Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

You have to be rich to use this book, 20 Oct 2008
We just spent 5 days in Istanbul and were tearing our hair out by the end, with the assistance of this book. Many of the places which were recommended as cheap places to eat were incredibly expensive and not very good, we felt that the author must be on commission for some places. All of the prices in the book were wrong - for the attractions most had doubled in cost.. this book came out in April and we went in October.

We felt that this book was for people with a much larger income than we have (and are prepared to be ripped off) - we are not backpackers but do like to get close to the city, either the city has nothing to offer or the author is just not our kind of person.. We found most places we really liked by accident,, some of the addresses are wrong in the book and the map has at least one street incorrectly labeled.

There was no warning about the masses of hawkers - shoe shine etc and the fact that all the restaurants have people outside pressurizing you to go in. We would have found advice on this helpful before we went.

Particular note - the tea place in Gulhane park is extremely expensive - £3 for a nescafe, and in the area around Nevizade Sokak, which was highly recommended in the front of the book, we were charged £55 for a below average meal..

Disappointing, 26 Aug 2008
Until now we have always rated Lonely Planet guide books highly. However this one on Istanbul is very disappointing and misleading. Although the description of places and buildings is good, the layout is very irritating as you frequently have to change sections to find all the details you want. It is out of date as regards the times places are open and the entry prices charged. The index is far too complicated. Come on Lonley Planet you can do much better than this!

Confusing, 28 Jul 2008
I wouldn't recommend this guide, it has a lot of information but is confusingly put together. At first glance it might seem logical to have separate sections for everything but I found I was constantly trying to get all the information about a particular area and being asked to skip between areas of the book.
This was worsened by the maps. They were all inaccurate( without exception) a lot of the street names were not recorded and directions to shops/ bars /restaurants were difficult to understand. The pull out map was not a help.
This is a shame because in my backpacking days the classic lonely planet guides were excellent if only they had kept the same design; with accurate local maps, area guide that let you know what to do area by area.
Why have I given it two stars? Well its redeeming features were great information on the main attractions, a bit like having your own guide, ie in The Topkapi and Aya Sofya and many other places. ALSO very impressive good restaurant recommendations.
In all a real shame this book was not better put together, it has a lot of information but was very difficult to use. I suggest you spend your money elsewhere

Favourite guide to a favourite city, 11 Feb 2007
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.

(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)

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).



Comprehensive but one or two faults.., 20 Jan 2007
This book is an excellent and pretty definitive travel guide for getting to grips with Istanbul. I had previously always relied on Rough Guides, but in this case only the Lonely Planet Guide was available. Having relied on this book for the best part of a week, I will consider switching alleigance for future expeditions!

All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.

One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.

Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

You have to be rich to use this book, 20 Oct 2008
We just spent 5 days in Istanbul and were tearing our hair out by the end, with the assistance of this book. Many of the places which were recommended as cheap places to eat were incredibly expensive and not very good, we felt that the author must be on commission for some places. All of the prices in the book were wrong - for the attractions most had doubled in cost.. this book came out in April and we went in October.

We felt that this book was for people with a much larger income than we have (and are prepared to be ripped off) - we are not backpackers but do like to get close to the city, either the city has nothing to offer or the author is just not our kind of person.. We found most places we really liked by accident,, some of the addresses are wrong in the book and the map has at least one street incorrectly labeled.

There was no warning about the masses of hawkers - shoe shine etc and the fact that all the restaurants have people outside pressurizing you to go in. We would have found advice on this helpful before we went.

Particular note - the tea place in Gulhane park is extremely expensive - £3 for a nescafe, and in the area around Nevizade Sokak, which was highly recommended in the front of the book, we were charged £55 for a below average meal..

Disappointing, 26 Aug 2008
Until now we have always rated Lonely Planet guide books highly. However this one on Istanbul is very disappointing and misleading. Although the description of places and buildings is good, the layout is very irritating as you frequently have to change sections to find all the details you want. It is out of date as regards the times places are open and the entry prices charged. The index is far too complicated. Come on Lonley Planet you can do much better than this!

Confusing, 28 Jul 2008
I wouldn't recommend this guide, it has a lot of information but is confusingly put together. At first glance it might seem logical to have separate sections for everything but I found I was constantly trying to get all the information about a particular area and being asked to skip between areas of the book.
This was worsened by the maps. They were all inaccurate( without exception) a lot of the street names were not recorded and directions to shops/ bars /restaurants were difficult to understand. The pull out map was not a help.
This is a shame because in my backpacking days the classic lonely planet guides were excellent if only they had kept the same design; with accurate local maps, area guide that let you know what to do area by area.
Why have I given it two stars? Well its redeeming features were great information on the main attractions, a bit like having your own guide, ie in The Topkapi and Aya Sofya and many other places. ALSO very impressive good restaurant recommendations.
In all a real shame this book was not better put together, it has a lot of information but was very difficult to use. I suggest you spend your money elsewhere

Favourite guide to a favourite city, 11 Feb 2007
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.

(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)

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).



Comprehensive but one or two faults.., 20 Jan 2007
This book is an excellent and pretty definitive travel guide for getting to grips with Istanbul. I had previously always relied on Rough Guides, but in this case only the Lonely Planet Guide was available. Having relied on this book for the best part of a week, I will consider switching alleigance for future expeditions!

All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.

One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.

Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.

Buy Fodor's instead, 11 Jul 2007
I have visited Istanbul around nine times and Izmir about seven. This guide will really take you to the wrong hotels and restaurants. The cultural guide is ok despite a rather boring layout, esp. maps. But the restaurant suggestions are disasterous: where do you find Istanbul's best gourmet, Corne d'Or, or the intellectual bastion Yakup 2, or the best chicken and mezes in Istanbul (Hanedan), or the nostalgic charm of Istanbul's 1930's belle epoque (Rejans)? Instead mediocre places are recommended which will give the dogmatic reader a mediocre holiday. Also, Lonely Planet does not mention the new hotel in Izmir (Crowne Plaza Izmir) which receives raving critics. Does it not know of it yet? And no mention of restaurants like Bonjour, British Grill & Pub, Colonial (at Hilton), only overprized fish restaurants. Is not this 2007 version only a lazy blueprint of the previous, I wonder?

