Lonely Planet Iceland [Paperback]

Paul Harding (Author), Joe Bindloss (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Iceland | Publication Date: May 2004

Features comprehensive coverage of the island's attractions, from the nightclubs and bars of Rejkyavik to the rugged wilderness of the interior. Includes extensive information on the many activities on offer, from snowboarding across glaciers to whale watching in the Atlantic.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 5 edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741040760
• ISBN-13: 978-1741040760
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,378,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Travel > Europe > Iceland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks detail and helpful tips, March 22, 2005

By 

Blah (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Iceland (Paperback)

This is not one of Lonely Planet's best guides. There is suprisingly little information. For example, the book mentions that there are a few companies that give day tours from Rekyavik but doesnt tell you anything about how they compare in price or services. basically, everything in the guide and more can be found at the tourist information center in Rekyavik, which luckily is run very well. I found this really disappointing since Iceland is very expensive and I was hoping to keep down costs (in reality this is almost impossible, even eating at the grocery store I was spending 10 dollars a meal for bread and cheese) Furthermore, Iceland is a very small country and it would have been very easy to have given a lot more details.

As with any tour book some of the info is out of date. some of the museums and businesses were closed including the Icelandic Phallogical Museum. It also seemed that this book was written for the high season in the summer months. I went in March and found the information on the offseason limited and sometimes inaccurate. I usually trust Lonely Planet but in this case I would have tried one of the other guide book companies or simply visit the tourist center when you get there.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor example of a "guide" book, August 14, 2006

By 

S.A.H. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Iceland (Paperback)

I just came back from a two week tour of Iceland with two friends. Our experience was memorable--amazing--LP Iceland, however was not. We read the book front to back. We went around the whole of the island and didn't stay just in Reykjavik. We also camped 70% of the time- just to give a little background. What we found was that the book is so poorly written and for the most part so out of date, that much of the usefull information we got was from just grabbing the free pamphlets at the "Upplysinga" Centers. In the back of the book it says that the first edition was printed several years ago, and only last year did two writers go back out "into the field." I'd like to know what field that was? If these two men actually went back to Iceland, I'd bet my money that they only went to Reykjavik obtained information from pamphlets concerning other parts of Iceland and then wrote from those documents. Not much thought was put into the style of writting as well, or editing for that matter. Every site in Iceland (and I'm not arguing that this is untrue) could leave you captivated for several days, hold your attention for several days, enough to do to keep you several days...etc [paraphrasing]. I just feel that if I'm going to have to pay even $2 for a tid bit of information I would at least hope that it was well researched and not a half-baked job. My time and money, especially when in Iceland, are more valuable to me that having to chase around a tiny West Fjord village looking for a nonexistant camping site because I relied on an unreliable "guide" book. Lesson learned: LP Iceland poor poor example of what I know others say is one of the best guide books out there. I'm sticking to DK.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Content; Oddly Organised; Requires a Separate Map, September 16, 2004

By 

Oz Wilde (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Iceland (Paperback)

I've just returned from a week tour of Iceland. The info in the book is quite comprehensive - only it takes some time to find it (the index is appalling and the sections are oddly organised). The maps are hopeless if you're driving. However the Insight Guide's flexi-map makes a good companion to the Lonely Planet Guide.