Customer Reviews

Fodor's China, 4th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides)

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

 

 

The new Fodor's China guide issued in 2005 has more detail and more useful information than either the Lonely Planet or National Geographic guidebooks. I have found it to be very accurate relative to places I've been in China during my five visits over the past four years. I highly recommend it for anyone who plans to travel in China.

Before going to China earlier this month I bought this guidebook based on the single review it had and the reputation that Fodor's has as a good guidebook publisher. However, I was disappointed. This is why:

The good points of the book are:
- It has good overviews of China as a whole and interesting descriptions of each area (good for planning the trip),
- The recommended sights are well selected, and
- There are sample walks which may be good for the traveler at a loss at what to do.

The main problems with this book are:
- No Chinese script within the chapters or on the maps (there is a small section in the back with script for major sightseeing spots). This lack of Chinese could become a nightmare if you tried to show a taxi driver your hotel.
- The way Fodor's prints its maps is strange to say the least. For the bigger cities it prints a separate map for sights, eating, and sleeping, which can be unnerving when you are trying to find restaurants in the same area as your hotel. For the mid-sized cities it only has a map for the sights. Neither post offices nor banks are listed on the maps.
- No photos or pics whatsoever.
- Does not give detailed information for traveling to other locations.

Though I did use it in the planning stages of the trip, once I was on the road I left it in my bag and used my friend's Lonely Planet and Rough Guide instead.

April 20th, 2006
I've decided to add more to this review. In my last one I was a little harsh and I don't want to give the impression that the Fodor's is all bad. On the contrary, it has detailed descriptions of sights and helpful suggestions about what to do and where to go.

However, Fodor's needs to revamp the book. They need to realize that China is not like Germany or Spain, where everyone reads the same writing script. If you get lost in a city in China and you try to use this book, unless you meet someone who speaks English or you yourself speak Chinese, you are in deep water.

Fodor's needs to provide Chinese writing for all the hotels, restaurants, and major sights that it mentions, preferably on the maps as well. It also needs to provide more detailed maps. It would be helpful if Fodor's provided more specifics for travel (like approximate prices). Some photos would also be nice.

If Fodor's improves the book in this wy, it will truly accomplish the goal it has of "cover[ing] the best properties, sights, and activities."