I enjoyed travelling with this book as a Turk!, 27 Aug 2006
My Canadian girlfriend and I spent 2 weeks in Turkey and travelled 3,000 km with Lonely Planet in our hands all the time.

As a Turk, it was a little bit weird for me to travel Turkey by reading from a foreign source. However, I really enjoyed reading the reviews and following their hotel and restaurant suggestions. I had difficulty in taking some of their comments but honestly they were right and with no prejudice. Their hotel and restaurant recommendations are limited but usually satisfying. The insight into Turkish culture was very helpful to my girlfriend. Most of the time, I felt like I had only little to add.

To sum up, very helpful insights into Turkish culture, good travel tips, detailed information about historical places and average information on hotels and restaurants. I recommend this book coupled with "Small hotels of Turkey - 2006" as a perfect guide for travellers.

Dissappointment, previous issue much was better, 13 Mar 2001
Yes, the book is very detailed and very useful. But the pictures are misleading. Lonely Planet has become orientalist. Turkey is not just beaches and peasants with headscarfs. Where are the normal people? Come on Pat Yale and Tom Broshanan, you both have lived in Turkey! Why there are no pictures of the young girls in miniskirts and their boyfriends who together roam the streets of Istanbul, Trabzon, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Giresun, Bursa while talking to their cellulars and going to pubs at night?????

Maybe they look too "western" and normal to make it to the pages of LP! --- Even though these people are a majority in Turkey where 60% population is under 30years!!!!!!!!

This time LP was a great dissappointment. It is not voicing the reality of Turkey, but the way foreigners (=rest of Europe) *wants* to see it. Shame on you Pat and Tom!

A useful guide for all travellers to Turkey, 26 Feb 2001
Kusadasi has amazing beaches , nightlife and excellent seafood restuarants. I would highly reccommend to my fellow travellers that it most definately should not be overlooked as a place to stay to either prepare your journey around Turkey, take in the many day drips it has to offer, such as Ephusus and Selcuk, Pammukale,The National Park or just to chill out and relax. Followed the good write up on "The Golden Bed Pension" in Kusadasi and may I add ,that not only is it suitable for all ages,couples,families and the solo female, it is a popular retreat for the gay travellers. It has terrific views of the sea from the rooms and the terrace bar, with nighly B.B.Q. and male and female belly-dancers. Kusadasi is more than just a Port for the weiry travellers from Samos and The Greek Islands embarking on the delights that Turkey offers.

the best guide to Turkey so far, 15 Jun 2000
The book is very good but there are some misleading pieces of information.

On the facts for the visitor, Pat Yale advices a female traveler to ask for aile (/family) sections in restaurants. Well, there are not many of these restaurants and in fact, it sounds strange that a tourist would ask for such a place, like she would not see straight away how the restaurant is like.

The only places that are not "meant" for women are male dominated cafes, called "kirathanesi" where men play cards, smoke and drink. And you can see from the door right away that women are not extremely welcome to those places. Same applies to Greece and Cyprus.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

You have to be rich to use this book, 20 Oct 2008
We just spent 5 days in Istanbul and were tearing our hair out by the end, with the assistance of this book. Many of the places which were recommended as cheap places to eat were incredibly expensive and not very good, we felt that the author must be on commission for some places. All of the prices in the book were wrong - for the attractions most had doubled in cost.. this book came out in April and we went in October.

We felt that this book was for people with a much larger income than we have (and are prepared to be ripped off) - we are not backpackers but do like to get close to the city, either the city has nothing to offer or the author is just not our kind of person.. We found most places we really liked by accident,, some of the addresses are wrong in the book and the map has at least one street incorrectly labeled.

There was no warning about the masses of hawkers - shoe shine etc and the fact that all the restaurants have people outside pressurizing you to go in. We would have found advice on this helpful before we went.

Particular note - the tea place in Gulhane park is extremely expensive - £3 for a nescafe, and in the area around Nevizade Sokak, which was highly recommended in the front of the book, we were charged £55 for a below average meal..

Disappointing, 26 Aug 2008
Until now we have always rated Lonely Planet guide books highly. However this one on Istanbul is very disappointing and misleading. Although the description of places and buildings is good, the layout is very irritating as you frequently have to change sections to find all the details you want. It is out of date as regards the times places are open and the entry prices charged. The index is far too complicated. Come on Lonley Planet you can do much better than this!

Confusing, 28 Jul 2008
I wouldn't recommend this guide, it has a lot of information but is confusingly put together. At first glance it might seem logical to have separate sections for everything but I found I was constantly trying to get all the information about a particular area and being asked to skip between areas of the book.
This was worsened by the maps. They were all inaccurate( without exception) a lot of the street names were not recorded and directions to shops/ bars /restaurants were difficult to understand. The pull out map was not a help.
This is a shame because in my backpacking days the classic lonely planet guides were excellent if only they had kept the same design; with accurate local maps, area guide that let you know what to do area by area.
Why have I given it two stars? Well its redeeming features were great information on the main attractions, a bit like having your own guide, ie in The Topkapi and Aya Sofya and many other places. ALSO very impressive good restaurant recommendations.
In all a real shame this book was not better put together, it has a lot of information but was very difficult to use. I suggest you spend your money elsewhere

Favourite guide to a favourite city, 11 Feb 2007
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.

(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)

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).



Comprehensive but one or two faults.., 20 Jan 2007
This book is an excellent and pretty definitive travel guide for getting to grips with Istanbul. I had previously always relied on Rough Guides, but in this case only the Lonely Planet Guide was available. Having relied on this book for the best part of a week, I will consider switching alleigance for future expeditions!

All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.

One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.

Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.

Buy Fodor's instead, 11 Jul 2007
I have visited Istanbul around nine times and Izmir about seven. This guide will really take you to the wrong hotels and restaurants. The cultural guide is ok despite a rather boring layout, esp. maps. But the restaurant suggestions are disasterous: where do you find Istanbul's best gourmet, Corne d'Or, or the intellectual bastion Yakup 2, or the best chicken and mezes in Istanbul (Hanedan), or the nostalgic charm of Istanbul's 1930's belle epoque (Rejans)? Instead mediocre places are recommended which will give the dogmatic reader a mediocre holiday. Also, Lonely Planet does not mention the new hotel in Izmir (Crowne Plaza Izmir) which receives raving critics. Does it not know of it yet? And no mention of restaurants like Bonjour, British Grill & Pub, Colonial (at Hilton), only overprized fish restaurants. Is not this 2007 version only a lazy blueprint of the previous, I wonder?

