Cultured Travel Guide Books - Amsterdam (City Guide) |
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List Price: $19.99
Our Price: $12.52
Your Save: $ 7.47 ( 37% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 914
EAN: 9781741047639
ISBN: 1741047633
Label: Lonely Planet
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 287
Publication Date: 2008-02-01
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Studio: Lonely Planet |
| Spotlight Customer Reviews: |
Customer Rating:  
Summary: Lonely Planet Amsterdam
Comment: A bit disappointed in the useablility of the book. I've used many Lonely Planet books before, and generally like them. The layout of the book leaves a bit to be desired. The descriptions of attractions and restaurants are pretty good, but where the book falls down is that then you need to look up the map the attraction is on (at the back of the book), then look in the index of the map (behind the map), and then back to the map to find the attraction/restaurant.
It would have been much better if they put those references beside the descriptions as well as the index of the map.
In addition, being in the Netherlands, Windmills are nice attraction, and the book said that we had to go on an excursion to near by towns to find Windmills. The book did not mention that there are 8 Windmills within Amsterdam itself. Granted, the ones outside Amsterdam are probably nicer, but if there is limited time in a city, knowing there were some in the city limits would have helped.
Overall, the book is decent with descriptions and local information, (hence 3 starts), but can be greatly improved.
I wouldn't recommend this book because of some of these errors, but more importantly, like another reviewer said, most Museums are being renovated, or are totally closed until 2009. And if you are going to wait till 2009 to visit Amsterdam, I'd buy a more current book anyways.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Resource
Comment: Recently I have had the lucky opportunity to go to Amsterdam several times. This book has been invaluable. While you need to double check the operating times for some sites ( you do with any book as there is a lag time between publishing and the gathering of info) the descriptions of places are engaging, accurate and most importantly informs me well as to where I should spend my time. Bender is very good at his restaurant descriptions and his take on all things cultural and historic. A real blessing. I have looked - and bought several others but this is the only one I carry around while I am in Amsterdam.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Get a more recent edition
Comment: Lonely Planet has a 2006 edition for Amsterdam--which you need (or one more recent) because so many museums are closed (apparently until 2008/09) and there is much construction going on in the city.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reliable and Informative Travel Guide
Comment: Over the past two years, I've purchased and used five Lonely Planet guides, and this one ranks among the top. Andrew Bender provides humorous yet accurate information on the culture and norms of Amsterdam as well as key surrounding areas (Den Haag, Haarlem, etc.) Day after day during our week-long trip, we turned to his guide for advice and weren't disappointed. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good list of cheap eateries
Comment: The value in "Lonely Planet Amsterdam" is in the thumbnail sketches of cafes and reasonably-priced restaurants. The descriptions of the establishments that I am familiar with were right on the money. They are grouped by neighborhood and have basic information, such as opening hours. I was disappointed that Indonesian restaurants were short-changed, because they "aren't authentically Asian." True, but an Indonesian rijstafel shared between half a dozen or more people is not too expensive and is an authentically Dutch form of entertainment. The biggest problem with the book is that it doesn't open flat. You need both hands to force it open wide enough to read comfortably and then it's hard to flip through the pages. And you will do a lot of flipping, because there's no good index to help you find things. There are about half a dozen pages of photographs of the Amsterdam area, unnaturally sunny and uncrowded. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most interesting and picturesque cities, but nobody goes there for the weather, and the crowds of pedestrians and bicycles are part of the charm. The description of Dutch culture was spot on. Amsterdammers in particular are very broad-minded-one of the reasons that Amsterdam is a favorite vacation spot for gays and lesbians--but they're not part of the have-a-nice-day crowd. Expect them to be polite and helpful, rather than effusive. I have half a dozen guides to Amsterdam and find that no one of them covers all aspects of a visit. "Lonely Planet Amsterdam" is most useful as a way of finding somewhere quick to eat when you're out sight-seeing.
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| Editorial Reviews: |
Discover Amsterdam
Uncover a grand church hidden in an attic in the Red Light District
Visit a shoe-shaped home and the office of the future at the Living Tomorrow Pavilion
Sip jenever (Dutch gin) at a traditional tasting house or distillery
Practice your dangling skills sampling herring from a street stall
In This Guide:
42 days of in-city research, five walking tours, three cycling tours, 18 detailed maps
Color Architecture chapter shows the contrast between Amsterdam's classic and modern styles
Local insights from a film director, a boat-tour operator and an author
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler suggestions
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