Naples & the Amalfi Coast (City Guide) (Paperback)
June 24, 2009 by Traveler
Filed under Travel Italy Guides
Review
Lonely Planet guidebooks are, quite simply, like no others.’ –New York Times
Product Description
Experience the dramatic Neapolitan combo of sweeping staircases, cultish shrines and bellowing baristi, p. 64.
Indulge the city’s bacchanalian bent for high-voltage street life, thunderous opera and sweat-soaked dance floors, p. 127.
Explore secret ruins and sub-merged mosaics in Campi Flegrei, p. 102
Leave the beach behind and traverse Sorrento’s unspoiled rural hinterland, p. 217.
Two expert authors, four annual miracles, five spa treatments, seven interviews, 67 pizzas and 206 espressos.
Expanded coverage of ancient sites Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestrum and volatile Vesuvius.
Book in and bed down at great-value accommodation along the Amalfi Coast.
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If this is indicative of a “new look” Lonely Planet guide, then it is a wonderful step up. I have used LP guides for years, and always found them reliable , informative and occasionally nicely opinionated.
However, there was a format change a couple of years ago I wasn’t too pleased about, which somehow rendered the txt less readable for “mature eyes” (lighter print?).
This guide is fabulous. There are colour pics scattered throughout, the layout is attractive and clear, and the information as good as ever. There has been some criticism that LP are now aiming at the “flashpacker” market, and leaving behind the budget traveller. Perhaps. But while appealing to the more experienced independent traveller, there are still the budget sleep and eat recommendations, and lots of info for the younger, party-searching traveller.
The only niggling thing I don’t like about LP guides is their maps. They are not street-indexed, and they don’t mark all the streets. Don’t rely on LP to get you about – you will need a stand-alone map, or if you are an Eyewitness Guide fan, try to fit both in your luggage, as Eyewitness do great maps.
I’ve always used Lonely Planet’s guidebooks when I travel. I used the Amalfi Coast one when I was there this summer. It provided the necessary travel information and the format makes for easy reference. The hotel recommendations are also very helpful.