Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Romania and Moldova (2nd Edition)

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

 

 

After having spent two weeks last summer as well as several small ventures in and out of the country in the fall, I have to say that this guide is by far the best one to use for travels throughout Romania. There are a few inconsistencies here and there regarding buses, restaurants and hotels (most notably price-wise...quite forgiveable), but overall the book is extremely well put together and informative. I had the Rough Guide for Romania throughout my travels, but I always found myself using LP's guide instead. The only thing I would recommend for an improvement is the inclusion of a few more "off the beaten path" areas such as the Csango enclave in Moldavia and the Kalotaszeg region in Transylvania (the brief mention of the Kalotaszeg is rather insubstantial), as well as the oft-ignored Danubian town of Braila, which has a very pleasant and attractive town center. Perhaps it could use more expanded sections on Wallachia and Moldavia as well, since Transylvania is by far the most covered region in the book (an understandable decision, though it sometimes seems as though coverage of other areas is too skimpy in comparison). Regardless, for the first edition of the guide, LP has done an excellent job, and I'm sure the next edition will see a few more additions to fill out the book.

I found the author's tone supercilious and condescending, and the people I met and places I visited MUCH more warm and inviting than this book would suggest. The only place I found people a little "snotty" in the whole country was Bucharest - and they were nicer than the average Manhattanite, that's for sure! Your ideas about poverty and wealth WILL be challenged, your sense of humor will be expanded and thoroughly spanked, and if you don't try to buy everything that isn't for sale (or haggle over already [low] prices) you'll be amazed at how generous people are, too. Yes there are tourist traps galore, with inflated prices and rotten service, but not nearly as many as in say, the average coastal town in Maine.

The previous review is slightly mistaken about the area this book covers. The reason they dont have Transylvania mentioned on the cover is because the book covers Romania and also the seperate country of Moldova. So none of the regions of Romania are mentioned on the cover and the title as shown is accurate. Anyway, the book is great, I travelled around in the company of a Moldovan who was also impressed by the book. The only places it falls down are the details, and I can forgive this as the country is changing rapidly as it heads towards membership of the EU.

I thoroughly recommend this book, and indeed any in the Lonely Planet series.

The guide section on Moldova is exceptionally helpful and accurate. It can be depended upon for correct and accurate information. A couple latebreaking items of information: The Wam's burger outlet is now closed. McDonalds has opened in Chisinau. The current enxchange rate is L4.58 = US$1. The exchange rate for the currency of Transdniestr (the Kupon) is now 846,000 Kupon = US$1.

I bought this book recently just to see what did I miss on my Romania trips. The book is fairly outdated on the modern stuff, but given the rate of development in Romania, any book would be in 2-3 years. The historical facts are mostly accurate, and the location of sites are great. There is thought much more to say and see about Bucharest than what's written in the book. If you want a proper tour of the city, get a tour guide. The commentaries about modern day Romania and Romanians are somehow exaggerated (or taken at second or third hand). If it's your first trip it's a decent book, but don't rely solely on it.

This book came in handy during my entire stay in Romania. It also pointed out little known monuments. This is definitely a comprehensive book on many levels...I wonder why they left out Transylvania on the cover though.

Modern Day Romania is comprised of the former country Romania, Moldovia, and Transylvania.
This book is chocked full of information. This book is not intended to be a phrase book and it's entire emphasis is the unique sentence structure that the Romanian language requires.

I was there because one of the books I authored was translated into Romanian by the Sibiu Monetary Financial Commodities Exchange.