As a young woman of 20 planning my first trip away this summer, I bought Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" simply because it was on offer in WHSmiths. Little did I know it was to be the best book I ever bought!
There are in depth chapters on the following countries... Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, S lovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine. This was particularly impressive as many of the smaller books only cover the larger, more popular countries.
Europe on a Shoestring is written by various travel authors, all of whom have either lived or frequently visited their country of choice. Each chapter contains information about the general background of the country, with a brief history. It often goes into quite detail about the culture of the country too, and a recommended daily budget. There is then a section for each major city or region too.
The book contains information on many really useful topics; hostels and hotels to suit all mid to low budgets, eating out, getting around, what to see, what to avoid, what to watch out for, entertainment and nightlife, politics (eg Visas, current political state of the country) as well as exchange rates, money and telephone details. One thing to note is that it is a low budget book. If it's limos, Michelin star restaurants and swanky hotels you're after, it's probably not the book for you! But if you're looking to stretch your money as far as you can, like I was, then this is definitely a good one!
The maps are very clear and easy to understand. This is a huge benefit, as individual city maps can work out really expensive on experience. Major sites and attractions, as well as street names are included, to help you find your hostel once you arrive.
The only downside to this book is its size. It's fine if you are buying it to help plan your trip before you go away, but if you plan to buy a book to take around in your back pack, then it is fairly heavy and bulky. A lot of the extra history and culture of places are not really essential while you are out there, but make for good reading beforehand. I bought the book before I went to read up and help with planning, and ended up leaving it at home because my bag was very full and it was so big and heavy. However, 1 week in I decided to go to the local bookshop in Rome and re-buy it to bring with me. Thats how useful it was!
On the whole, this book is an excellent all rounder...especially for travellers who are visiting multiple countries. The tips on saving money are fantastic, for example giving details of buses and trains to the airport from the city centre, rather than relying on taxis all the time, where to find free city tours, and when the local happy hours are. Also theft and scam warnings, such as certain overnight train routes in Eastern Europe which are targeted by thiefs are highlighted to keep you safe. Many of the major cities such as Rome and Berlin are very expensive to eat or drink, but the guide has a full list of restaurants and bars to suit all budgets and diets. Being a vegetarian, this was especially helpful as many countries such as Slovakia don't cater very well for a meat free diet, unless you find a McDonalds and settle for fries!
Finally, the language chapter at the end of the book is as comprehensive as you will need to get around easily. General phrases and pronunciations are explained well for every language spoken in the countries the book covers.
I hope you found this review useful :)
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Advantages: Easy access to useful information and entertaining Disadvantages: Heavy for backpackers (easily overcome) and not as big a range as some might wish for
Advantages: Easy access to useful information and entertaining Disadvantages: Heavy for backpackers (easily overcome) and not as big a range as some might wish for
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