I enjoyed travelling with this book as a Turk!, 27 Aug 2006
My Canadian girlfriend and I spent 2 weeks in Turkey and travelled 3,000 km with Lonely Planet in our hands all the time.

As a Turk, it was a little bit weird for me to travel Turkey by reading from a foreign source. However, I really enjoyed reading the reviews and following their hotel and restaurant suggestions. I had difficulty in taking some of their comments but honestly they were right and with no prejudice. Their hotel and restaurant recommendations are limited but usually satisfying. The insight into Turkish culture was very helpful to my girlfriend. Most of the time, I felt like I had only little to add.

To sum up, very helpful insights into Turkish culture, good travel tips, detailed information about historical places and average information on hotels and restaurants. I recommend this book coupled with "Small hotels of Turkey - 2006" as a perfect guide for travellers.

Dissappointment, previous issue much was better, 13 Mar 2001
Yes, the book is very detailed and very useful. But the pictures are misleading. Lonely Planet has become orientalist. Turkey is not just beaches and peasants with headscarfs. Where are the normal people? Come on Pat Yale and Tom Broshanan, you both have lived in Turkey! Why there are no pictures of the young girls in miniskirts and their boyfriends who together roam the streets of Istanbul, Trabzon, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Giresun, Bursa while talking to their cellulars and going to pubs at night?????

Maybe they look too "western" and normal to make it to the pages of LP! --- Even though these people are a majority in Turkey where 60% population is under 30years!!!!!!!!

This time LP was a great dissappointment. It is not voicing the reality of Turkey, but the way foreigners (=rest of Europe) *wants* to see it. Shame on you Pat and Tom!

A useful guide for all travellers to Turkey, 26 Feb 2001
Kusadasi has amazing beaches , nightlife and excellent seafood restuarants. I would highly reccommend to my fellow travellers that it most definately should not be overlooked as a place to stay to either prepare your journey around Turkey, take in the many day drips it has to offer, such as Ephusus and Selcuk, Pammukale,The National Park or just to chill out and relax. Followed the good write up on "The Golden Bed Pension" in Kusadasi and may I add ,that not only is it suitable for all ages,couples,families and the solo female, it is a popular retreat for the gay travellers. It has terrific views of the sea from the rooms and the terrace bar, with nighly B.B.Q. and male and female belly-dancers. Kusadasi is more than just a Port for the weiry travellers from Samos and The Greek Islands embarking on the delights that Turkey offers.

the best guide to Turkey so far, 15 Jun 2000
The book is very good but there are some misleading pieces of information.

On the facts for the visitor, Pat Yale advices a female traveler to ask for aile (/family) sections in restaurants. Well, there are not many of these restaurants and in fact, it sounds strange that a tourist would ask for such a place, like she would not see straight away how the restaurant is like.

The only places that are not "meant" for women are male dominated cafes, called "kirathanesi" where men play cards, smoke and drink. And you can see from the door right away that women are not extremely welcome to those places. Same applies to Greece and Cyprus.

Rather distored & unprofessional piece of work, 23 Jul 2008
This is a rather unprofessional and distorted piece of work as neither the author nor the publisher seem to have got the basic facts right about the country and its people. The map of Iran at the beginning of the book with the stretch of water in the south of the country not being shown by its proper name, Persian Gulf, is a good evidence of the ignorance and lack of professional approach in the preparation and publication of this book. As "a picture is worth thousand words" I find this critical error a shining mirror of the publisher's lack of understanding and poor judgement, making all the praises printed on the cover of the book rather hollow and misleading.

Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran

Inspirational Travel, 11 May 2008
We have just come back from 18 days travelling throughout Iran. I read Elliott while travelling and my wife curses me I didn't give it to her until we came back.

Iran is an amazing place to visit and, unlike Afghanistan, readily accessible. Our goverment's attitude, in playing Mini-Me to the US's Dr Evil, means that only the rest of Europe enjoys Iran, even though Iranians, curiously, prefer UK visitors. Elliott bridged the gap between guidebooks like Lonely Planet and the real experience of Iran and engaging with the Iranis, which makes up 70% of the value of visiting the country. Curiously, although Elliott speaks Farsi, it really didn't seem to help him that much in striking up relationships and many of his travel observations (Tehran traffic, cheating taxi-drivers, pushy guides) are rather pedestrian.

Where he does score is with lyrical prose describing the effect of the architecture and the synthesis of art, architecture, calligraphy, garden design, poetry, landscape, interpersonal relationships, mysticism, spirituality, sexuality etc which in Islam are all aspects of a whole but which in the west, we compartmentalise. This is illustrated with stunning photographs, all the better for being in black-and-white.

His 'quest' lies in discovering the mystical foundation of architectural design and ornament, particularly the Golden Mean in the Imam mayden complex in Isfahan. He claims a first in identifying mystic numbers as the basis of much ornamentation (abjad) but Irani students I met were well acquainted with this so maybe he didn't talk to enough people.

He did seem to fall into the IIT (Intrepid Independant Traveller) trap of trying to interpret the counrty alone. We did an economy tour but had the services of a young educated Irani guide who travelled with us and was able to not only to interpret conversation with other Iranis but also translate the culture, relationships and experience of Iranis into something understandable to western eyes. Through her, we were able to engage with people in a way that we could not otherwise have done, even if we could have spoken the lingo. So, in a way he did not do Iranis justice for they are the most engaging, open, assertive (especially the women), funny, affectionate, kind, courteous people I have ever met, with the possible exception of the Bhutanese.

Despite this, Jason has written an excellent book - but mainly for those who have made the decision to visit Iran. I was button-holed by a number of people who had been inspired by it (including one of Jason's pushy guides) and it formed a connection. He follows the tradition of the best of travel writers (launched by Eric Newby's Short Walk in the Hindu Kush) of honouring his subject and being happy to laugh at himself.

