Selected Product:
| Istanbul (City Guide)
Paperback
Edition: 5 Pap/Map
Author: Virginia Maxwell
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Release Date: 2008-04-01
ISBN-10: 1740599160
ISBN-13: 9781740599160
List Price: $19.99
Average Customer Rating:
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Discover Istanbul
Listen to the echoes of countless footsteps rising into the dome of the Aya Sofya
Savour the serene frescoes and glittering mosaics of the Chora Church
Watch the sunset while commuting between Asia and Europe on a Bosphorous ferry
Submit to a vigorous lathering and scrubbing in a historic hamam
In This Guide:
46 days of in-city research, 30 ferry trips, over 100 mezes eaten
Full-color chapters on the city's architectural treasures and Turkish cuisine
Locals discuss making a living in the bazaar, artistic traditions, bears and gender benders
Its ok to have general information needed
| Customer Rating: | Istanbul (City Guide)
This book is more a map, a formal guide what you can find in Istanbul.When your goal is to see as much as possible at the city, this guide is for you.
But if you want to get information about Topkapi palace harem and its habitants, its better to look for more informal guide with stories.
Descriptions of objects are very short, mostly connected to architecture facts and dates. No soul of this big, various and interesting city. Only information.
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Take your money elsewhere
| Customer Rating: | | Very few images, all of the typical touristy things. Map has only the main streets named, and only a small segment of Istanbul at that. Save your money and get the D&K guide instead. |
Only a little helpful and the writing style could not be more annoying
| Customer Rating: | 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. |
A favourite guide for a favourite city
| Customer Rating: | I love Istanbul, having lived there in the early 1990s. In 2005 I made my first return visit since then, and although I feel confident I know the city well, much has changed. This guide contained information which locals I stayed with weren't aware of, particularly public transport info.
My main criticism of LP books is that the maps are pretty useless, and this is once again the case. You really need to get a separate map f you are going to venture beyond the really well trodden path. (There are a couple of bookshops on Istiklal Cadessi that sell good maps).
I found the tone of the book suited me - it is enthusiastic about an amazing city, and the author certainly knows the place well. I don;t usually follow guide book suggestions for places to eat, preferring to discover those on my own. I am gald I allowed Maxwell to lead me to a couple of cafes and bars, however, as they were excellent.
I recommend this book for both the novice and experienced traveller to the city (which I don;t with all LP City Guides - some, like Paris, I think reather too basic for the experienced visitor to that city). |
Functional
| Customer Rating: | | 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. |
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