Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to Poland

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

 

 

For my first trip to Poland, I bought the Lonely Planet travel guide. And although it was very good, I decided to try the Rough Guide for my second trip. I found it to be an absolutely outstanding travel guide. Compared to the Lonely Planet guide, it has better maps (and a LOT more of them - even for smaller towns and villages), more detailed information, and more specific information about hotels, restaurants, banks, and other facts that make traveling easier.

I'm really not sure how other reviewers here came to think that this book focuses too much on the Holocaust. Sure, it's mentioned in parts of the book, but it is by no means over-emphasized. This is a travel book, and the history presented in it is fairly cursory, as it should be since the only reason it's there is to provide some context. (In fact, the history section is actually labeled "Context").

Don't let the other reviews scare you off. This is an absolutely outstanding travel guide - one that will serve you very well.

Don't want to sound like I'm shilling for Amazon.com, but if you're going to be in Poland for more than a few days, I would recommend both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet Poland guides.

Both the strength and the weakness of the Rough Guide is that it is written by a Western European (or is he a North American?) who experiences Poland in a way I assume would be similar to most readers of English-language guides. That means sometimes he's sarcastic and dismissive when he shouldn't be. It is true, what other reviewers said about his tendency to question the essential Polishness of towns, people, etc. There's about 900 years of propaganda behind a lot of this, and I doubt the author is conversant with that history. On the other hand, his general reactions to things -- the beauty of Krakow, bad first impressions of Warsaw, the horror of Auschwitz, etc. -- were similar to my own reactions.

I have found the Lonely Planet guide to be generally the more accurate of the two on the mundane details. It's also more balanced in its interpretations, though that is a matter of perspective. The author is a Pole, and his superior knowledge and understanding of just about everything both books cover is pretty evident. In no way is the book written from a crude, nationalistic standpoint, but he nevertheless doesn't quite connect to the reader in some vital way the author of Rough Guide Poland does. Maybe it's because he writes as a native rather than a sardonic ex-pat. If you're buying just one Poland guidebook, go with Lonely Planet.

The only thing rough about this book is that it was allowed to pass a copy editor and onto printing while in rough draft form. This is by far one of the worst travel guides I have ever purchased...way out of date, biased, bigoted. If one ever intended to see the out of the way sights by using this book you may just as well forget it. The maps are unusable, there are no helpful tourists tips ie where to catch a tourist bureau, a restroom, etc. It makes you not want to visit Poland at all. What a shame since getting off into the country side areas, even cities of 10-25,00 people there is no info. Save your money and buy a national geographic subscription. ken gorski, el paso, texas August 16, 2003

Any seasoned traveler should know that one guidebook can never tell everything we want to know, so it is always better to have a second one on hand. But if I can only bring one with me on my trips, it would be a rough guide. Actually, I think an Eyewitness Guide would be a great supplement, but I decided to leave that home since I wanted to travel light. I went to Krakow and Warsaw last winter break and relied solely on this RG.

I find the historical and cultural information to be satisfying, with just the right amount of detail (and interesting anecdotes), without overwhelming the regular traveler.

The highlight to me personally are the restaurant recommendations and indication on the maps where they are. I was satisfied with the recommendations I went to.

This guide had extensive information on Poland, including coverage of many small towns omitted from other books. It is much more thorough than Lonely Planet. It also includes more information on sites of Jewish interest, which Lonely Planet virtually ignores. Perhaps that is why the other reviewer considered it a negative book.

As with most guides geared to a budget audience, information on upmarket hotels and restaurants is limited at best. However, there is much more detail of things off the beaten path than one would find in a more upmarket guide.

Interesting and fascinating...also since I am now in Poland this book makes even more sense.

This book is very negative in presenting Poland and its culture. Every time the author mentions something worth visiting, it is with reservations and he makes sure to diminish it in some way by subtly bringing negative aspects or comparisons (or questioning Polish origins of it.) Makes you wonder what were the reasons for writing this book. Many names are misspelled and prices not very accurate, especially for higher priced hotels and restaurants. Lonely Planet's Poland is much more enjoyable and accurate.

I have visited Poland twice and am thinking of a third trip. The Rough Guide was the guide book I used on my last trip. Perhaps he is tired of the emphasis on Polands recent past, but I would like to remind him of the other guide books I checked out, this was the only one that provided details of the places that I wanted to visit. On my first trip there, the deemphasis of the Jewish hallocaust was astounding, I attributed to the recent change in governments. Even the Jewish Star in the Salt Mine was zipped through. If it hadn't been for the Rough Guide, my knowlege would have been less. I'm sorry he feels it is "tiresome" it is something that can't be swept away. After all it was Poland that had a pogram AFTER WW 2 in which more returning Jews were killed. If he does not wish to read about events that happened, he should find another guide.