Lonely Planet Best of Krakow [Paperback]

Richard Watkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006 | Series: Best Of

Among Kraków’s untouched Old Town and myriad churches discover hidden cafés, underground clubs and chic new bars. Along cobbled alleys and down narrow medieval lanes find its tumultuous past, folk traditions and delicious pierogi. Kraków hosts a wealth of historical, cultural, architectural and culinary treasures: find the best with this inspirational guide to one of central Europe’s most exciting cities.

Get Around – detailed walking tours and extensive fold-out maps help you navigate with ease

Dine In Style – comprehensive listings of the best places to eat, whatever your taste

Shop Around – where to find the best Baltic amber and tastiest flavored vodka

Sleep Soundly – discerning reviews to suit all budgets

Explore More – suggested excursions out of the city to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz-Birkenau

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nobody covers the world like Lonely Planet.' --New York Post, May 2004

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741048222
• ISBN-13: 978-1741048223
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,632,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It was 1988 when Mara first travelled abroad, spending a summer in Scandinavia with a side trip into the Soviet Union. The high-school summer exchange program would shape her life, as it inspired her to learn to speak Russian and to try to end the Cold War.

As a student, she further broadened her horizons, circling the globe on a research fellowship from the Circumnavigators' Foundation. This trip took her from Belize to Budapest, from Senegal to Singapore, comparing the successes and failures of international development projects.

Despite the draw of many foreign lands, she still found herself returning to the former Soviet Union time and time again. Before the Soviet collapse, she taught English in Kyiv, Ukraine, for a year; and during the most tumultuous transition years, she worked on a foreign aid project in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

The pen-wielding traveller has since taken to seeing and saving the world by other means, writing guidebooks for Lonely Planet. Mara has also written for National Geographic Traveler, Executive Travel, the Boston Globe and the LA Times, amongst others. She is an on-line travel expert at Triporati.com and Tripsketch.com. When not traipsing around the planet, she lives in a pink house in Somerville, Massachusetts. Follow her adventures at www.maravorhees.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful Krakow map and guide, January 12, 2008

By 

LostinHouston (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Best of Krakow (Paperback)

My wife and I just spent a week in Krakow and found this guide very useful. We've used the "Best of"s before in Dublin and Prague and, combined with Rick Steves' guides, these have helped us plan what to visit, determine where to eat, and where/what to shop.

This guide was easy to use and very portable. I like that the maps are clear and not overloaded with information. I could easily cross-reference a place described in each section with the map. The descriptions of places to visit and restaurants helped us decide where to go.

The limitation (if you consider this a limit) is that this guide is not as opinionated as Steves. The guide doesn't rate places like Steves does, so there might be a more hit or miss. But it does list more places than Steves does, which has helped us out. Case in point--we found out about the Silesian House, a former Gestapo headquarters that is now a small museum in Krakow. Steves never mentions this museum, but we found it in the Best of guide and thought it was worth the short hike. And sometimes, we've disagreed with Steves opinions, so these guides give us more places to potentially explore and not be restricted to just what Rick Steves likes.

So, in short, a good informative guide with handy, accessible maps. And we'd highly recommend Krakow. We spent a week there, over New Year's, and found plenty of places to explore.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of good info, November 8, 2010

By 

jadwiga - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Krakow Encounter (Paperback)

I like the original format. Has a slightly different approach than others and good info.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of money, May 16, 2011

By 

bill miller - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Krakow Encounter (Paperback)

I bought this primarily for the map. i have used lonely planet guides previously and found them all right but more for younger people than myself. This guide is a total waste, if I had not torn out the map I would have returned it. Also, note the map is worthless. They should be ashamed of publishing such a book.