Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Egypt (Country Travel Guide)

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

 

 

I have used Lonely Planet guides I don't know how many times. I have always loved them....but this one stinks.
For starters, the layout is confusing and hard to use when you are traveling. For instance the "getting there and away" section really means "getting away." You have to flip back and forth to each city to find out when you can arrive and when you can leave.
Worse than a confusing layout is the fact that the information is FLAT OUT WRONG. The bus times listed don't exist with any bus company, numbers given for bus companies don't work and you find out from locals that is because they are the wrong numbers. In St. Katherine's they have buses listed for Cairo and Dahab.....and the bus to Dahab doesn't exist. That's right. I got out there, waited for the bus that never came. Locals then said the bus hasn't run in 5 YEARS!!!!
I have lived in the Middle East for 4 years, speak Arabic and I have never been so happy that I wasn't new to this part of the world, because this book was useless. As in, I had to ask for everything.....could have traveled without it.... DON'T BUY IT.

We just returned from Egypt and normally I love Lonely Planet books, and actually bought 2 copies of this one (left the first one at home) but i recommend you look for other options. Several times we found the information in the book to be outdated or unhelpful.

- They love Dahab, but there are no tour companies listed in the Dahab section to help us arrange some tours
- The best hotel in Dahab, the Le Meridien, is not even listed in the book.
- The travel agency they recommend in Luxor was HORRIBLE. We cut our tour short.
- They are also missing new hotels in Cairo, like the Fairmont hotel.
- The book makes it seem like Cairo has very few metered taxis, but in fact, there are tons. Seems to be old data.

I'm fond of Lonely Planet Guides and the text of this one is useful, but they have not done a good job of translating the book to Kindle. There are too many places where there should be a link (that is, the text suggests there's a link) but there is no link. I haven't actually compared the Kindle version to the actual book, but it appears that pieces are just missing. I'd stay away until LP or Amazon gets this under control.

i am currently finishing my 3rd week travelling in egypt. this book is not as useful as i had hoped, in the sense that i think it's providing information which is not the most helpful, or is outdated, or completely lacking in other areas.

for hotel booking information, i would must recommend just googling for the top hotels instead, and look for ratings. tripadvisor.co.uk is also really helpful for that kind of stuff.

this book also lacks pictures. i think i would definitely buy another guide if i were to do the trip again in the future.

This book was a let down for me. Lonely Planet usually has excellent guidebooks and previous editions of "Egypt" were just fine. This one however has too much outdated information, bus fares that are wrong, bus stops that don't exist etc. At first I thought that this was because of the fact that the situation in Egypt is changing a lot lately, but a few conversations with locals show that many things "have been like this for years", yet the book doesn't have them. One of the worst LPs. A new edition is coming up. Let's hope it will be more like the former ones.

I've always liked Lonely Planet guides because they always go off the beaten path and are always written for the back packer crowd. : )

I just purchased another guide, this time it's Egypt, the dream has started, and will come to fruition, SOON.

Shipped quickly. Bought for a friend who was planning a trip to Egypt this summer. We'll see if he actually gets to use it seeing as the country is unstable.

I am planning a trip to Egypt in October, and studied Egyptology in college. I am actually still in the process of reading this travel guide cover to cover and I'm about half way through. I can say it had provided amazing tips and advice. I have yet to test it out and see it's accuracy, but there are no lengthy articles, very easy to reference, plenty of helpful suggestions and insider views. Highly recommend this.

EGYPT is another fine destination-oriented guide from Lonely Planet Publishers, and comes from an expert who offers an updated coverage packed with maps, color chapters, and more. From money and local medical services to history and touring, no independent traveler's library should be without this winner! As a take-along tote, it's outstanding!