Lonely Planet Shanghai (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Shanghai is a metropolis bubbling in what Mao would call a state of permanent revolution..." (more)
Key Phrases: soft sleeper, metro line, arrivals hall, Nanjing Donglu, French Concession, Nanjing Xilu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

As usual the guide-book standard is set by Lonely Planet

-- Outside --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

This guide offers information on places to stay, eat and party for travellers of all ages. It suggests itineraries for walking, bus and metro tours as well as information on where to find local treasures, designer clothes and Cultural Revolution pop trash.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 2nd edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740593081
• ISBN-13: 978-1740593083
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is worth it's weight in gold!, June 5, 2004

By	Peder Ydalus (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews

A friend of mine and I visited Shanghai May-June 2004. Reading this book beforehand was incredibly useful. It does, however, seem to give the impression that the e.g hotels and nightclubs it enlists are the only ones at these price levels, but we found heaps more. Not unexpected in a city of 13 million people.

We both agreed the book is worth it's weight in gold. Traveling in China where hardly anyone speaks English or are able to read the western alphabet can be a tedious task. Getting this information on location might be feasible for Chinese speaking travelers, but practically impossible for forreigners. Read the book in total beforehand! Make notes! We had so much fun in China, and we owe much to this book. It should have included more on the Chinese language (pronouns, a short dictionary etc) and more extensive information on Hangzhou.

...and don't eat the ¥180 meal in the Oriental Pearl Tower. It's absolutely horrible and the service is below street-corner-eatery level.

- Peder -

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for information - maps and phrasebook are lacking..., November 7, 2004

By	Erin C. Nelson (Manhattan Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this book for a 7 day trip to Shanghai in September 2004. It gave an excellent overview of the city: what to see, where to go, however, the maps and phrasebook were a disappointment. The maps lacked the Chinese characters for the street names (the book listed everyting in "pinyon", the Westernized lettering of Chinese words) and since very few people in Shanghai speak English or recognize the Western lettering, we couldn't just point to where we wanted to go. Instead, we had to get the hotel concierge to write down where we wanted to go, which was very limiting when heading out on day trips.

In addition to this book, be sure to get a good map, complete with Chinese charaters. Also be sure to pick up a copy of the Rough Guide Mandarin phrasebook, which is an essential resource for ordering in restaurants, getting around town via taxi, asking directions, etc.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Published Slower Than Shanghai Moves, July 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Shanghai (Paperback)

Having just finished six months studying in Shangai, I think I'm in a good position to review this book. The sections on local food, excursions and the like are interesting and accurate - I have tried and tested Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing - but other areas like nightlife and the like are out of date (already!). For this sorts of things its best to check out ... which is the local expat magazine. There you can find better listings of restaurants, clubs, bars and the like. The best thing would be to contact a local once you get there.