Lonely Planet Taiwan (Paperback)

by Andrew Bender (Author), Julie Grundvig (Author), Robert Kelly (Author) "If you want to understand Taipei, just cross the street..." (more)
Key Phrases: betel nut beauty, youth activity centre, tourist service centre, Sun Moon Lake, Getting There, Chiang Kai-shek (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Best for curious and independent-minded travelers' --Wall Street Journal
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Ilha Formosa, the 'beautiful isle', is a modern society steeped in Chinese heritage, a land of tropical islands and mountain retreats, neon-lit noodle bars and teeming night markets. Whatever you crave - a soak at a hot spring, a temple-hopping itinerary - this is the only guide that puts it all in one book. From the practical to the inspirational, let us connect you with Taiwan.

• BE INSPIRED by itineraries through old Taiwan, new Taipei and the East Coast • ESCAPE to idyllic mountains, tropical islands and coastal strips with our excursion ideas • FEAST LIKE AN EMPEROR - our expert-written Food & Drink chapter is at your service • CROSS THE LANGUAGE BARRIER - with our extensive Language chapter and loads of Chinese script • GET AROUND - with the help of 78 detailed maps

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 6 edition (November 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 174059360X
• ISBN-13: 978-1740593601
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #474,359 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Probably your best option for now, but . . . , July 7, 2005

By	Meads - See all my reviews

Having just returned from three weeks in China and Taiwan, I can report that the Lonely Planet Guide to Taiwan is generally helpful and reliable, but it's hardly the ideal guide and often is entirely counter-intuitive. For instance, there is a section on p. 31 consiting of five paragraphs on the topic of population. And yet nowhere in that section do the authors tell us what the population of Taiwan actually is. For that bit of information, we have to look at a sidebar on p. 19 entitled "Fast Facts." There seems to be a presumption that the traveller will read through the entire guide from front to back, rather than use the book as a reference guide. Similarly, the maps are less than ideal, and the spare use of color plates does little to provide any real information (color maps of Taipei would have been far more useful). Given that the authors judge the National Palace Museum as a "must-see" (and they're right about that), it would have been nice if they had mentioned that the museum will be undergoing major renovations from 2004-2006 (providing a website address for the museum also would've been helpful).

Unfortunately, this seems to be the best option at present, and one could do worse. If you're going to Taiwan, I would encourage you to buy a copy, but be warned: it will not be one of the better guides you've ever used.

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A first look at The Beautiful Island (2004, sixth edition), January 28, 2005

By	Alton Thompson (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The review of Lonely Planet Taiwan that appears below is of the sixth edition published in 2004.

The seventh edition, 2007, by Joshua Kelly and Robert Samuel Brown, is a refinement of the 2004 book in every way. Kelly and Brown take a useful, concise and elegant guide, organize and update details throughout, and infuse the whole with a thoroughly Taiwanese sense of fun. Recommended.

~ Alton
_____________


"Taiwan sees a lot of change in one generation. And here, three years is one generation."

This observation by a native says it all. Taiwan is growth, whether you're talking about its lush vegetation, its booming economy, its vibrant democracy, or its increasing awareness of itself as a distinct and unique place in the world. You will be hard put to find a more open and welcoming destination than Ilha Formosa--the beautiful isle, the star of the sea.

Since 1987 many travelers have made Lonely Planet Taiwan their companion on the journey. You will find reviews of the first five editions of the book, all by Robert Storey, elsewhere here at Amazon. This sixth edition by Andrew Bender, Julie Grundvig, and Robert Kelly serves me well. Judging by the way it flies off shelves in downtown Taipei, other people feel the same way.

The core of the book presents chapter-length tours by region: Taipei, Northern Taiwan, East Coast, Western Taiwan, and the Taiwan Straight Islands. Each chapter offers stop-by-stop descriptions of towns, parks, natural features, temples, museums, and related attractions. The level of detail is excellent for an introductory text. In-text maps offer a focused look at each locale. You will find lodging and dining options for every budget, with complete contact information for each establishment. Specialized itineraries help readers with special interests--night markets, spas and hot springs, temples, mountains, waterfalls--make the most of their time or money. Along the way the authors alert you to Taiwan's lesser known joys as well as to its icons.

