Lonely Planet Tunisia [Paperback]

David Willett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Tunisia | Publication Date: February 2001

Includes accommodation and restaurant listings for all budgets and tastes; useful information on getting around, including 4WD desert tours; the lowdown and what to buy and where, from birdcages to silver jewellery and carpets; special features on Tunisia's Roman, Berber and Islamic architecture; and language sections.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 2nd edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1864501855
• ISBN-13: 978-1864501858
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,428,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Travel > Africa > Tunisia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly below the Lonely Planet standard, September 22, 2002

By 

Maurizio Giuliano (Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Tunisia (Paperback)

To my regret, I must say that I have not come across any Lonely Planet guidebook as poor as this one - and indeed, I have quite a substantial collection of them, which I have used worldwide. The book surely manages to cover a great deal about Tunisia's culture and society, the country's arts, etc., with plenty of historical facts and data, filled with rich information and thrilling anecdotes, all written in good prose and well edited. Indeed, it is a good introductory book about Tunisia, nice for the armchair traveller, and useful for those wishing to grab bits of pieces and data in a rush in order to know the basics about this beautiful country. Yet, as a guidebook, which is supposed to help the visitor in getting around the place in comfort and style, this book features rather poorly. When I found myself looking for a hotel in Tunis (and that should be quite a primary task for this kind of publication !), I discovered that the guidebook makes no mention whatsoever of most top-hotels, such as the Hilton, the Radisson, and the Best Western. The coverage on places to stay is extremely poor, not even enabling one to know which part of the city to head to for different budgets. As for restaurants, the situation was even worse. Needless to say, the book did not help in finding any entertainment in the daytime or at night, suffice it to say that no mention is made as regards the role of renowned entertainment spots like Hammamet or Soussa for Tunis-based travellers and locals. Information on basic things such as changing money was simply not there either, thus leaving the visitor unaware of the simple fact that, in order to change local currency back into foreign currency, an exchange receipt of ATM receipt must be produced... The information on visas is accurate, but the author misses out mentioning the fact that most nationals do not need a visa to start with ! All in all, the author has put together a nice book about Tunisia, but not so useful for those visiting Tunisia - which is very different. As such, you may well wish to buy it in order to get a feeling of the country, but not bother taking it with you once you go.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurately amazing!, June 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Tunisia (Paperback)

I've just finished my visit of Tunisia five days ago. An awesome country, but undoubtedly it was not been the same without this faboulous guide. If you were on Tunis, the capital, and wish to travel to Bizerte, a coastal city in the north, you just might see your guide to see, truly, the train or bus itineraries, ticket prices and best routes...all updated. Multiply this by every village, town or city in this country and you will realize that you have this perfect book in your hands. Go on, pack your bags!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible, Don't buy this book!, January 13, 2003

By 

Scott G. (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Tunisia (Paperback)

This is the worst of many LP guidebooks we have purchased. We were wondering if the author actually went to Tunisia! Much of the information was dead wrong, especially about the transportation and hotel recommendations. This misinformation put us into quite a potentially dangerous yet miserable predicament in Sfax, where we were stranded. The are no reliable transportation connections to the south (to the Sahara), which is completely contrary to the information in this book! We are seasoned travelers and eventually negotiated our way out of the situations we planned in advance using this guidebook (Hammamet, by the way Mr. Willett, was incredibly wonderful!). We felt this book was a complete waste of money and nearly cost us having a great holiday in Tunisia. A great country to visit, "Morocco light", but you are better off without this book.