The Rough Guide to Korea 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

Norbert Paxton (Author), Rough Guides (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rough Guide Travel Guides | Publication Date: August 4, 2008

Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Korea, the ultimate guide to this stunning region. Covering both North & South Korea, the full-colour section introduces the countries highlights, from the shrines, temples and palaces of Seoul to the broad stretches of paddy field in the Ch''ungch''ong-do province. With informed accounts and unparalleled coverage, clue-up on all the top sights from the small coastal towns and remote forested mountains of Eastern Korea to the rich rice fields of Korea’s South Western area with coverage all the islands, from Jeju Island to Ulleungdo. The guide takes a detailed look at Korean history, culture and wildlife with expert background on everything from Korean cuisine to hiking South Korea’s national parks to taking a tour in North Korea. There are plenty of practical tips and information on all the best accommodation, transportation, including visiting North Korea from South, and lively reviews of hundreds of shops, restaurants, bars and clubs. Discover every corner of Korea with the clearest maps of any guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 1 edition (August 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843538105
• ISBN-13: 978-1843538103
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Travel > Asia > South Korea

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointed, January 31, 2011

By 

Dustin Jordan - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Korea 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I'm a big fan of Rough Guides books, but I have been sorely disappointed with this one. There is a distinct lack of in-depth cultural and historical asides that I grew to love in the other Rough Guides books. As well, there have been many times where I had difficulty finding my way to destinations in the book due to incomplete or unclear directions. I find that I rarely use the book because it's let me down so much.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Guidebook, August 31, 2010

By 

S. Kelly "Make no little plans, they have no ... (Jinan, China) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Korea 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I've lived in Korea for years and am now returning. It's a hard place to write a guidebook on since it lacks the grand sights of China or the festivals and rich traditions of Japan. Yet this writer accurately describes this country that can be tough for non-Korean speakers to get around.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst travel guides I have ever used (and I've used a lot), June 2, 2009

By 

Andrew Behn (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Korea 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

The Rough Guide to Korea is a terrible guide book. Do yourself a favor, navigate away from this page and go get yourself a Lonely Planet. The main problem is a lack of detailed information, the sort of stuff that doesn't seem critical when planning your trip from abroad, but which becomes abundantly clear when on the ground in Korea. This includes things such as a complete map of the Seoul metro (several stops near the ends are omitted), a detailed map of any neighborhood or thorough analysis of which sights are worthwhile and which are a complete waste of time. Nothing ruins a trip more efficiently than a guidebook which makes you believe you have all of the requisite information for a task only to leave you lost. It's not all bad, the cultural and historical information is well written and interesting, but not standout - this same information is portrayed equally well in any other guidebook. If you had a better experience than I, please refute me and write your own review. My advice however, is STAY AWAY.