Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Malta & Gozo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Malta is one of those rare gems that still exist in the world. From its gorgeous coastlines, to the fascinating medieval strongholds, to the very life/flavor of the island itself, this is one of those places that captures the best society has offered from the last two-thousand years.

Lonely Planet does a fine job with their Malta/Gozo edition. Like most of their traveler friendly guides, it captures all the necessary information without overdoing it. For anyone brand new to the island, this book is like the gentle hand that guides you without sullying all the wonderful surprises that await you in Malta, a place I find as one of the worlds least appreciated attractions.

This book will offer advice, but from different perspectives, and the writing comes directly from those that have experienced what they cover. You won't get any "hearsay" junk with this guide. It is right on the money with everything it discusses; from restaurants, to travel accommodations, to tourist attractions, and far more. The maps are excellent and quite beneficial. I found myself spending a good half-hour to hour each night reading this AFTER we were already staying there, just to make certain I was getting every bit of flavor from my vacation as I could. It seems there is very little that this guide doesn't cover, for it even covers its history in a brief, but concise manner.

For those who live or already very familiar with the Malta/Gozo area, there won't be much information here that you probably don't already know. However, if you are traveling to this wonderful place for the very first time, get this book! It is well worth the money and will be indispensable as you try to make the most out of your excursion. I envy anyone who has yet to visit Malta for the 1st time, for there is nothing like the first trip!

Typical LP book, more or less what I need and packed with facts. But on the hotel pages, I am surprised to see so few hotels get listed, considering a destination like Malta must offer much much more options at all ranges.

What I also would like to see is information about sea links to Sicilly and Tunisia, a day-trip or an organized tour. There is hardly any mentioning of such. You've made all the way to malta, and Sicilly is just an hour and a half away, it is definitely worth of considering visiting.

All in all, a typical LP book with almost all information you will need.

Most detailed guidebook on Malta, with lots of practical, useful information for families, although the bus information could have been a little more through, considering that taxis in Malta are *outrageously* expensive and the Bus system is really excellent and cheap besides. The food picks were top notch, and the hotel information was okay too. This is good for both the backpackers and stuffed-wallet sets. If I only got one guidebook for Malta, this would be it.

This guidebook served us well during our week in Malta. It covers all major attractions and all you need on this small island. My only wish is that there was more information about bus transit. Cab fair is very expensive in Malta and learning how and where to get buses, what times they run is very important.

I can't believe how accurate this guide was. The guide mentions that Buggiba is basically is a culinary wasteland. SO TRUE. This guide will definitely help you get around Malta and Gozo (never had the chance to visit Comino, but there is a mini chapter included in the guide). We never left the resort without it! A word to the wise: prior to embarking to Malta, do read the guide a few months in advance to get an idea of what you want to see and experience. We missed out on an incredible tour because we had no idea we had to book at least a month in advance.

This was the only guidebook I purchased for a trip to Malta. It was helpful, gave a good general overview of the most interesting sights and overall helped us to feel we saw Malta.

The pluses: the book included walking tours of a number of cities, including Mdina, Victoria and Valletta. These were interesting and helpful for do-it-yourself explorers. The first couple pages (which are in color) gave a useful overview of different types of sights and activities.

Possible improvements:
I loved the walking tours, but the information given was minimal. The book was not hefty (around 150 pages overall). Additional information and history could easily have been added here.

The entire bus system was redone in mid-2011, about 18 months after this book was published. All bus information is therefore now out of date. The maltese bus system is easy to use, but don't rely on this book for information.

The book included some more detailed descriptions of locations (St. John's co-cathedral), but could have easily expanded on those. I don't need a full history book, but this could easily have given more information without being a dense tome.

Overall, it's a useful book and if it's you're only guidebook for Malta, you'll be fine, but some improvements are definitely possible.

Fits a lot of information in a compact, travel-friendly book. Nice section on the history of Malta and helpful tips on what to book in advance and where to explore. My only critical observations are that the prices in the book for meals/sites were consistently lower than in reality and some of the times for various attractions were off. Obviously things change, but one would hope that less than a year after publication, this information would be a little more up to date.

Superb. Good maps that we used to find our way through Valletta's narrow streets, plus very detailed descriptions about every aspect of the country from history to hotel descriptions to finding buses & ferries - bearing in mind there's far more to Malta than what's in any guide book.

Just what I needed to fill in the questions I had about my pending trip to Malta.

Like other Lonely Planet guide books, this one is informative and contains useful information for the traveler. Some historical information, good overview, maps, suggested itineraries, etc.