Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet the Netherlands (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)

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

 

 

We were disappointed with this book. The maps were almost unreadable. Information attached to them was confusing. Street addresses were sometimes wrong. The written tone was unhelpful and unappealing. No more Lonely Planet for us.

Lonely Planet the Netherlands (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)

I bought this book because my Dutch girlfriend was interested to see what the LP covered in her native land.
I've been using this guide for a few months to give me an idea of what cities and places in the Netherlands I would want to visit. It's a good resource for planning my sight-seeing, but after that I prefer to use HostelWorld.com and the local VVV offices for lodging and maps. The VVV maps are usually more detailed than the LP maps anyway

Most Lonely Planet Guides that I have used in the past had an excellent selection of accommodations and restaurants for a range of budgets. "The Netherlands" LP guide falls far short of expectation in these areas. Their selections are unremarkable and seem to be poorly researched.

Another area of disappointment is the print quality of the city map sections. The monochrome renditions are extremely hard to read and find landmarks on and are thus of little practicle value to the average tourist.

My wife was born in Amsterdam. We visit the Netherlands every year. Always good to have another prospective. Found things in the book that we've passed many times and now we'll have to stop and check them out. Great guide.

Like all Lonely Planet books, jam packed with useful information. We saw a great deal of Holland in 5 days with the help of this guide.

I traveled all over the world for two years, using mostly Lonely Planet books. That was about 11 years ago. Back then I found Lonely Planet books to be very well written - especially the ones for Asia. This was my second time in the Netherlands, and this book missed a lot -- hardly any mention of Zeeland (beach country in the South); disappointing coverage of small towns. I can't comment on the Amsterdam coverage because we skipped that town.

I do not know why some people rave about LP guides, I find them plain and superficial, and this one takes the cake, it has a very narrow focus and ignores some beautifull areas of the country of my birth, I am glad I did not buy it.
Money is better spent on Michelin, Rick Steves or Eyewitness guides.

i definitely found this product helpful and informative. ive been to amsterdam several times, but this helped with some of the outer lying areas i wanted to see a lot. also helped me find some good, off-the-beaten-path places in Amsterdam.
wish a Netherlands-Belgium guide had exisited though. that would have made this book indispensable.

I've visited 44 countries, mostly on a budget, and Lonely Planet is THE only book I would consider using. It's throrough, comprehensive and concise. It's especially geared for the budget/adventure traveler, though it would also prove useful to anyone on a tour or cruise. Lonely Planet is packed with maps, useful phrases, history lessons, tips on culture & conduct, addresses and descriptions of museums, hotels, restaurants - everything you need. Though Lonely Planet leans towards those of us who travel in hostels and budget hotels, it also gives a good description of hotels and restaurants for those who wish to travel in a more luxurious manner. There are other good travel books out there - Eyewitness Guides, etc - that have a lot of beautiful photos - but unless you're traveling with a steamer trunk, these are of little use because they lack the information you'll need while on the road. Look at the others for inspiration before you go, if you'd like, but pack your Lonely Planet. I'd never travel without it.