Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Best of Athens

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This small guide was very helpful to a recent short trip to Athens. The recommendations of where to visit and day-by-day tours were good. It was nice that the guide was small and fit in my back pocket. However, the maps leave something to be desired. You might want to purchase additional Athens maps to go along with the book, or ask your hotel for some.

My wife and i were in athens for 3 days and this little book was always in my pocket. it was very useful for us the entire trip. although some of the restaurant suggestions i'd question that's to be expected. the rest of the information was excellent. i found myself referring to the maps and area descriptions constantly. well worth the investment.

I guess I should have known that a 2004 guide to Athens is out of date in 2006. It hasn't been updated to reflect the fact that the metro now connects to the airport, and its Acropolis ticket info. is misleading--the Acropolis ticket is good for one visit only, not for four days. The free guide to Athens published by the Ministry of Tourism ("Wonderful Greece") has much better walking tours.

First of all, the map is not good. Signage in Greece is extremely poor, so a helpful map would note the ENTRANCES of places such as the Ancient Agora, as well as routes that work on foot. You can't get there from 3 sides, and if you have to walk all around it to discover that, that's a lot of wasted time and effort. Maybe not a big deal if you are 26 years old, but very irritating even for a fit 40 something. And that's one example.

There was a Metro and bus strike the day I had to go to the airport. Taxi was the only option. So in the taxi I open the book to page 181 where it says "Express buses and taxis are cheaper [than the Metro and Suburban rail]..." Well, Metro is 6 Euro, bus is 3 Euro 60, and the taxi was 42 Euro. I was probably being ripped off big time, but the meter said 30 and there were tolls and airport and call fees... If you turn the page to 182, there's a clearer story. Too bad I only saw p. 181 in the heat of the moment, and it didn't reference further info. I didn't believe the statement, but it gave the impression of serious unreliability, even if I had turned the page. This is pretty basic info, there should be no conflicting information.

Bus Terminal B is notoriously difficult to find, but you must find it to go to Delphi. This book was completely unhelpful.

Maybe the restaurant recommendations were good. It seems pretty easy to pick up on the vibe of the places as you walk by. Perhaps the book is stronger in this department and it just isn't that important to me.

I liked the size and concept, but the content was really unhelpful. It bills itself as an excellent guide for a short trip. If the trip is short, you really need the information that will make getting around more efficient. Some fellow travelers were very happy with their Rick Steves, and I would go there, or to another, rather than this one. Unless you like extra walking, paying more than necessary, and spending unnecessary time on getting basic info and directions.

This was our bible on our first trip to Athens. It was the perfect size to carry along daily, and the maps were extremely helpful. We booked hotels and chose restaurants based on the book's recommendations... we were not disappointed!

The book has good maps in addition to narrative. We used the "Eating" section and "Directory" most heavily, since we are not shoppers and had arranged a hotel through alternative means. We also used the Eyewitness "Top 10" guide and "Streetwise Athens" map, which provide additional perspectives.

Athens is a great city. I had been there several times, waiting to see what has changd from 2000 year.

I just returned from Athens and had forgotten to get some descriptive table top type books that I saw in the Plaka. This is a tiny pocket guide. Was not what I thought it was.