Customer Reviews

Greek Islands (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought the book before going to Greece for almost 3 weeks. I like the Eyewitness Travel Guides because they are clear and have many pictures. However, this book does not have enough information on the islands. It covers most of the major Greek Islands, but only devotes about a page to each. It doesn't have maps of the major towns on the islands. It doesn't provide enough listings on the places to stay or the places to eat, even though the ones listed are usually good recommendations. There is one place listed what I would not recommend. It is the Hotel Adrian in Placka, Athens. The staff was very rude to us, and told us that they did not have our hotel reservations even though we called in days before we arrived. They not only refused to give us another room but also maintained that it was our fault that the recommendation did not go through. It was the worse encounter we had in Greece. Overall, we has a great trip. The Eyewitness Guide on Athens and the Mainland is much better. It has detailed diagrams on the major sites in Greece. It also has stories, myths, and colorful pictures that tell you exactly what you are looking. It is easy to read and easy to understand even when you don't know much about the Greek myths and classical architecture. To those who are knowledgable in Greek architecture and history, it is still quite informative. Overall, I recommend books from this series on specific cities over the ones on entire countries or large regions. The ones on cities have much more useful details.

The guide itself has beautiful pictures and colorful diagrams, but it really seems more like a nice souvenir or book for your travel collection than a practical guide book you want to accompany you on the trip. It is very, very brief on everything. It's not bad for getting a quick general overview of the islands and some info. on Greek culture, history, climate, etc., perhaps to help you choose the island group you would like to concentrate your trip on. However, as far as a more in-depth, practical guide with real recommendations on hotels and sights, I would recommend a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to take with you on the trip.

We took a cruise that stopped at 5 islands listed in the book and found the information provided helpful to interpreting the cruise line's descriptions and deciding which land tours to take. We were able to by-pass several expensive tours yet see the major sites on our own.

Loved the book! Had all of the infomration that we needed. Book was loaded with history, maps, key points of interest and interesting facts. It was an excellent guide for us as we toured the greek islands and gave us the best and key points to visit which helped us use our time most efficiently. Loved the Greek islands!

Overall, we got a lot of use out of our book and I would HIGHLY reccomend it!

Fantastic pictures and good maps, but directed toward the high end traveler. There is little or nothing for the budget traveler. Also the information of getting place to place is sketchy at best.

OK, maybe not ALL the Greek Islands - that would be totally impossible in one book. However, this book does a nice job of touching on all the major Greek Islands. Although the smaller and less frequently visited islands only get brief mention, there is ample attention paid to the more popular destination. And after all, that's where you're most likely to go. If not, then this kind of book isn't for you anyway. Almost a year after our trip, I still pull this book off the shelf frequently to dream about another trip and another island chain. Plus, if you're going to visit Athens, this book does cover that subject as well.

The historical portion of the book is the same as the Greece Book which is Athens oriented. It is useful and gives a good background -- also brings into the picture the mythological setting of many of the ruins one would see in your travels. Although we only visited three (3) of the islands, the descriptions of what to see and do there was accurate and adequate.

I just got back from Italy and the Greek Islands and I used this book and other Eyewitness books to learn about each one I visited. The Eyewitness series has a lot of great information about the history of the area and points of interest including lots of gorgeous photos. However, I wish the Eyewitness series would include more "survival" type information such as transportation, restaurants, etc. so that they could be the only guide I need to take. I felt like I needed another guide for that type of information and I did not want to carry more books!

This is a portable, soft cover, coffee-table book! It is beautifully crafted, with exquisite pictures, maps and diagrams of ancient buildings and modern towns. The book takes you on a cultural journey through Greece and its history. If you haven't visited Greece, it's a motivator. If you have, it brings back wonderful memories. This book is a broad sweep, you will need supplemental information, but it is unique in providing a visual overview of a beautiful and enchanting land!

Reviewed by David Lundberg, author of Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece

The book came quickly in the mail. Just loved the book, it has lots of wonderful pictures. It's very informative, has good tips for hotels and hostels. It breaks down the islands so it makes it easier to figure out how to get from one island to another within the same group. Being a vegetarian, I also enjoyed how they talk about the food it will make it easier for me to eat out.