Lonely Planet Germany (Paperback)

by Andrea Schulte-Peevers (Author), Sarah Johnstone (Author), Etain O'Carroll (Author), Jeanne Oliver (Author), Tom Parkinson (Author), Nicola Williams (Author) "Germany. The land of bratwurst and beer halls, lederhosen and autobahns, right?..." (more)
Key Phrases: unlimited public transport, private tourist office, books private rooms, Black Forest, Art Nouveau, Middle Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
It's an enormous place with overwhelming tourist options. Smack in the middle of Europe, Germany's got the Bavarian Alps, windswept North Sea islands, the Black Forest and the castle-dotted Rhine. And there's Berlin, a city where you could easily spend all your vacation and not see a tenth of what it has to offer. Germany has history aplenty, an enormous variety of museums, cosmopolitan sophistication and rural quaintitude, camping, beer gardens, and music of all kinds. In short, Germany is the kind of place where a guidebook makes all the difference.

Lonely Planet covers the country diligently and entertainingly, leaving nothing out. With maps of all 16 states, over 35 city maps, and a fold-out transportation map to Berlin, the daunting becomes comfortable. There are the background chapters on history, government, climate and ecology, the people, the arts, society and language, and a big fat chapter covering all the necessary details of visas, money, Web sites, electricity, festivals, health, and accommodations for special needs, plus how to get there and how to get around once you've arrived. Then for every city and burg, Lonely Planet provides the stuff a traveler needs to know, all about where to stay, eat, sight see, shop, and play. And scattered in and among the guiding text are little nuggets of interest, telling the stories of witches and warlocks, Bertolt Brecht, Marlene Dietrich, and the sad tale of Queen Caroline. Not prohibitively large, Lonely Planet's guidebook packs enough into its pages for 100 good trips. --Stephanie Gold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
As usual the guidebook standard is set by Lonely Planet

-- Outside --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 816 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 4th edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740594711
• ISBN-13: 978-1740594714
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #452,157 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sarcasm Mars Otherwise Useful Book, December 6, 1999

By	Tom Burke (Chicago area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Germany (Paperback)

This lighthearted and otherwise sound book is tripped up by its occasional harsh treatment of some German areas or cities, in particular those in the former East Germany. Case in point is Frankfurt/Oder which is an historic, former East German city that sits across the Oder River from Poland.

In both this book and a similar one on Berlin by Lonely Planet, the writers appear to go out of their way to bash Frankfurt/Oder with petty criticisms ranging from the architecture to the people. I made a day trip to check out Frankfurt/Oder after reading such a review, thinking to myself that it can't be as bad as the writers at Lonely Planet say. My experiences were much the opposite, with friendly and helpful people, a charming downtown with picturesque streetcars, and a panoromic view of Poland across the Oder River from a walkway. Is it as charming as, say, Heidelberg or Bamberg? No, but it is very East German in contrast.

Take some of the advice with a grain of salt in this book and go with an open mind to enjoy the uniqueness of East German life before it disappers.

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Be careful-is this really what you need?, September 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Germany (Paperback)

I travel a lot and compare guides a lot. I have used and enjoyed other Lonely Planet guides for other countries successfully. This one was a real disappointment. It is thorough, but does not really teach you to prioritize your time, or compare routes. It is intensely geared towards rail and bus travelers, but many things in Germany are worth renting a car to see--in which case the book will not cover those areas at all. Hotels chosen by the book will be in relation to train stations--which aren't always either a good deal or a restful place to stay. Add that to the fact it's heavy, and you'll be shlepping a lot of useless information unless you're spending the whole year there...

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative, but biased, January 7, 2000

By	Sarah L. Goralewski (Erlangen, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Germany (Paperback)

Overall, I found Lonely Planet's guide more informative and definitely more accurate than Let's Go's. However, I must thoroughly agree with other readers--the book does a severe injustice to Eastern Germany. While Eastern and Western Germany are once again one country, they continue to be very different in many respects. LP judges Eastern Germany with very Western German eyes, not recognizing the fascinating history and culture that lies within this region. Lonely Planet--improve your Eastern Germany section!

Also, more information could be included about Germany's various Nature Parks. While they don't rival the National Parks of the states, they are beautiful nonetheless and offer tons of opportunities for exploring.