Lonely Planet: The world’s number one travel guide publisher*
Lonely Planet’s Israel the Palestinian Territoriesis your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Discover the ruins of ancient Jericho, take an early morning walk to the Temple Mount for a breathtaking view of the Dome of the Rock, and float in the briny waters of the Dead Sea – all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Israel and the Palestinian Territories and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet’s Israel the Palestinian Territories:
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlightsand itinerariesto help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential infoat your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - covering history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics
Covers Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa the North Coast, Lower Galilee Sea of Galilee, Upper Galilee Golan, West Bank, The Gaza Strip, The Dead Sea, The Negev, Petra The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet’s Israel the Palestinian Territoriesis our most comprehensive guide to the area, and is perfect for discovering both popular and offbeat experiences.
Looking for wider coverage? Check out Lonely Planet’s Middle East for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.
About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.
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*Source: Nielsen BookScan: Australia, UK, USA, 5/2016-4/2017
I think for a number of people here in America we oft tend to view what a trip to Israel has to offer from the point of view of our faith or from that of a history buff. I am glad I read this book cover to cover for it really shows that modern Israel, while it does have much to offer in terms of those, it also has more to offer for those traveling for those seeking leisure, cultural entertainment, adventure, or culinary tastes. After reading this, I'm convinced that one could be non-religious or not much a history fan, and still have a wonderful time there.
I first encountered the Lonely Planet series of books when I friend loaned me her Lonely Planet book on Ireland for my trip there 7 years ago. It was a valuable resource for my wife and I as we explored the Emerald Isle then. If anything, this book goes into even more detail on things to do and see in Israel than did their book on Ireland.
The book is fairly comprehensive --- it covers everything you could possibly think of ---- from the sites - -- to where to stay and eat -- places to avoid, cultural customs and practices, and I could go on a lot more. Really a lot of things. I think I could easily spend a month or more there and still not see all there is to see and do -- which is really something for such a small nation.
I'm tempted to give it 5 stars for its thoroughness and ease of use ----but not having yet been to Israel, I think it best to see how accurate its information is once I get there. So, having said that, I may up the grade of this review after my return from Israel.
3.5 stars. Expected more from this book. Much more. Being such a wonderful field of historical and religious sites, heritage, the region is every inch of fascinating facts, captivating views, knowledge and admiration... Yet, the book seemed a bit dull at times. I mean, reading about some places, it didn't excite me, yet when I visited those, I was absolutely blown away.
It is good enough though. Certain parts though, where I wanted some more details, were too brief. Other parts, where I just wanted a quick note, were going into longer narrative... Overall, for me, it is purely practical guide. Very general. It might give you a few ideas what to see and what to do, but it is quite basic. Being in the region and having seen some of the places, it was helpful to have the book at hand, but it is not a very reliable source... Things change very quickly. It also would have helped if there was rough info about prices and length of time one would spend on average visiting the sites. This would help planning trips. Other than that, sure, it's always interesting to get to know new places!
I've always liked Lonely Planet's Tour Guides, this one is no exception. I truly knew very little about the land,miss people and culture before reading this guide and, now, I have a feel for it all because of the brilliant maps and honest accounts of all the places in a region I never thought I'd want to visit!
Well lonely planet as always offers good info but overall as a reader of both the PDF and the ePub version it was evident to me that this type of book needs to offer more to the reader.
ePub was not easy to navigate and as all the pages look similar in layout you could easily get lost going back and forth to check things in the book. It is nice that some google map links o& websites were added to the ePub version but I would like more navigating options.
Besides that, I am not convinced that an eBook is the best that such a big traveling publisher can provide. Technology now offers much more fun and easy ways to digest traveling content.
PDF had the exact same layout as the print version which is reasonable and for that it was more easier to navigate but not so easy to view on my mobile. Apart from that, PDF is also a digital file that allows links, so, again, it could be a bit enhanced from the print version.
Personally I like to read the guide before I travel to get the feeling and background of the destination. So in that aspect I like to see something more as story. Then, when I am on the go I might need to check something quickly on my mobile. None of these were particularly satisfying experiences for me with the current formats.
So, concluding, I'll give my 3 stars for the quality content.
Learnt a few new things/places to explore. Found most of the book pretty bland and void of any history or culture as the land was taken from the Palestinians, in the last century. How much history can there be from a 100 years? Much is and has been usurped from the Palestinians, including modern-day Hebrew, which the book explains, has its roots in Arabic and is mixed with Yiddish.
The best section in the book was the section on the West Bank. Lots of interesting information about places like Nablus, Ramallah etc
There was clearly a bias when writing this book as there is little mention of why the Palestinians no longer live in the land that they used to live on for generations. The most that is said (repeatedly), is that Palestinians were 'exiled or fleed'. No mention is made of what exactly happened, who the perpetrators were, or why Palestinians left their homes, never to return again. Complete whitewash.
This book was incredibly helpful in crossing the border into Jordan. It also gave great tips for getting a free visa through the Eilat-Aqaba checkpoint, which saved a lot of money.