Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to London Mini (Rough Guide Mini Guides)

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

 

 

There isn't much about greater London that isn't covered in this guidebook. The author's tone is often pretty cynical, but if you want to avoid--or at least be warned about--the very touristy and/or the very cheesy, this is probably the book for you.

I am an airline employee, and I travel a lot. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend Easter Weekend in London, England, and a co-worker gave me her copy of the Pocket Rough Guide. It was the best travel guide I have ever used. Small enough to carry in my back pocket, it had detailed street and subway maps, opening hours for shops, entrance fees and hours for sights and attractions, recomendations on where to eat and sleep, history and current affairs. I had it with me constantly, and referred to it on a minute by minute basis as I did my best to see as much of London as I could in two and a half days. Concise and VERY practicle, I would recommend this book to anyone planning a visit here.

I visited London for the first time in March 2000. I selected this guidebook based on favorable experiences with other books from this series. London is a huge, complex city that can overwhelm a first time traveller. This book made it very easy to to find my way around. I don't expect any travel book to be completely accurate in describing accomodations, restaurants and other commercial venues in a fast-changing urban environment. However, I found this one to be right about 98% percent of the time.

Some nice features of this book were detailed sections on activities for children, and better than average information for gay/lesbian and disabled travellers. Another real bonus is the suggested reading section at the back of the book. I found some very worthwhile books there that I have been reading as background for my next London trip.

Rough guides, in general, are the BEST. However, I feel that although this book would be extremely useful for someone moving to London or currently living in London who wants to get to know it in EXTREME depth, it is WAY WAY WAY too long (672 pages) for the casual visitor who may be spending just a few days there. It would take you more time to go through the book (even just skimming) than doing the actual sightseeing itself. You are better off getting the RG to England or Britain, both of which have very extensive information on London but information which can be digested on a short visit. The London guide is simply too long for a book on just ONE city - even if that city is London.

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I bought this book as I was going on a trip to London. I have used other Rough Guide books in the past and I was satisfied. However, this book has mistakes that shouldn't be there because it is a new edition. I had the chance to verify them myself for I used it shortly after it came out. It will be the edition people will use for the next two years, so a little more cautiousness would not harm.

This is definitely one of the best London travel guides available. There is only one reason why I did not give it five stars, that being the lack of detail on the maps. The maps in the Eyewitness London guide are much better (though that guide lacks the kind of detail that the Rough Guide offers in other parts). The organization is outstanding, which is very important given London's enormous size. Other than the maps, everything else is absolutely outstanding.

As of April 2011, the Rough Guide to London hasn't been updated for 2011. After reading the London section of Rick Steves' England 2011, I found this guide entirely devoted to London to be a waste in comparison. It does not express candid opinions or clear guidelines for what is must-see and what to avoid. It's nice that it has a lot of maps, but it lacks something essential to me: possible self-guided walks and suggested day-to-day itineraries. I found the endless paragraphs chock full of history to be a drudgery to pull through when I wanted select pointers; there is no clear method for its organization other than just throwing out all the info about each section of the city that there is...but maybe you like history and will find this thorough instead.

The Rough Guide is always a strong choice for the ones travelling by theirselves. The competition is tought (Lonely Planet is also very good), but when i think about single city guides, i turn to the Rough Guide!

"Rough Guide London Directions" is the latest edition of a wonderfully useful guide to exploring Britain's premier city and one of the great cities of the world. In a compact and concise format of just over 250 pages, this Rough Guide offers a varied menu of descriptions, directions, maps, color pictures, addresses, and websites for the traveler who needs his information to go.

The book opens with a discussion of London by theme. Whether it is museums, art, pubs, parks, the London Stage, or festivals and events, no visitor should be bored in London. Next, author Rob Humphreys offers descriptions and opinions of the major neighborhoods of London, from Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to Greenwich and Hampton Court, identifying in each case the most prominent attractions. Humphreys rounds out the book with a selected listing of accomodations by neighborhood and closes with some essential information on arriving and getting around London. The end pages include two larger scale maps and a color diagram of the London Underground.

For the traveler planning a short visit and lacking the time for extensive research, "Rough Guides London Directions" might be pretty close to one-stop shopping. For those travelers with more time and the enthusiasm to do extensive research, this book is an excellent start. To both audiences, "Rough Guide London Directions" is highly recommended.

I pre-ordered this book as I am gearing up for a return trip to London. This is a fantastic book. Very helpful and the maps are clear and concise. I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to London.