Frommer's Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg (5th ed) [Paperback]

George McDonald (Author)

Book Description

Series: 5th ed | Publication Date: July 1997

A fifth revised edition of this travel guide providing information on historic cities, medieval castles, the art towns of Bruges and Ghent, colourful festivals, Amsterdam's nightlife, restaurants in Brussels and extensive shopping coverage. Fully Anglicised for British users.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Complete, concise and filled with useful information." —NY Daily News --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Its simple. Frommers is the name readers can trust for complete, easy-to-use, and up-to-date travel information. These guides offer all the practical details in a fun, user-friendly format, helping readers discover the world in a whole new way.

The candid, authoritative hotel and restaurant reviews are the best in the businessincredibly detailed, and including carefully chosen selections for every taste and budget, with an emphasis on moderately priced choices. Were the only major guidebook series to go the extra mile and list exact prices for every establishment and activity covered, so readers know what to expect. And whether theyre on an expense account or a tight budget, readers get the very best bang for their buck. Frommers Complete Guides offer a wealth of sightseeing, sports, strolls, and special momentsall accompanied by detailed, accurate color maps that show the way.

Most guidebooks read like textbooks or promotional brochuresbut not Frommers. We know that readers turn to Frommers when theyre planning a vacation, so even though these guides take the details seriously, theyre filled with a sense of fun and discovery.

No wonder Frommers Complete Guides are turning heads. And no wonder readers have discovered that Frommers is the key to an unforgettable vacation. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Frommer; 5th edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028615735
• ISBN-13: 978-0028615738
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,953,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > Travel > Europe > Luxembourg

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Frommer's Benelux bombs!, March 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg: With the Best of Brussels and Amsterdam (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I used this guide book during a recent trip to the Benelux region of Europe. I found the book useful in helping me pick out good restaurants. It also listed the major sites I wanted to see. I did not find the book useful in reserving hotels and describing each site. I especially found the maps to be of poor quality. Many of them mislabeled the location of sites and failed to include important street names that would make it easier to find sites, restaurants, and accomodations. As a frequent traveler, I rely on good maps in guidebooks to get around cities that are unknown to me. Frommer's got me to take wrong turns repeatedly.

Unfortunately, there do not seem to be many books out there covering exclusively the Benelux region of Europe. At least I did not find any that I liked, so Frommer's was the best choice among many bad choices.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive guide to BeNeLux..., April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg: With the Best of Brussels and Amsterdam (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

It is nice to have all the great cities and towns of Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Luxembourg area covered in one handy book. Good maps and suggestions for "best of" experiences. There are seperate maps for attractions, hotels and restaurants in each city. Hotels and restaurants are listed by price range, and family-friendly establishments are noted. There is not a lot of historical background given in this book, and no photographs. The writing style is clear and direct and not too dry. I found the recommended hotels in Amsterdam to be booked up months in advance- obviously many are following Frommer's advice!

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Travel Guide Without a Focus, May 13, 2000

By 

James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg (5th ed) (Paperback)

When I first started travelling to Europe 25 years ago, the Frommer guides were like beacons. They had a very definite goal in mind: To let you enjoy Europe for $XX dollars a day. Their books were fun and informative; but somewhere along the line, the Frommer people lost touch with their leadership.

When you try to write a book for everybody, you wind up writing for nobody. Let us take accommodations as an example: They are classified as Expensive, Moderate, and Inexpensive. Now I am not on public assistance by any means, yet I can barely afford Frommer's Inexpensive accommodations, which average around more than $100 a night.

There are guidebooks which are good at accommodations and restaurants but not on sights; and there are others (like the superb DK Eyewitness Guides) which concentrate on the sights. I am hard put to place Frommer on this spectrum. In the Netherlands, he downplays the Zuider Zee Museum in Enkhuizen and the Open Air Museum in Arnhem, yet spends 3 chapters on Luxembourg, including one on "Planning a Trip to Luxembourg." Hello! When was the last time you got the wife and kiddies mobilized for a fun filled 3 week vacation in the tiny Duchy of Luxembourg?

On the plus side, the "Best of..." lists are a useful counter to the general lack of emphasis in this guidebook.

If you were visiting the U.S., you would want a guidebook to show you why you might want to spend more time in New York than Youngstown. Once the best of guidebook series, Frommer has been reduced to cataloguing sights. Where's the excitement? Not here.