Customer Reviews

Lithuania, 4th: The Bradt Travel Guide (Bradt Guides)

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4 star:		(2)
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Make no mistake, I am no devoted fan of Bradt guides. I have read my share of shoddy, poorly edited, lazily researched and prejudiced Bradt guides. So I approached this book with a very healthy dose of scepticism.

The fact is, the guide is very well researched, very up-to-date; even airline info is accurate and relevant! That's actually a great compliment: most big and respectable (?) publishing houses like Lonely Planet are still struggling to come up with anything more substantantial than "common sense" (in most case, it isn't even that) factoids such as their supreme insult to inteligence "pack as little as possible but take everything you need". But enough about Lonely Planet - they are my favorite whipping boy and this review is not about them.

So we agreed that Bradt is well-researched and accurate. The regional information (outside Vilnius and Kaunas and Klaipeda) is, at the moment, second to none; main cities are also covered very well. The writer had enough sense to seek extensive advise in Lithuania from everyone who is anyone in travel writing business. It seems that the (formerly) glorious publishers of Vilnius In Your Pocket (they were incredibly good before they overstretched themselves, spread their editorial effort too thin and apparently stopped investing into their famous gold-standard research) quietly helped Bradt with all their knowledge, in return for a modest and barely noticeable plug. Not fair? Well, maybe, but it helped Bradt.

This book is worth every penny. Besides practicalities, it has good articles on history and language and culture, too. There is very little to fault on content side. It looks like there's nothing missing, and I don't say things like this too often.

Having said all that, I am still not impressed with their graphic design. It looks amateurish; a bit of gloss and color and visual guidance would be in order. Some places look as if they were designed by your uncle in his free time on home computer. Maybe it appeals to some people, but many will be put off, thinking - why should I spend good money on something that looks like a college newsletter? This would be a superficial reaction, but one which does no favors to publishers when trying to sell the book.

Overall, the book is still worth your money - by all means. For Lithuania, you don't need to bother with Lonely Planet, who were so far in the lead six or seven years ago that it seemed like no-one could catch up with them. Since then, LP stood still and Bradt evolved incredibly, and now fortunes are reversed. Again, at the moment (September 2003) there is nothing better on the market.

This is really the only complete travel book on Lithuania available. Complete coverage of the whole country. I especially liked the History chapter and the Further Reading Appendix. I always like to read up on the history of where I'm going and this book is an outstanding resource. The Where to Stay sections were large and useful.

My only complaints are that this book could use color maps instead and more detailed transport sections. I would have liked it to list the estimated travel prices and travel times in a table. Actually, I wish most travel guides would have a table summarizing everything from hotels, restaurants and transport but most travel guides don't do that.

There's no question that this is the guidebook to get for a trip to Lithuania. As another reviewer mentioned, the coverage of the rest of the country besides Kaunas and Vilnius is wonderful.

It is worth pointing out, however, that this guide has hardly been updated since the 3rd edition. The additions are mostly in the culture/history section and the Vilnius section. In the coverage of the rest of the country, most passages are copied over verbatim. As an easy example, the back cover of the 3rd edition says:

"The beauty of Lithuania and the hospitability of its people guarantee an unforgettable trip for any visitor. The Old Town of Vilnius, the country's capital, offers a striking and exuberant mix of Gothic and baroque architecture. Spend relaxing days exploring its cobbled lanes, and atmospheric evenings in its colorful bars. Or head for the coast and the wild dunes- a delight for the lover of nature."

From the back of the 4th edition:

"The enigmatic beauty of Lithuania and the hospitality of its people guarantee an unforgettable trip. The Old Town of Vilnius, a likeable and cosmopolitan capital, offers an exuberant mix of Gothic and baroque architecture. Wander its cobbled lanes before emerging for an evening in a vibrant bar. Alternatively, head for the beach resorts and the wild dunes- a delight for the lover of nature."

So in the new edition you find out that Lithuania's beauty is enigmatic and that the bars are vibrant, not just colorful. Again, this warning applies only to people who either already have the 3rd edition, and want to upgrade (this is what I did), or people who have an opportunity to buy the 3rd edition cheap and don't know if they'll be missing out. You won't be. If you don't have any guide for Lithuania, though, this is certainly the one to buy.

This book was very helpful and addressed more things than I had hoped. It got down to the necessities of day to day living, traveling and dealing with the culture, in a concise manner. We lived in central Europe previously in the 90s and found this much more helpful than any of the books that were available at that time. I'd recommend it if you're planning a trip to or an extended stay in Lithuania.

The Bradt Travel Guide to Lithuania is an excellent aid to planning travel and learning more about the history and culture of Lithuania. This detailed guide stands out from similar publications by providing an indepth and accurate summary of the history of this interesting country- something most guides do not give.

I'm taking to these Bradt guides. As a dedicated Rough Guide reader, I have to say that these books impress me. There's something to the Bradt guides that other guides lack, and it's hard to put your finger on it. They're not glossy photo essays, and they don't include finely detailed maps. I think it's the depth of the writing that convinces me. You can tell that these books aren't packed with ill-informed "facts" or airline magazine history. You can tell that the authors aren't just blowing smoke.

This book covers Lithuania like the winter rain. The historic, cultural and literary contexts are superb. The listings are exhaustive and accurate. The "sites" are deep, not limited to tourist traps in Vilnius. The book covers all the cities and towns for cultural tourists, and covers interesting natural sites for eco-tourists. It's a complete picture, and you'll learn something too.

My only complaints are relative lack of photography (even less than a Rough Guide) and a seemingly intentional neglect of Czeslaw Milosz, the great Polish poet born and raised in (what was then) Polish Wilno.

Once a year I go to Lithuania and spend a month there teaching about spirituality. The people are wonderful and the country magical.

This is a great book about a beautiful, quaint, poetic country. If you are thinking about going to Europe buy this book and pack your bags for Lithuania.

The product was in excellent shape when I received it. The book looked as if it were new and bought right off the book store shelf.