One of the most dependable series available, Lonely Planet's guidebooks are packed with essential information and accurate maps and are written with enough character that they are also good reading for armchair travelers. The series is now popular with travelers of all sorts, although backpackers and adventure travelers have long relied on Lonely Planet's guides because of the wide range of destinations offered. Whether you want to relax on the beaches of Thailand, roam the Australian outback, or explore the deserts of Iran, Lonely Planet has a practical, thorough guidebook for your destination. For dangerous or less-traveled regions, we highly recommend Lonely Planet's guides because they provide crucial information in an easy-to-use format, making it possible for travelers to handle the difficulties of language, customs, and transportation. In countries with unfamiliar alphabets, the guides include the names of cities and sights in both English and native characters, and glossaries are provided to help travelers with menus. The series offers lodging and restaurant options for all budgets, but the main focus is on getting a good deal for your money. With good writing, a wealth of valuable information, and beautiful color photo sections, Lonely Planet's guides are hard to beat.
OUR STORY A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
This was a worthwhile resource for helping to plan a trip to Greece. I had a very difficult time beforehand trying to narrow down destinations, and prioritize time for a 15-day trek. This Lonely Planet helped by giving me a decent synopsis of each island and its highlights, as well as some biased preferences.
Beyond this high-level perspective, however, I found it lacking. Greece and its Islands provides a multitude of experiences, appealing to a wide range of preferences in activities, accommodations and dining. It is a huge challenge for any guide book to address most of these. For that reason, on-line travel forums, offering more detailed personalized information, and immediacy, seem to be better resources for individualized itineraries.
One other shortcoming of this guide was its lack of information on the mainland; my own fault for not spending another $35 for mainland Greece, but, for what ended up being 2 of our 15 days spent outside Athens and the Islands, I didn’t feel it worth it. The guide would have benefited from a few pages of more detailed information on the mainland, tho.
Pretty good for almost all of the isles. If we were going to stay longer than a few days on any one island, I would have looked into finding a guide book specifically for said island. (If there are such books out there.) But we referred to this one on each island we traveled to and found out the basics and a few special place/things to see and do. Naxos and Santorini were spectacular!
So the weirdest thing is that on the cover of this book there is an undershirt blowing in the wind and a church in the background. Is this symbolic? I have perused this book and am certain that it will be the bible for our Greek Islands tour. I will be using the pages to wipe the olive juices from my chin.
I haven't finished it - of course how can u finish a guide book without start packing and enjoying your own trip ? However I love the beautiful words the authors gave to Greek Islands, because I also love Greece very much
Lots and lots of great information to help you plan your trip. Well organized by island groups with nice details and historical perspectives, not-too-be-missed sites, and good recommendations on places to stay and especially places to eat.