For anybody interested, we used an Iranian agency. If anybody wants more details, email me on robin.dibblee@btinternet.com

More than just a travel book, 12 Apr 2008
Being half Iranian and having travelled through most of Iran I bought this book to remind myself of the journeys I've taken but not really thinking that I would learn much. How wrong I was. I was left wishing that I had read this book years before and had taken it with me when I had been in Iran as his attention to detail and knowledge of Iranian history, and the influence it has had on so much of the world is vast.

It was more than just a travel book to me, there were real gems of revelation studded throughout the book and although some parts did feel a little long-winded, it was captivating until the end. It has inspired me to look in more depth at Iranian art history and left me hoping to return to Iran with renewned interest and a lot more knowledge and appreciation of the culture and history.

Warm, surprising but no ripping yarn, 19 Mar 2008
I got hold of an early review copy of this book, and weighing in at 500 pages, wonder if the final edition was sculpted down to size. Overall I really enjoyed it, with that sought after 'wish it wasn't finishing' feeling. It was certainly very eye opening about a nation sometimes demonised and certainly not widely known about. The history and former greatness stuff was fascinating, and the author's patient coverage of different eras gave some real depth and dimension to the way he approached Iran and interpreted what he found. My only word of warning (and reason for the 4 rather than 5 star rating) is that the book was in places like ploughing a field - hard work. Now frankly I'm game for such literary and factual exertion, but the armchair travel tome reader beware, there's a bunch of notes and digressions (my favourite footnote is a touchingly prolix passage in reference to his discussion on various genealogical links between different equine subspecies!)
Overall though, if you like a methodical, quasi-scholarly approach to travel investigations, this'll knock your detail oriented socks off. As I said, I enjoyed the journey and think he's a really entertaining writer with a real contribution to make.

The Other Side, 13 Oct 2007
I really enjoyed this book. It made me appreciate just how old the civilisation of Iran actually is, and made clear some of the differences between Iran and other Middle Eastern countries which are often lumped together. Elliot clearly knows and loves the country and its people and shows us how much more there is than the current superficial scare-mongering by politicians. What I found most heartening to read about was the humanity of the people Elliot met, their wish for peaceful co-existence with other people, and their rejection of the religious fundamentalists. They take the long view - the Shah came and went, and so will the current regime, while the Iranians and their history and culture will remain.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

You have to be rich to use this book, 20 Oct 2008
We just spent 5 days in Istanbul and were tearing our hair out by the end, with the assistance of this book. Many of the places which were recommended as cheap places to eat were incredibly expensive and not very good, we felt that the author must be on commission for some places. All of the prices in the book were wrong - for the attractions most had doubled in cost.. this book came out in April and we went in October.

We felt that this book was for people with a much larger income than we have (and are prepared to be ripped off) - we are not backpackers but do like to get close to the city, either the city has nothing to offer or the author is just not our kind of person.. We found most places we really liked by accident,, some of the addresses are wrong in the book and the map has at least one street incorrectly labeled.

There was no warning about the masses of hawkers - shoe shine etc and the fact that all the restaurants have people outside pressurizing you to go in. We would have found advice on this helpful before we went.

Particular note - the tea place in Gulhane park is extremely expensive - £3 for a nescafe, and in the area around Nevizade Sokak, which was highly recommended in the front of the book, we were charged £55 for a below average meal..

Disappointing, 26 Aug 2008
Until now we have always rated Lonely Planet guide books highly. However this one on Istanbul is very disappointing and misleading. Although the description of places and buildings is good, the layout is very irritating as you frequently have to change sections to find all the details you want. It is out of date as regards the times places are open and the entry prices charged. The index is far too complicated. Come on Lonley Planet you can do much better than this!

Confusing, 28 Jul 2008
I wouldn't recommend this guide, it has a lot of information but is confusingly put together. At first glance it might seem logical to have separate sections for everything but I found I was constantly trying to get all the information about a particular area and being asked to skip between areas of the book.
This was worsened by the maps. They were all inaccurate( without exception) a lot of the street names were not recorded and directions to shops/ bars /restaurants were difficult to understand. The pull out map was not a help.
This is a shame because in my backpacking days the classic lonely planet guides were excellent if only they had kept the same design; with accurate local maps, area guide that let you know what to do area by area.
Why have I given it two stars? Well its redeeming features were great information on the main attractions, a bit like having your own guide, ie in The Topkapi and Aya Sofya and many other places. ALSO very impressive good restaurant recommendations.
In all a real shame this book was not better put together, it has a lot of information but was very difficult to use. I suggest you spend your money elsewhere

Favourite guide to a favourite city, 11 Feb 2007
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.

(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)

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).



Comprehensive but one or two faults.., 20 Jan 2007
This book is an excellent and pretty definitive travel guide for getting to grips with Istanbul. I had previously always relied on Rough Guides, but in this case only the Lonely Planet Guide was available. Having relied on this book for the best part of a week, I will consider switching alleigance for future expeditions!

All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.

One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.

Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.

Buy Fodor's instead, 11 Jul 2007
I have visited Istanbul around nine times and Izmir about seven. This guide will really take you to the wrong hotels and restaurants. The cultural guide is ok despite a rather boring layout, esp. maps. But the restaurant suggestions are disasterous: where do you find Istanbul's best gourmet, Corne d'Or, or the intellectual bastion Yakup 2, or the best chicken and mezes in Istanbul (Hanedan), or the nostalgic charm of Istanbul's 1930's belle epoque (Rejans)? Instead mediocre places are recommended which will give the dogmatic reader a mediocre holiday. Also, Lonely Planet does not mention the new hotel in Izmir (Crowne Plaza Izmir) which receives raving critics. Does it not know of it yet? And no mention of restaurants like Bonjour, British Grill & Pub, Colonial (at Hilton), only overprized fish restaurants. Is not this 2007 version only a lazy blueprint of the previous, I wonder?

I enjoyed travelling with this book as a Turk!, 27 Aug 2006
My Canadian girlfriend and I spent 2 weeks in Turkey and travelled 3,000 km with Lonely Planet in our hands all the time.

