Essential Portugal [Paperback]

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998 | Series: Essential Portugal

All you need to know in a handy pocket guide. Get the most from your holiday with "AA Essential Guide" - compact yet packed with information, helpful and easy to use. The Top Ten sights are picked out for you by the expert author and key places to visit in the main A to Z section are given star ratings to help you decide. Useful features such as The Ten Essentials (experiences not to be missed) and Peace and Quiet (getting off the beaten track) provide the perfect introduction. Detailed lists recommend the best places to eat and drink; where to shop; children's attractions; local activities and nightlife. All this, plus suggested walks and drives, colour photographs throughout, clear maps and practical travel advice.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...You feel, looking at them, as if you could close the book and step into the street. -- Contra Costa Times

...considered to be the world's best travel resource to over 30 destinations around the world, make it easier to plan a splendid vacation. -- North American Press Syndication

Both novice and experienced travelers will be captivated. -- US News & World Report

Each book is a visual as well as informational feast about a particular place. -- The New York Times

Encyclopedic in scope, it's meant to be used before, during, and after your stay. -- Travel & Leisure

The best travel guides ever. -- Sky Magazine -Delta In flight Magazine

The most graphically exciting and visually pleasing series on the market. -- Chicago Tribune

Want to know where to get a great espresso on your way to the Uffizi? Or how much to tip a hotel maid in New York City? Try these travel guides, each an intricate trove of 3-D aerial views, landmark floor plans, color photos and essential eating, shopping and entertainment info. With titles covering Paris, Prague, and London, these pocket-sized guides are like a Michelangelo fresco: deliriously rich in detail. -- People Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Passport Books (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844201251
• ISBN-13: 978-0844201252
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,399,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best travel book I have ever read, March 18, 2000

By 

Patiwat Panurach - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eyewitness Travel Guide to Portugal (Paperback)

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.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An essential tool for anyone planning a trip to Portugal, July 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Eyewitness Travel Guide to Portugal (Paperback)

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.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, except for maps!, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Eyewitness Travel Guide to Portugal (Paperback)

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.