Customer Reviews

Essential Portugal (Aaa Essential Portugal)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Words don't do this book justice. A long time lover of Lonely Planet guides, I was attracted to the nice pictures of this Eyewitness guide :-) And it's actually the pictures that make this book so great. The graphics have an appeal that just make you want to keep on reading it. It gives you good visual points of reference to find your way around. It helps you prioritize your trip based on more than the writer's prose. There is plenty of detail, more emphasizing the places to see and things to do than details like hotels and restaurants. After saying that, please note that the restaurant guide at the back of the book recomends 5-6 places in each location, and I have yet to be dissapointed by any of the places. After my travels, this book be a prize on my bookshelf. I will definately try buy the Italian edition in preparation for my Italian trip.

When I returned from my magical trip to Portugal, I searched for a book that could help me describe to my friends all my experiences in the country. As I read this book it touched upon every aspect imaginable: language, food, monetary exchange, history, lodging, etc... Too many more to list.

I recommend this book to any first time traveler as your own personal tour guide. A repeat visitor can use this guide to learn more about the places they have been or those they want to see in the future. This book even contains enough information for students researching the country.

A definite must have travel guide.

I have used the Eyewitness Guides a number of times and found the Portugal book excellent as usual with only one complaint.
The hotel and restaurant recommendations were "right on the nose" as far as description of accommodations, kinds of meals, ambiance, and price. I would trust it implicitly. We like the fact that a range in the price and variety is included since sometimes you feel like a big fancy meal with a floor show and sometimes you simply want a quiet place with light food. The same is true of hotels. The visuals, illustrations,layouts and concise backgrounds are wonderful with the most important features of an area highlighted.
The one caveat of the Eyewitness books are their
3-D style maps which are most attractive but sometimes inaccurate. Distances are not included nor are regular city center maps which would be most helpful. In one city (Evora) the map was so confusing, we simply had to park the car and walk. Unfortunately this led to us missing accommodations at a hotel we preferred, as it took so long for us to just orient ourselves to our location. So, while the Eyewitness Guides will always travel with me, I would recommend also taking another guide book with better maps and perhaps a bit more in depth information on the sites.
Incidentally, Portugal is not a well known country to Americans, and it is a charming and romantic country which is undergoing enormous upgrades right now due to European Union funding. We recommend exploring here.

This book is a must for any traveller. Get all the information. Includes 3d pictures and layout of castles. You wont need to buy extra pamphlets at each tourist site.

Very useful. Got me around from Algarve to Porto, hassle-free and happy.