As a Turk, it was a little bit weird for me to travel Turkey by reading from a foreign source. However, I really enjoyed reading the reviews and following their hotel and restaurant suggestions. I had difficulty in taking some of their comments but honestly they were right and with no prejudice. Their hotel and restaurant recommendations are limited but usually satisfying. The insight into Turkish culture was very helpful to my girlfriend. Most of the time, I felt like I had only little to add.

To sum up, very helpful insights into Turkish culture, good travel tips, detailed information about historical places and average information on hotels and restaurants. I recommend this book coupled with "Small hotels of Turkey - 2006" as a perfect guide for travellers.

Dissappointment, previous issue much was better, 13 Mar 2001
Yes, the book is very detailed and very useful. But the pictures are misleading. Lonely Planet has become orientalist. Turkey is not just beaches and peasants with headscarfs. Where are the normal people? Come on Pat Yale and Tom Broshanan, you both have lived in Turkey! Why there are no pictures of the young girls in miniskirts and their boyfriends who together roam the streets of Istanbul, Trabzon, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Giresun, Bursa while talking to their cellulars and going to pubs at night?????

Maybe they look too "western" and normal to make it to the pages of LP! --- Even though these people are a majority in Turkey where 60% population is under 30years!!!!!!!!

This time LP was a great dissappointment. It is not voicing the reality of Turkey, but the way foreigners (=rest of Europe) *wants* to see it. Shame on you Pat and Tom!

A useful guide for all travellers to Turkey, 26 Feb 2001
Kusadasi has amazing beaches , nightlife and excellent seafood restuarants. I would highly reccommend to my fellow travellers that it most definately should not be overlooked as a place to stay to either prepare your journey around Turkey, take in the many day drips it has to offer, such as Ephusus and Selcuk, Pammukale,The National Park or just to chill out and relax. Followed the good write up on "The Golden Bed Pension" in Kusadasi and may I add ,that not only is it suitable for all ages,couples,families and the solo female, it is a popular retreat for the gay travellers. It has terrific views of the sea from the rooms and the terrace bar, with nighly B.B.Q. and male and female belly-dancers. Kusadasi is more than just a Port for the weiry travellers from Samos and The Greek Islands embarking on the delights that Turkey offers.

the best guide to Turkey so far, 15 Jun 2000
The book is very good but there are some misleading pieces of information.

On the facts for the visitor, Pat Yale advices a female traveler to ask for aile (/family) sections in restaurants. Well, there are not many of these restaurants and in fact, it sounds strange that a tourist would ask for such a place, like she would not see straight away how the restaurant is like.

The only places that are not "meant" for women are male dominated cafes, called "kirathanesi" where men play cards, smoke and drink. And you can see from the door right away that women are not extremely welcome to those places. Same applies to Greece and Cyprus.

Rather distored & unprofessional piece of work, 23 Jul 2008
This is a rather unprofessional and distorted piece of work as neither the author nor the publisher seem to have got the basic facts right about the country and its people. The map of Iran at the beginning of the book with the stretch of water in the south of the country not being shown by its proper name, Persian Gulf, is a good evidence of the ignorance and lack of professional approach in the preparation and publication of this book. As "a picture is worth thousand words" I find this critical error a shining mirror of the publisher's lack of understanding and poor judgement, making all the praises printed on the cover of the book rather hollow and misleading.

Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran

Inspirational Travel, 11 May 2008
We have just come back from 18 days travelling throughout Iran. I read Elliott while travelling and my wife curses me I didn't give it to her until we came back.

Iran is an amazing place to visit and, unlike Afghanistan, readily accessible. Our goverment's attitude, in playing Mini-Me to the US's Dr Evil, means that only the rest of Europe enjoys Iran, even though Iranians, curiously, prefer UK visitors. Elliott bridged the gap between guidebooks like Lonely Planet and the real experience of Iran and engaging with the Iranis, which makes up 70% of the value of visiting the country. Curiously, although Elliott speaks Farsi, it really didn't seem to help him that much in striking up relationships and many of his travel observations (Tehran traffic, cheating taxi-drivers, pushy guides) are rather pedestrian.

Where he does score is with lyrical prose describing the effect of the architecture and the synthesis of art, architecture, calligraphy, garden design, poetry, landscape, interpersonal relationships, mysticism, spirituality, sexuality etc which in Islam are all aspects of a whole but which in the west, we compartmentalise. This is illustrated with stunning photographs, all the better for being in black-and-white.

His 'quest' lies in discovering the mystical foundation of architectural design and ornament, particularly the Golden Mean in the Imam mayden complex in Isfahan. He claims a first in identifying mystic numbers as the basis of much ornamentation (abjad) but Irani students I met were well acquainted with this so maybe he didn't talk to enough people.

He did seem to fall into the IIT (Intrepid Independant Traveller) trap of trying to interpret the counrty alone. We did an economy tour but had the services of a young educated Irani guide who travelled with us and was able to not only to interpret conversation with other Iranis but also translate the culture, relationships and experience of Iranis into something understandable to western eyes. Through her, we were able to engage with people in a way that we could not otherwise have done, even if we could have spoken the lingo. So, in a way he did not do Iranis justice for they are the most engaging, open, assertive (especially the women), funny, affectionate, kind, courteous people I have ever met, with the possible exception of the Bhutanese.

Despite this, Jason has written an excellent book - but mainly for those who have made the decision to visit Iran. I was button-holed by a number of people who had been inspired by it (including one of Jason's pushy guides) and it formed a connection. He follows the tradition of the best of travel writers (launched by Eric Newby's Short Walk in the Hindu Kush) of honouring his subject and being happy to laugh at himself.

For anybody interested, we used an Iranian agency. If anybody wants more details, email me on robin.dibblee@btinternet.com

More than just a travel book, 12 Apr 2008
Being half Iranian and having travelled through most of Iran I bought this book to remind myself of the journeys I've taken but not really thinking that I would learn much. How wrong I was. I was left wishing that I had read this book years before and had taken it with me when I had been in Iran as his attention to detail and knowledge of Iranian history, and the influence it has had on so much of the world is vast.

It was more than just a travel book to me, there were real gems of revelation studded throughout the book and although some parts did feel a little long-winded, it was captivating until the end. It has inspired me to look in more depth at Iranian art history and left me hoping to return to Iran with renewned interest and a lot more knowledge and appreciation of the culture and history.

