Moon Handbooks South Korea (Paperback)

by Robert Nilsen (Author) "South Korea comprises the lower half of the Korean Peninsula, a ruggedly mountainous land mass that dangles from East Asia, thrusting out of Manchuria toward..." (more)
Key Phrases: sari pudo, wood printing blocks, associated hermitages, Silla Dynasty, South Korea, North Korea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The latest in the batch of "Moon Handbooks releases proves again that Moon is one of the finest travel series around. What sets Moon apart from most guidebooks is the attention to detail, and more importantly, a respect for the topic."

Product Description
South Korea is a marriage of ancient and modern: a shopper's paradise where secluded palaces hide amidst skyscrapers, and Buddhist figurines stand tall along hiking trails. How do you create your own mix of new and old? Moon Handbooks South Korea offers thorough coverage not only of major destinations like modern Seoul and the DMZ border area, but also of the country's 3,000 years of history nestled in its quiet temples, secluded palaces, majestic peaks, and emerald-green islands. Thoroughly revised and updated, this guide is packed with fresh information on sights, recreation, accommodation and dining options that cover a broad range of budgets and personal interests. Complete with detailed maps, fascinating sidebars, a newly expanded phrasebook, and a thorough introduction to the country's political and cultural history, Moon Handbooks South Korea is an intelligent choice for independent travelers wishing to experience everything this fascinating destination has to offer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 860 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 3rd edition (November 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566914183
• ISBN-13: 978-1566914185
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #201,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly wonderful guidebook, July 8, 2000

By	Jacquelyn Pursel (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Handbooks: South Korea (2nd Ed.) (Paperback)

Last year, I lived in Korea for 10 months. I took two guidebooks with me, Lonely Planet and Moon Handbooks. Moon handbooks was by far the superior book. It has everything in it. The first two hundred pages give an introduction to the history, culture, and important travel tips. This was very useful if you're going to the country to learn about the culture as well as see the sights. This book gives a lot of history and even myths and stories about the sites around Korea. Lonely Planet didn't give much information on the cities and sites(Kyoungju, one of the cultural sites of the world, had only a couple of pages on it, whereas the Moon guide had 50); many of the places I went weren't even in Lonely Planet. It tended to focus on hotels and places to eat. I didn't stay in a lot of hotels while I was there, but the ones I did stay at were in the Moon Handbook and were everything they said they'd be. If you're going to Korea and want to learn about the places you're going to, take the Moon Handbook. I never used my Lonely Planet handbook, and left it there when I came home. I still have my Moon Handbook and hope to use it if I get the chance to return.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the long haul, superior to Lonely Planet, April 29, 2006

By	Jared M (Hamilton New Zealand) - See all my reviews

Out of curiousity, when considering my next trip to Korea, I purchased the Moon Handbooks South Korea. I already had the 5th and 6th editions of the Lonely Planet Korea books, and am a self-avowed fan of Lonely Planet. On reviewing the Moon book, and comparing it to the LP products, I have to admit to being impressed by the breadth of coverage of Korea by the Moon Handbook. I lived there for a year (in Gumi, near Daegu), and have visited twice more for several weeks, but there were places mentioned in the Moon book that I was totally unaware of, despite spending several days in some areas with my LP guide book. In fact, Gumi isn't even mentioned in the LP at all (except on a map), while the Moon book does have a brief section about the city, which surprised me, as the only thing of note in Gumi is the fact that it is the birthplace of President Park Chung-hee.

While I would consider the LP books are slightly superior in some areas, such as "Facts for the visitor", "Getting there and away", and "Getting around" sections, for sights to see, the Moon book provides much greater depth and information. This is particularly the case for cities and regions outside of Seoul. Of course, this is partially due to the greater number of pages in the Moon Book which obviously allow greater amounts of information to be provided, but having said that, in size and weight, the Moon book isn't significantly larger than the LP books. This is due to the lighter papers used in the Moon book. Otherwise, in terms of content, Moon is similar to LP. There is a Korean language section at the back, and place names are given in hangul as well as english in the text. In some cases, information as to how to get to some places is relatively light, but this probably wouldn't be such a problem to a long term visitor.

For short-term visitors, the LP book will suffice as plenty of information is provided that will keep people with a limited amount of time in the country busy. But I would suggest for those planning a long term stay in Korea (for example as ESL teachers) to try out this book due to the higher amounts of sights listed. Not every teacher gets to work in Seoul, and one of the shortcomings of the LP book is its brevity of information provided for the smaller, but still significant cities of South Korea. This is where the Moon book really comes into its own in comparison to the LP book, as it does not stint in this area.

To detract from the book, the maps in some instances weren't as well or exactly detailed as the maps in the LP book. For those who think colours are important in the books they read, Moon is pretty light on colour - a couple of pages in the front of the book, otherwise its all black and white (does keep the weight of book down though, as color pages require higher grade, and hence heavier, paper). The book is also directed at the US market, so in some areas of the book, such as "practicalities", information relating to visas, airlines, and exchange rates is relatively light for readers from the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Still, I would recommend this book over the LP book, at least until the next edition of the LP book comes out, which I believe will be around August 2007.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As essential as a travel visa, January 1, 2001

By	Tim Ciccone (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Handbooks: South Korea (2nd Ed.) (Paperback)

I have visited South Korea several times and have always been disappointed by the paltry selection of guidebooks. That all changed when I found this little jewel. Nilsen's "South Korea Handbook" captured my heart because it describes the things that really matter about a country--its cultural treasures, architectural wonders, scenic sights, and natural history. It skips the usual fluff about hotels and restaurants that bogs down other guidebooks. Nilsen covers only the things that are permanent about Korea, and I thank him for it.

The Handbook was so useful that I found myself carrying it in lieu of a map. As a student of architectural history, I was pleased to be able to locate so many out-of-the-way treasures using Nilsen's detailed and useful maps.

If you absolutely need hotel and restaurant information, buy a guidebook like Fodor's, but take along a copy of this as well. You'll sure to be well pleased.