Let's Go Western Europe 2002

Rating:
Summary: Inaccurate so far
Review: Excellent for finding inexpensive accomodations and doesn't limit you to just one area of each city. I tried at least one of the Let's Go recommended (thumbs up) restaurants in each of the cities I visited and found their reviews, listed prices and information (e.g. phone number and location) to be accurate. The book is also helpful for travel tips like calling internationally, approximating travel time and cost between cities (important for planning train rides) and attractions' hours of operation. (There's nothing like showing up at a tourist site to find it closed!). I would recommend a companion book(s) for more detailed guides of the history, culture and language of the sites you're likely to visit. Let's Go is rather sparse in that area, but adequate considering everything else that's included in the book. Definitely leave room in your backpack for this book! My copy came back doggy-eared and tattered, but well appreciated and thoroughly used. Well worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: Leave room in your backpack for this book!
Review: Excellent for finding inexpensive accomodations and doesn't limit you to just one area of each city. I tried at least one of the Let's Go recommended (thumbs up) restaurants in each of the cities I visited and found their reviews, listed prices and information (e.g. phone number and location) to be accurate. The book is also helpful for travel tips like calling internationally, approximating travel time and cost between cities (important for planning train rides) and attractions' hours of operation. (There's nothing like showing up at a tourist site to find it closed!). I would recommend a companion book(s) for more detailed guides of the history, culture and language of the sites you're likely to visit. Let's Go is rather sparse in that area, but adequate considering everything else that's included in the book. Definitely leave room in your backpack for this book! My copy came back doggy-eared and tattered, but well appreciated and thoroughly used. Well worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: A great resource, just don't expect perfection...
Review: Let's Go is THE guidebook for [inexpensive] 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 ... 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...

Rating:
Summary: Inaccurate so far
Review: The section on Frankfurt Germany is terribly inaccurate. The map of the subway system displaces the airport as being in the middle of a river and the train that goes to the airport has a number that doesnt exist. Good luck finding your way around!