Warm, surprising but no ripping yarn, 19 Mar 2008
I got hold of an early review copy of this book, and weighing in at 500 pages, wonder if the final edition was sculpted down to size. Overall I really enjoyed it, with that sought after 'wish it wasn't finishing' feeling. It was certainly very eye opening about a nation sometimes demonised and certainly not widely known about. The history and former greatness stuff was fascinating, and the author's patient coverage of different eras gave some real depth and dimension to the way he approached Iran and interpreted what he found. My only word of warning (and reason for the 4 rather than 5 star rating) is that the book was in places like ploughing a field - hard work. Now frankly I'm game for such literary and factual exertion, but the armchair travel tome reader beware, there's a bunch of notes and digressions (my favourite footnote is a touchingly prolix passage in reference to his discussion on various genealogical links between different equine subspecies!)
Overall though, if you like a methodical, quasi-scholarly approach to travel investigations, this'll knock your detail oriented socks off. As I said, I enjoyed the journey and think he's a really entertaining writer with a real contribution to make.

The Other Side, 13 Oct 2007
I really enjoyed this book. It made me appreciate just how old the civilisation of Iran actually is, and made clear some of the differences between Iran and other Middle Eastern countries which are often lumped together. Elliot clearly knows and loves the country and its people and shows us how much more there is than the current superficial scare-mongering by politicians. What I found most heartening to read about was the humanity of the people Elliot met, their wish for peaceful co-existence with other people, and their rejection of the religious fundamentalists. They take the long view - the Shah came and went, and so will the current regime, while the Iranians and their history and culture will remain.

Not as good as we'd expected. But competent, 10 Nov 2008
Having used Lonely Planet guide books for years (I guess we've probably used 30-40 of them) this one stuck out for us as not being as good as the usual ones.
I'm a big fan of LP guides, but this one didn't appear to reach the same reliability that others do across Asia/Europe/N America.

Good points: Competently described most areas, and accommodation options. Reasonably up-to-date (but things are changing very rapidly in the region too)

Bad points:
- Lacked good maps for many areas.

- The Oman section appeared to assume (a) you're an expat - all hotel pricing was based on expat prices, and we found it impossible to negotiate to the prices quoted and (b) you've hired a car.

- The UAE section pricing was well out too - but this appears to be because inflation there is causing most prices to increase almost every 3 months.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

You have to be rich to use this book, 20 Oct 2008
We just spent 5 days in Istanbul and were tearing our hair out by the end, with the assistance of this book. Many of the places which were recommended as cheap places to eat were incredibly expensive and not very good, we felt that the author must be on commission for some places. All of the prices in the book were wrong - for the attractions most had doubled in cost.. this book came out in April and we went in October.

We felt that this book was for people with a much larger income than we have (and are prepared to be ripped off) - we are not backpackers but do like to get close to the city, either the city has nothing to offer or the author is just not our kind of person.. We found most places we really liked by accident,, some of the addresses are wrong in the book and the map has at least one street incorrectly labeled.

There was no warning about the masses of hawkers - shoe shine etc and the fact that all the restaurants have people outside pressurizing you to go in. We would have found advice on this helpful before we went.

Particular note - the tea place in Gulhane park is extremely expensive - £3 for a nescafe, and in the area around Nevizade Sokak, which was highly recommended in the front of the book, we were charged £55 for a below average meal..

Disappointing, 26 Aug 2008
Until now we have always rated Lonely Planet guide books highly. However this one on Istanbul is very disappointing and misleading. Although the description of places and buildings is good, the layout is very irritating as you frequently have to change sections to find all the details you want. It is out of date as regards the times places are open and the entry prices charged. The index is far too complicated. Come on Lonley Planet you can do much better than this!

Confusing, 28 Jul 2008
I wouldn't recommend this guide, it has a lot of information but is confusingly put together. At first glance it might seem logical to have separate sections for everything but I found I was constantly trying to get all the information about a particular area and being asked to skip between areas of the book.
This was worsened by the maps. They were all inaccurate( without exception) a lot of the street names were not recorded and directions to shops/ bars /restaurants were difficult to understand. The pull out map was not a help.
This is a shame because in my backpacking days the classic lonely planet guides were excellent if only they had kept the same design; with accurate local maps, area guide that let you know what to do area by area.
Why have I given it two stars? Well its redeeming features were great information on the main attractions, a bit like having your own guide, ie in The Topkapi and Aya Sofya and many other places. ALSO very impressive good restaurant recommendations.
In all a real shame this book was not better put together, it has a lot of information but was very difficult to use. I suggest you spend your money elsewhere

Favourite guide to a favourite city, 11 Feb 2007
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.

(By the way, I was a woman travelling on my own and found I was notlead to anywhere I felt threatened or was taken advantage of)

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).



Comprehensive but one or two faults.., 20 Jan 2007
This book is an excellent and pretty definitive travel guide for getting to grips with Istanbul. I had previously always relied on Rough Guides, but in this case only the Lonely Planet Guide was available. Having relied on this book for the best part of a week, I will consider switching alleigance for future expeditions!

All the standard features are there - historical contexts, practical information etc - but I particularly appreciated the sections detailing e.g. the types of restaurant you'll come across. I enjoyed the style of these chapters, and appreciated more of an insight into Turkish life than the somewhat drier and concise Rough Guide information.

One major issue I would like to highlight though, is that the author of this book clearly has friends living in Istanbul, and no doubt reviewed some of the restaurants and experiences with a Turkish speaker on-hand. Not that language itself was a problem, but I regularly had the distinct feeling that I was being taken advantage of because of my lack of local knowledge. I doubt that an Istanbulla would have been overcharged or given sub-standard food, particularly in the more authentic restaurants, and at times the reviews differed considerably from the reality.

Local insight has definitely enhanced this book, but it has also perhaps given an overly positive spin on things and is not therefore, a true representation of experiencing the city as a tourist. Still, a lot of very useful and interesting information, particularly for sight-seeing, and more than worth the money.

