Brussels (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) (Turtleback)
May 7, 2009 by Destination Guide
Filed under Travel Belgium Guides
Review
…considered to be the world’s best travel resource to over 30 destinations around the world, make it easier to plan a splendid vacation. — North American Press Syndication
Both novice and experienced travelers will be captivated. — U.S. News & World Report
Each book is a visual as well as informational feast about a particular place. — The New York Times
Encyclopedic in scope, it’s meant to be used before, during, and after your stay. — Travel & Leisure
The best travel guides ever. — Sky Magazine
The most graphically exciting and visually pleasing series on the market. — Chicago Tribune
This is a guidebook series that always seems to inspire smiles…You feel, looking at them, as if you could close the book and step into the street. — Contra Costa Times
With titles covering Paris, Prague, and London, these pocket-sized guides are like a Michelangelo fresco: deliriously rich in detail. — People Magazine
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
This travel guide covers all the major sights – museums, galleries, churches, parks and historic monuments – in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. It offers special features on Belgium history , culture and art and includes material on art nouveau, tapestry, lace and architecture. Its cutaways, floor plans and 3-D maps help you to explore sights including Cathedrale St-Michel-et-Gidule, Musees Royaux des Beaux Arts: d’art ancient and d’art moderne, Parc Cinquantenaire and Groeninge Museum.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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If there’s something really wrong with this brand new eyewitness travel guide it’s the subtittle: the book covers almost all important, interesting and delightfull pieces of land of this wonderfull “pocket” country and I’d rather nominate it: “Belgium: the essencial”. This time, DK (editors) brought us a correctly concised, essencial, plum weight good-to-take-away guide, free from futile information. It has only 192 pages but it’s far better than the 224 pages of Stockholm guide, for instance, that describes “atractions” to expent the time of a whole life and tells nothing about the exciting city of Upsalla, just 35 miles from the capital. The Guide describes the “you should go” cities of Leuven, Namur,Mechelen,Liége,Mons and others sites besides the “You must go” ones of Brussells, Brugge, Ghent and Antwerp. It’s plenty of perfect tridimensional pictures, maps, texts, photos and special boxes with further detailed information, all of them pieces of art that give you a sistemic understanding about WHAT your mind and the 5 senses should “catch”. One more comment: They clearly put in de limelight the flemish-speaking regions of the country. The French ones could receive more attention (perhaps more graphic details). The French-speaking comunity worldwide may not appreciate this uneven treatment. Anyway, the book’s tittle and its price doesn’t sell a mousetrap as a good camembert, so …. in this edition, The Dorling Kindersley Series almost meet again the perfect and final formula of a travel guide, as they did in the New York, London and Istanbul’s editions.
I have had great experiences with the DK Guides. I use it extensively in my trip planning and this is the guide I take on the trip.
This guide provides execllent information about local sites throughout Beligium. It gives very clear guidance concerning what you can find and access information. It also helps you to locate the sites with indexed maps and diagrams.
I have found that this and the other DK Guides are bit weak in providing guidance about what to see. That is, it offers little qualitative information–everything sounds equally wonderful. And we all know this is not necessarily the case.
So I always find another guide that has more opinions and recomended tours to determine what to see. I espiecially look for guided the provide suggested walking tours. This has worked out well for the most part. I use other guides to plan the trip and the DK Guide in the country.
It has very usable maps although sometimes too limited in scope and you may require a local map to get around beyond the central city. Also, because the book is a bit heavy and too large to fit in a jacket pocket after the first day or so I leave it in the hotel and rely on the local map when walking about.
The one topic I find most reliable is DK’s restaurant recommendations. The two places I tried in Brussels were fantastic and offered everything that the guide described. I have had equal success with DK’s restaurant recommendations in other cities/countries.
I think this is an indispensible travel guide as long as you know what you are using it for–planning or background info, etc.
This was an indispensable tool my navigation of Belgium. I also purchased the Top 10, published by DK just so I would not miss anything. I liked the large maps and the clear directions to the venues. The pictures were GREAT. This book greatly enhanced my journey.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, handy reference
I like to see what’s there before I go somewhere. This book makes it easy to do. It covers history, culture, shopping, food, and does it all with great color maps, photos and…
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mostly Brussels
We recently took a trip to Belgium, where we intended to visit Brugge, Antwerp, and Brussels, although in the end, we dropped Antwerp in favor of spending more time in Brugge.
5.0 out of 5 stars
At last – A DK Guide that’s not too heavy
Perfect for Belgium. Brussels, Bruge, Antwerp are all well done. The quality of the DK series makes them the pick of the class, but heavy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best travel book around!
DK guides are by far the best for any trip — their black-by-block walking guides just can’t be beat.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Has a few merits
Although this book is compact it is too heavy to carry if one is on a walking tour. I can read a newspaper without glasses, but with glasses I had trouble with the type.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eyewitness Travel Guide to France
Very good book for the ones who want to get to know in details this wonderful country which has been active part of the contemporany history of our world.