries and sights, then it's not bad. My main issue with it is that its idea of "highly recommended" (restaurant, sight, etc) almost never coincides with mine. The map in the Amsterdam guide was atrocious, but the one in the Edinburgh guide is quite good. If the maps in the Western Europe guide are clear and easy to read, then you'll find it pretty useful for finding your way around and having a list of places to go and sleep in. As for deciding which sights are not to be missed, I would forget about guides and try to find people who have actually been there or, even better, live or lived there.