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Rating: 
Summary: for idiots, by idiots
Review: ... [bad] maps and instructions. Stupid jokes in place of much-needed information. Lacking coverage on all too many places. And worst, advertisement for every other book in the series at the opening of the section on each country.... . Stick to Lonely Planet. Far, far better than this junk.
Rating:
Summary: for idiots, by idiots
Review: ... [bad] maps and instructions. Stupid jokes in place of much-needed information. Lacking coverage on all too many places. And worst, advertisement for every other book in the series at the opening of the section on each country. ... . Stick to Lonely Planet. Far, far better than this junk.
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Summary: Time is Money
Review: First of all...If you are going to any of the western European countries then narrow your research by buying Lets Go: WESTERN Europe, 2002. This review will be more specifically for that book. This book is a necessity for any independent trip to Europe. It covers everything from lodging, restaurants, what to do, sample itineraries, language guide, city maps, culture and history. A very thick and well researched book...but to really nail down your trip before you go you must bite the bullet and couple this book with at least one other if not two other books. First is Rick Steves Best of Series. Either choose his best of europe or best of the individual country you plan to visit. Rick's book complements the let's go series by being picky...he covers only the places which he considers worthy; and while this may miss many worthy places you are assured of hitting the top spots. Use 'lets go' to find the other out of the way spots. The other book to pick up is the DK writers Eyewitness series, and once again you can choose either Eyewitness Europe or Eyewitness of the country you choose. These are great books because they show you so many pictures of the places to visit that you can see for yourself if it looks like the type of place you would like to go. All three books are worth their weight in gold when you arrive in Europe fully prepared with your itinery completely planned. I know this combo is expensive (way cheaper here than in your local bookstore...saves 25 bucks) but when you are spending a fortune going to europe an extra 50 bucks in books will help make every minute count. Instead of wasting an hour every morning trying to decipher what to do you will be halfway through your tour of the local dungeon at a hidden castle you would never have known about without these books...Good luck and happy travels!
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Summary: this book was a lifesaver for a girl alone!
Review: I backpacked alone in Europe for 3 months, and Let's Go was a lifesaver! Although some of the info was inaccurate - like a few museums they talked about were closed down or non-existant, and a few hostel phone numbers were wrong, overall it was extremely helpful. The wide range of travel tips and interesting facts made me feel like I really could be confident taking off for unknown cities all alone. I will always bring a copy of Let's Go with me! Some people thought it was too thick, so one thing they did was cut out the pages they already used. Then, they could have a lighter book and also give out the pages. One problem...I met a few people who only brought the pages they thought they would need....BUT, that was a problem, because once you are actaully over in Europe traveling, you will be much more spontaneous, and it was really sad when we would reccommend a place for the person to go, and they would say "oh, I can't go to Czech, because I didn't bring those pages...." good luck traveling!!! BRING LET'S GO!
Rating: 
Summary: Guide Proves to be Too Broad
Review: I finished college last december and headed off to Europe with my Let's Go in tow. Let's Go Europe gave me really helpful tipsfor travelling within my budget. Their coverage of sights is superb, and the guide pointed me to cheap but tasty restaurants and cheap hostels. the reason i only gave LG four stars is because of the physical book--if you want glossy paper, LG isn't your guide. But if you're after coverage, LG beats the competition. My roomate had lonely planet and while lonely planets look nicer than let's go, they're inferior books. Other than that, Let's go is great! ...
Rating:
Summary: Useful for budget travel but flawed.
Review: If you are budget travelling in Europe buy this book (or the appropriate country guide), and then buy a "real" travel guide (i.e. Rick Steves, Frommer, Lonely Planet). Generally, I use this book for accomodation recommendations and eating while I use the other book for information on sites to see. The reason is that these books are poorly written with inscrutable directions and lackluster descriptions of the sites. For example, if you are not already an expert on the forum in Rome, any attempt to use Let's Go to make heads or tails of it will fail utterly. Also, be careful about the information given in the books especially if you go off the Eurrailer trail. I discovered (while in Sicily and Malta) that despite their claims to the contrary, the book is not fully updated every year. The maps are often wrong; half of the hotels may be closed that they list and none of the resaurants may exist anymore. More worrisome, the boat schedules for some minor fairies may not in any way resemble what the book lists. By the end of all of my trips with Let's Go, I had a list of errors written out, ranging from the irritating to the frustrating to the nearly disastrous. So, buy this book if you are budget travelling especially if you are sticking to a standard Eurrail tour, but be careful and take any information about more obscure locations with a huge grain of salt.
Rating:
Summary: A great resource, just don't expect perfection
Review: Let's Go is THE guidebook for cheap traveling, especially for students. It's secret? It's written by students, mainly for students...It's strength is that it has a lot of truly budget accomodations listed -- hostels, etc. -- in practically every city in Europe. The main weakness? Because it is put together by students, who by definition are amateurs, the writing can sometimes be weak, the info can be out of date or wrong, and the reviews of lodging and sights are incredibly uneven. (For example, when I used Let's Go almost exclusively for a 3-month Europe trip, some of their $10-25/night budget accomodations listed were fantastic -- but others were dumps unworthy of a listing in any guidebook). The problem is that, unlike a Lonely Planet or a Rick Steves guidebook, which are written by professionals, Let's Go has had hundreds of writers over the years, with students writing about one country but not all the others...If you are unlucky enough to go to a country reviewed by Mountain Man Jack, for example, and he doesn't care about a lack of air conditioning, lumpy beds and smelly rooms, and fails to mention these items, you are out of luck. All in all, though, a great resource for people who need truly budget accomodations, with lots of good maps and other tips... I've personally outgrown this guidebook, having moved on to Rick Steves, who focuses not on the cheapest possible budget but on getting the most possible out of your trip...($50-$100 day vs. the $25-$50 that Let's Go specializes in).
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Summary: I like Let's go
Review: My friend and I have used Let's go Europe three times.
The guide is highly reliable as regards lodgings and instructions about transportation and important sights to see. Yes, I admit sometimes the hostel was not as clean and spotless and there were some mistakes, that is turn left when it was right. But when you really want to travel budget (I live in a South american country so I MUST do it this way) it is excellent.
Rick Steve's is wonderful but too expensive per day for us!!.
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Summary: My European Bible
Review: The Let's Go guide for Europe was the most awesome thing we had with us on our trip. I graduated high school and the next day was on a plane to Frankfurt with no parents and no experience in travelling. My use of the 2000 edition while there for four plus weeks wore the cover off. It's got maps, directions, ideas on what to expect, and more. The focus on budget is great, with sometimes quite extensive lists of hostels. Other times it lacked enough to where an alternate list came in handy. My suggestion, also look into Rick Steve's Guides, and if you're looking at one country in particular, check out the more specific country books. For a first-time, student-budget trip, this book was an invaluble resource.
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