Buy Fodor's instead, 11 Jul 2007
I have visited Istanbul around nine times and Izmir about seven. This guide will really take you to the wrong hotels and restaurants. The cultural guide is ok despite a rather boring layout, esp. maps. But the restaurant suggestions are disasterous: where do you find Istanbul's best gourmet, Corne d'Or, or the intellectual bastion Yakup 2, or the best chicken and mezes in Istanbul (Hanedan), or the nostalgic charm of Istanbul's 1930's belle epoque (Rejans)? Instead mediocre places are recommended which will give the dogmatic reader a mediocre holiday. Also, Lonely Planet does not mention the new hotel in Izmir (Crowne Plaza Izmir) which receives raving critics. Does it not know of it yet? And no mention of restaurants like Bonjour, British Grill & Pub, Colonial (at Hilton), only overprized fish restaurants. Is not this 2007 version only a lazy blueprint of the previous, I wonder?

I enjoyed travelling with this book as a Turk!, 27 Aug 2006
My Canadian girlfriend and I spent 2 weeks in Turkey and travelled 3,000 km with Lonely Planet in our hands all the time.

As a Turk, it was a little bit weird for me to travel Turkey by reading from a foreign source. However, I really enjoyed reading the reviews and following their hotel and restaurant suggestions. I had difficulty in taking some of their comments but honestly they were right and with no prejudice. Their hotel and restaurant recommendations are limited but usually satisfying. The insight into Turkish culture was very helpful to my girlfriend. Most of the time, I felt like I had only little to add.

To sum up, very helpful insights into Turkish culture, good travel tips, detailed information about historical places and average information on hotels and restaurants. I recommend this book coupled with "Small hotels of Turkey - 2006" as a perfect guide for travellers.

Dissappointment, previous issue much was better, 13 Mar 2001
Yes, the book is very detailed and very useful. But the pictures are misleading. Lonely Planet has become orientalist. Turkey is not just beaches and peasants with headscarfs. Where are the normal people? Come on Pat Yale and Tom Broshanan, you both have lived in Turkey! Why there are no pictures of the young girls in miniskirts and their boyfriends who together roam the streets of Istanbul, Trabzon, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Giresun, Bursa while talking to their cellulars and going to pubs at night?????

Maybe they look too "western" and normal to make it to the pages of LP! --- Even though these people are a majority in Turkey where 60% population is under 30years!!!!!!!!

This time LP was a great dissappointment. It is not voicing the reality of Turkey, but the way foreigners (=rest of Europe) *wants* to see it. Shame on you Pat and Tom!

A useful guide for all travellers to Turkey, 26 Feb 2001
Kusadasi has amazing beaches , nightlife and excellent seafood restuarants. I would highly reccommend to my fellow travellers that it most definately should not be overlooked as a place to stay to either prepare your journey around Turkey, take in the many day drips it has to offer, such as Ephusus and Selcuk, Pammukale,The National Park or just to chill out and relax. Followed the good write up on "The Golden Bed Pension" in Kusadasi and may I add ,that not only is it suitable for all ages,couples,families and the solo female, it is a popular retreat for the gay travellers. It has terrific views of the sea from the rooms and the terrace bar, with nighly B.B.Q. and male and female belly-dancers. Kusadasi is more than just a Port for the weiry travellers from Samos and The Greek Islands embarking on the delights that Turkey offers.

the best guide to Turkey so far, 15 Jun 2000
The book is very good but there are some misleading pieces of information.

On the facts for the visitor, Pat Yale advices a female traveler to ask for aile (/family) sections in restaurants. Well, there are not many of these restaurants and in fact, it sounds strange that a tourist would ask for such a place, like she would not see straight away how the restaurant is like.

The only places that are not "meant" for women are male dominated cafes, called "kirathanesi" where men play cards, smoke and drink. And you can see from the door right away that women are not extremely welcome to those places. Same applies to Greece and Cyprus.

Rather distored & unprofessional piece of work, 23 Jul 2008
This is a rather unprofessional and distorted piece of work as neither the author nor the publisher seem to have got the basic facts right about the country and its people. The map of Iran at the beginning of the book with the stretch of water in the south of the country not being shown by its proper name, Persian Gulf, is a good evidence of the ignorance and lack of professional approach in the preparation and publication of this book. As "a picture is worth thousand words" I find this critical error a shining mirror of the publisher's lack of understanding and poor judgement, making all the praises printed on the cover of the book rather hollow and misleading.

Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran

Inspirational Travel, 11 May 2008
We have just come back from 18 days travelling throughout Iran. I read Elliott while travelling and my wife curses me I didn't give it to her until we came back.

Iran is an amazing place to visit and, unlike Afghanistan, readily accessible. Our goverment's attitude, in playing Mini-Me to the US's Dr Evil, means that only the rest of Europe enjoys Iran, even though Iranians, curiously, prefer UK visitors. Elliott bridged the gap between guidebooks like Lonely Planet and the real experience of Iran and engaging with the Iranis, which makes up 70% of the value of visiting the country. Curiously, although Elliott speaks Farsi, it really didn't seem to help him that much in striking up relationships and many of his travel observations (Tehran traffic, cheating taxi-drivers, pushy guides) are rather pedestrian.

Where he does score is with lyrical prose describing the effect of the architecture and the synthesis of art, architecture, calligraphy, garden design, poetry, landscape, interpersonal relationships, mysticism, spirituality, sexuality etc which in Islam are all aspects of a whole but which in the west, we compartmentalise. This is illustrated with stunning photographs, all the better for being in black-and-white.

His 'quest' lies in discovering the mystical foundation of architectural design and ornament, particularly the Golden Mean in the Imam mayden complex in Isfahan. He claims a first in identifying mystic numbers as the basis of much ornamentation (abjad) but Irani students I met were well acquainted with this so maybe he didn't talk to enough people.

He did seem to fall into the IIT (Intrepid Independant Traveller) trap of trying to interpret the counrty alone. We did an economy tour but had the services of a young educated Irani guide who travelled with us and was able to not only to interpret conversation with other Iranis but also translate the culture, relationships and experience of Iranis into something understandable to western eyes. Through her, we were able to engage with people in a way that we could not otherwise have done, even if we could have spoken the lingo. So, in a way he did not do Iranis justice for they are the most engaging, open, assertive (especially the women), funny, affectionate, kind, courteous people I have ever met, with the possible exception of the Bhutanese.

