Istanbul (City Guide) (Paperback)

by Virginia Maxwell (Author)
Key Phrases: Aya Sofya, Taksim Square, Golden Horn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003


Product Description
Istanbul is a cultural mosaic, a heady mix of the hip and the classical, the ultramodern and the ancient - discover the great intercontinental city with Lonely Planet. Whether you want to shop for carpets, behold architectural treasures, catch a Bosphorus ferry or smoke a nargileh, this stylish and street-smart guide is your essential companion.

• TAP INTO THE PULSE of the metropolis with our Entertainment listings and City Life coverage

• HAGGLE LIKE A PRO - we give you the lowdown on the arcades of the Grand Bazaar, Beyoglu's designer boutiques and the best antique and curio shops

• TRAVEL THROUGH TIME with our walking tours highlighting Byzantine and Ottoman glories and the city's atmospheric neighborhoods

• EAT AND SLEEP LIKE A SULTAN - discerning listings cover Istanbul's burgeoning culinary scene and best rest-your-head options

• GET OUT, GET ABOUT with our Excursions chapter and easy-to-use, full-color maps

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Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 4 edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740594835
• ISBN-13: 978-1740594837
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,649 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lonely Planet Istanbul, January 30, 2006

By	Miriam Mott-smith "scarletta" (california, usa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This guide is loaded with information about Istanbul. I have found it very useful in planning my trip. i had at first bought another istanbul guide and found it to be really lacking in substance. Mostly pictures, not much text, lots of platitudes designed to dazzle you, and made of heavy paper that is a drag to carry around. the lonely planet guide is lightweight, informative, good maps, and enough pictures to satisfy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only a little helpful and the writing style could not be more annoying, September 21, 2007

By	N. Del Conte "natali78" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have always found Lonely Planet books to be helpful. This is by far the worst I have ever purchased. The maps were helpful but so were the maps we picked up at the airport. This book is inappropriate and overly effusive.

Most Lonely Planet books are written by people far more authoritative than this. They have either lived in those places or worked there for several months at a time. It seems like this writer just took a few trips to Istanbul with her friends and somehow landed a pretty sweet book deal. She barely touches the neighborhoods that are not the main tourist attractions.

As for the touristy areas, she may as well have been a writer for the Turkish Tourism Association. She gives very little history of the places she writes about and does not give a realistic take on them. For instance, she says that Topkapi Palace is so great that "tourist attractions rarely get better than this." What she fails to mention is that very little of the palace is left in its original state so you don't get a sense of palace life. The rooms are lined with shelves with old artifacts so it is essentially a museum in a palace. The Turkish government only let the palace become a tourist attraction bit by bit so this is to be expected. It is a great place but Maxwell hardly conveys that.

Also, she says that Ayasofya will take your breath away. This is the worst-maintained historical place I have ever seen. She fails to mention that there has been scaffolding in the dome for nearly 10 years.

Also, the ferry information she gives is wrong and we missed a trip to the Princes' Islands because of it.

Lastly, I don't think phrases like "wet dream" belong in a tourism book. What does that even mean anyway?

I am not saying Istanbul is not worthy of praise. It certainly is an amazing city in its fusion of East and West and I had hoped to be guided through it by someone who better understood that rather than a bubble gum fan. I honestly cannot understand how this book made it to publishing with its lack of detail and gushing style. I usually have far better Lonely Planet experiences. Hopefully the company will update this book with a new author soon who can give Istanbul the assessment it deserves.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Functional, November 28, 2006

By	Jennie (metro DC) - See all my reviews

This book is already annoyingly out of date, but is still the best guide to Istanbul out right now. The prices are off and for some reason given in Euros, even though most places only want Turkish Lira. Maxwell's opinions are loud, even for a Lonely Planet guide, and I found myself disagreeing with a lot of them. Still, a good size to fit in your coat pocket while running around and discovering Istanbul.