Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Poland (Country Travel Guide)

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I'm a fan of Lonely Planet, but this book is very disappointing. I'm in Poland right now and while I understand that prices change, museum openings change and restaurants go in and out of business, I'm finding so much "old" information about the aforementioned, that the book is just not trustworthy. Instead, we've found some marvellous up-to-date free quides entitled "In Your Pocket". These guides are available for both Warsaw and Krakow and they've saved the day with up to date info written with wry humor. You can pick them up in many hotels, along with very good maps published by the same people. And they're free! Highly recommended if your intent is to visit Krakow and/or Warsaw. Sorry, LP, but you've got to re-issue an updated guide to Poland.

Lonely Planet Poland like all Lonely Planet guides is of course out of date when it comes to prices, opening times and so forth. Name one Lonely Planet guide that isn't. What the guide does do though is tell you what you will find in many cities, regions and towns throughout Poland. Many you will not be familiar with and you can read up on each to see if you do want to include it in your planning. Like all Lonely Planet guides, there are not many photographs so you'll want to do a Google image search of castles, towns and so forth to know if it's worthwhile going there or not. As always the hostel listings are pretty slim compared to what you'll actually find on the ground. At least these days you can just look up the Hostelling International, Hostelworld, BUG and other websites to easily find out firstly if there is a hostel where you want to go and to also read recent reviews of what each hostel is like. Of course you can also book them too which is a lot more convenient than when I first went to Poland in 2001 and you had to ring up each hostel and hope you got someone who spoke English.

Poland is a pretty easy country to travel around. More and more people speak English now. Not quite to the level of say Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavian and some other countries who have been in the tourism game for a lot longer but this adds to the fun. Do you really need one of these to take with you, no you don't, and you'll probably find heaps of other backpackers with one of these anyway in each hostel you visit. Plus there is also heaps of free stuff in hostels on the major cities, however the smaller or less touristy destinations you'll still want to look in something like this for info. But it nice to have (or borrow from your library) to help plan your trip before going.

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 standard. 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.

This wonderful book tells you about everything there possibly is to do and see on your trip to Poland. A great value for the money.

Not as current as I would have liked but the information is good and presented in a nice and organized fashion.