Despite this, Jason has written an excellent book - but mainly for those who have made the decision to visit Iran. I was button-holed by a number of people who had been inspired by it (including one of Jason's pushy guides) and it formed a connection. He follows the tradition of the best of travel writers (launched by Eric Newby's Short Walk in the Hindu Kush) of honouring his subject and being happy to laugh at himself.

For anybody interested, we used an Iranian agency. If anybody wants more details, email me on robin.dibblee@btinternet.com

More than just a travel book, 12 Apr 2008
Being half Iranian and having travelled through most of Iran I bought this book to remind myself of the journeys I've taken but not really thinking that I would learn much. How wrong I was. I was left wishing that I had read this book years before and had taken it with me when I had been in Iran as his attention to detail and knowledge of Iranian history, and the influence it has had on so much of the world is vast.

It was more than just a travel book to me, there were real gems of revelation studded throughout the book and although some parts did feel a little long-winded, it was captivating until the end. It has inspired me to look in more depth at Iranian art history and left me hoping to return to Iran with renewned interest and a lot more knowledge and appreciation of the culture and history.

Warm, surprising but no ripping yarn, 19 Mar 2008
I got hold of an early review copy of this book, and weighing in at 500 pages, wonder if the final edition was sculpted down to size. Overall I really enjoyed it, with that sought after 'wish it wasn't finishing' feeling. It was certainly very eye opening about a nation sometimes demonised and certainly not widely known about. The history and former greatness stuff was fascinating, and the author's patient coverage of different eras gave some real depth and dimension to the way he approached Iran and interpreted what he found. My only word of warning (and reason for the 4 rather than 5 star rating) is that the book was in places like ploughing a field - hard work. Now frankly I'm game for such literary and factual exertion, but the armchair travel tome reader beware, there's a bunch of notes and digressions (my favourite footnote is a touchingly prolix passage in reference to his discussion on various genealogical links between different equine subspecies!)
Overall though, if you like a methodical, quasi-scholarly approach to travel investigations, this'll knock your detail oriented socks off. As I said, I enjoyed the journey and think he's a really entertaining writer with a real contribution to make.

The Other Side, 13 Oct 2007
I really enjoyed this book. It made me appreciate just how old the civilisation of Iran actually is, and made clear some of the differences between Iran and other Middle Eastern countries which are often lumped together. Elliot clearly knows and loves the country and its people and shows us how much more there is than the current superficial scare-mongering by politicians. What I found most heartening to read about was the humanity of the people Elliot met, their wish for peaceful co-existence with other people, and their rejection of the religious fundamentalists. They take the long view - the Shah came and went, and so will the current regime, while the Iranians and their history and culture will remain.

Not as good as we'd expected. But competent, 10 Nov 2008
Having used Lonely Planet guide books for years (I guess we've probably used 30-40 of them) this one stuck out for us as not being as good as the usual ones.
I'm a big fan of LP guides, but this one didn't appear to reach the same reliability that others do across Asia/Europe/N America.

Good points: Competently described most areas, and accommodation options. Reasonably up-to-date (but things are changing very rapidly in the region too)

Bad points:
- Lacked good maps for many areas.

- The Oman section appeared to assume (a) you're an expat - all hotel pricing was based on expat prices, and we found it impossible to negotiate to the prices quoted and (b) you've hired a car.

- The UAE section pricing was well out too - but this appears to be because inflation there is causing most prices to increase almost every 3 months.


A musy buy before you consider moving to Dubai, 17 Mar 2008
I found this book giving an equal good versus bad account. It took off my rosey sunglasses I had on regarding how Dubai works. I can now look forward to going to Dubai with eyes wide open without being made a fool off or being taken advantage of regarding things I did not know.

Good buy, 26 Nov 2008
This is a very comprehensive book and seems to cover all angles for anyone considering moving there (as we are). It's well laid out, good index and reference and is particularly useful if you have a family. Good contacts for those with young children to help you settle in, useful for housing areas, hospitals and schools.

The Most complete Dubai Book, 03 Oct 2006
The thing with Dubai is that it is changing all the time. Most people who move to Dubai will purchase this book because it is updated every year, and the Explorer are the only ones to update their book regularly. Why the book is so good is because it covers everything from moving to Dubai, to the coolest restaurants and ents, to property, to construction. It is also recommended by the independant guides to Dubai, including grapeshisha.com which calls it the "must have guide to Dubai". If you are moving to Dubai, you must get this book. It will help you out with all the things you hadn't thought of.

Brilliant - A must have for Israel, 08 Apr 2008
cannot praise this book enough. I rented a car and went to Jerusalem, The Galilee, The Golan, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. And this book made the trip what is was. From the secret view of the Dome of the Rock from the old Islamic college on the Via Delarosa to the unreal restaurant in the Golan ("Witch's Calderon" i think - in Nimrod).

cannot recommend highly enough - 6 stars

handy, 06 Mar 2008
good, but the tel aviv street map could of been bigger. i ended up using another book as an a-z for there.

the seller, 16 Jan 2008
I bought this book from Superbookdeals and returned it shortly after buying. On the receipt it said that it was a 100% refund policy. So I sent the book back to the address on the receipt that it said to send returns. However three weeks later I am still emailing them back and forth, them saying that they have not got the book yet and there is no phone number to contact them. I have looked on google, yell, etc and it does not seem to exist, if it does but with no number. I also found their website which only has an american address to write to and email. Also on the website it says a different London address to send the returns to so dont bother buying anything from these people. Its nothing but hassle. As far as the book goes it was very leftwing and pro-arab. There was no balanced view at all to say the least. The authors seem to forget that Israel was the land of the Jews over 3000/4000 years ago.

You have to be rich to use this book, 20 Oct 2008
We just spent 5 days in Istanbul and were tearing our hair out by the end, with the assistance of this book. Many of the places which were recommended as cheap places to eat were incredibly expensive and not very good, we felt that the author must be on commission for some places. All of the prices in the book were wrong - for the attractions most had doubled in cost.. this book came out in April and we went in October.

We felt that this book was for people with a much larger income than we have (and are prepared to be ripped off) - we are not backpackers but do like to get