Additional chapters address Culture, Food and Drink, Environment, Transport, Health, History, and Language. First-time visitors to Taiwan will want to turn at once to 'Don't Leave Home Without' (p9), 'Etiquette Dos and Don'ts' (p29), 'Eating Dos and Don'ts' (p55), and 'How to Visit a Hot Spring' (p109). The Language chapter gets you started with a guide to pronunciation, a short list of words and phrases, and an explanation of the phonetic systems used in Taiwan. The Culture chapter describes Taiwan's religions and aspects of art. The History section provides a long view, concise but helpful, of life in the Taiwan Straight. The Health chapter, by Dr Trish Batchelor, offers informative if general advice about travel ailments, remedies, insurance issues, and facilities.

Inset boxes throughout the book highlight subjects of interest. Topics include the Top Five Hot Springs Resorts, Top Five Temples, Cloud Gate Dance Company, the Betel Nut Beauty, Sun Moon Lake, the 2-28 Incident, Specialty Shopping Streets, Gay and Lesbian Nightlife, Three Small Links, Beer Houses, Holidays and Festivals, the 921 Earthquake, Chung Tai Chan Temple, and the National Palace Museum.

The book is generously illustrated with in-text greyscale images and colour plates. You will find a cross-referenced, colour relief map of Taiwan near the title page. The book provides measurement conversion charts, MRT maps, cell phone and Internet option lists, and a world time zone map.

The book has room to improve. Details are occasionally amiss, as when the National Concert Hall is misidentified or a university's name is misrepresented. It's hard to feel we are in very good hands when the author of the historical section (p19) describes American President Bill Clinton "sending Taiwan the biggest supply of nuclear weapons Asia had seen since Vietnam." Taiwan to this day has never had nuclear weapons.

The book has room to grow. It appears to take good care of hikers, mountain climbers, and whitewater rafters, but many visitors may be interested in the sailing, diving, and boating opportunities here. The Arts section, too, could show readers more possibilities. Visitors are likely to be interested in Taiwanese opera, puppet drama, and symphonic music that are easily encountered here.

The book, in its effort to be helpful, does not hesitate to offer data that goes quickly out of date. Readers will want to bookmark the many websites the authors recommend and keep up with new editions of the book.

Going to Taiwan? Lonely Planet Taiwan makes a useful first purchase.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Amateur Effort from Lonely Planet, April 19, 2007

By	Scoot (Asian Pacific) - See all my reviews

I have a love/ hate relationship with Lonely Planet guides. On one hand I detest the `budget backpackers are holier than thou" attitude which seems to permeate many of the guides' contributions, on the other I am remarkably impressed with their information, maps, attention to detail and notes of interest- hence I continue to reference them. Previous LP guides which I have used and swear by for their usefulness include previous editions of Thailand, Bangkok City guide, Bali & Lombok and India to name a few.

Lonely Planet's Taiwan guide in a word...sucks. There is just too much information lacking from this guide for it to be considered anything near complete. As an example, the section for the city of Kaohsiung ( the second largest city in Taiwan) had all of six (count `em) six entries for hotels- in a major metropolitan city, and one in which I counted at least twice that amount before I even left the train station grounds. Albeit the information that is actually provided is quite sound, the considerable amount of lacking details make this guide not much more useful than maps and guide given out free at Taiwan's Tourist Information centers. In fact, it is surprising just how many times the authors flat out advise you to go to various Tourist info centers to gather required information- rather than write about it themselves. To get an idea of just how spartan this guide is, one only needs to look at the mere size of it. Compare LP's Taiwan with LP's Thailand or Bali (both excellent publications). Then take into consideration the sheer size of the country. LP's Taiwan is about the size of LP's Bali, when it really should be a lot closer the size of LP's Thailand. Recommend you only borrow this one just to orient yourself prior to going, then head straight to the nearest tourist info center for the real scoop.