Footprint Argentina Handbook : The Travel Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Argentina is geared up to thrill - from nights tangoing in the chic quarter of Buenos Aires to gaucho riding in the grasslands of the..." (more)
Key Phrases: ripio road, important route centre, many locutorios, San Martin, San Juan, Punta Arenas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

I think Footprint's new jackets work very well. It will provide stiff competition for Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. -- The Bookseller

Of all the main guide series this is genuinely the only one we have never received a complaint about. -- The Bookseller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

This updated and revised travel guide to Argentina contains ideas on how to plan a visit, when to go, where to stay and how to get about. In the same series as "The South American Handbook", it includes Chilean Patagonia (including Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) and excursions from Buenos Aires into Uruguay. The book features: extensive listings on Buenos Aires for all budgets; information on "where to tango"; a special section on "estancia" tourism and adventure tourism, from climbing and trekking to skiing; comprehensive background information on history, culture, art and theatre; colour maps to help plan a journey, with dozens of local town and site maps; and Spanish words and phrases.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 594 pages
• Publisher: Footprint Handbooks; 2nd edition (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1900949679
• ISBN-13: 978-1900949675
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 4.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,912,577 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This 2007 / 4th Edition is a great guide for Argentina and an excellent guide for Patagonia. , February 27, 2007

By	Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Argentina, 4th (Footprint - Travel Guides) (Paperback)

There was a day when Rough Guide and Lonely Planet were the best guides for travelers that sought to leave the tour groups behind and explore on their own. But slowly, year by year, Footprint has improved, and now this 4th edition is one of the best guides for Argentina that you can buy. *Note that this review is for the the 4th edition, other reviews below are probably refering to the 3rd Edition.

I took five travel guides with me to explore Argentina/Patagonia, and I found myself consistently reaching for Footprint first. It is the most current (2006) and the guide consistently listed quality accommodations and good restaurants, some of which were exemplary. The city maps in the guide are excellent. All the restaurants and hotels are well marked on each map. Kudos.

Footprint Argentina's background section (history, religion, culture etc.) is well written, brief, yet informative. There is an abundance of website references throughout the text and a website listing for almost every accommodation = excellent.

I spent five weeks exploring Patagonia and found Footprint to be the best single guide to have. More than 200 pages in this Argentinean guide are devoted to this region, including a section on Chilean Patagonia. If you purchase "Time Out Patagonia" (see my review) you will have the best two guides possible for Patagonia.

On the downside Footprint uses a cumbersome letter system instead of just telling you the price for accommodations (i.e., LL=$200 plus, L=$150-$200, AL=$101-$150, A,B,C,D,E,F etc. -- putting the legend at the back of the book - a serious hassle). It also fails to tell you what is the price range for the restaurants; so at one eatery you could pay $10 for your meal, then have a $35 bill at another. Not good. The descriptions of the restaurants are insipid and verge on being meaningless: "tasty food", "cosy", "very popular", "delicious food". Whereas, other good guides (Rough Guide - also highly recommended - see my review) give you pointers: "best grilled shrimp ever" / "the steaks here are the best in town" etc.

Bottom line: this is a very good guide for Argentina and the best guide for those that are going to Patagonia. Highly recommended

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last! A good edition, March 24, 2004

By	Pablo Martin Podhorzer "Movie Critic, Sociolo... (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Footprint Argentina, Third Edition (Paperback)

There are some better books about Argentina... in Spanish an in six volumes. The best single-volume that I've seen for a traveller is here: the Footprint series at last got it right! (I speak about this last edition only). A lot of good sites that I know from my wanderings in my home country are here, and some others... too! Read carrefully the guide, if you found one sentence that says: this place is breathtaking, believe it even if is only mentioned in that sentence: Argentina is a VERY big place, so many of his attractions may be shortly described, because of that you must put attention to the words that are used. Enjoy!! (and believe the book about security concerns, the guide recomends to visit the country and I agree, the places where it says that you must take care are exactly the places where you must do it).
Update 2008: more info about the unknown province of Catamarca would be welcomed: it have the highest volcanoes out there, natural thermal baths in front of the Andes, and it is really out of the beaten path.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic.. Best travel handbook around!!!, August 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Footprint Argentina Handbook: The Travel Guide (Hardcover)

very impressed by the depth of intelligent coverage on history/economics and politics as an added bonus to the extremly helpful maps and local information. Loved the lay-out. The suggestions of HOW a trek to one city could naturally lead to a visit to another... very fluid. Very well done. I have never bought a footprint book before... i think this will be my first of many. A cut above the rest! Even my argentine boyfriend agrees!!