The Rough Guide to Poland (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

Jonathan Bousfield (Author), Mark Salter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2005

Now in its 6th edition this Rough Guide has been fully updated and revised. Its 24-page full-colour section introduces the author''s “things not to miss”, a selective taste of the country''s highlights: outstanding buildings, and historic sites, natural wonders and vibrant festivals. Throughout, there are discerning reviews of all the best places to stay, eat and drink, to suit any budget, from the fast-changing cities of Warsaw and Krakow to the laid-back lakeside resorts of Mazuria. There is extensive coverage of the countryside, from Slowinski National Park''s sand dunes to the alpine Tatra mountains, with practical advice on how to explore it. Finally, the Contexts section provides an authoritative background on the country''s politics, history, literature and folk music.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These guides offer detailed coverage of both provincial and urban areas, especially Warsaw and, more importantly, Krak?w. The outdoor recreation for which Poland is deservedly well known gets its due. The Rough Guide has few maps and no photos, while Lonely Planet offers 90 maps and 24 pages of color.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

OUR FAVES FOR EUROPEAN TRAVEL... MAINLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT SO ROUGH

New York Daily News --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 6 edition (August 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843534886
• ISBN-13: 978-1843534884
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Travel > Europe > Poland

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Poland travel guide out there, July 4, 2006

By 

AcornMan (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Poland (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the whole story, March 5, 2001

By 

Chris (Kirkwood, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Poland (Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rough is right, August 16, 2003

By 

Kenneth A. Gorski (El Paso, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Poland (Paperback)

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