Let's Go 2004: Europe

Rating:
Summary: Helpful but don't rely on it
Review: I first used "Let's Go Europe" for my first European trip (using Eurail) in 1986 and found it very useful, and have used it for subsequent trips. Unlike other guides it emphasizes practical information on where to find what, when and at what price. It also tends to be strong on tourist traps. But it clearly suffers from big time lags from receiving info from its researchers to those recommendations making it into print. In the meantime quite a lot can change; in particular accommodation, eating houses etc., can change hands and go from being good value to poor value, as I have found out several times. And of course some places may just disappear. The different writers often make idiosyncratic comments which despite the editors' efforts, make you wonder what they were smoking at the time. Its coverage of what to see and do is very partial, and as another reviewer says if you plan to see more than just a few things in a few cities, get a more comprehensive guide to that country rather than this all in one version. The more you know about a place before you get to it the better.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful but don't rely on it
Review: I first used "Let's Go Europe" for my first European trip (using Eurail) in 1986 and found it very useful, and have used it for subsequent trips. Unlike other guides it emphasizes practical information on where to find what, when and at what price. It also tends to be strong on tourist traps. But it clearly suffers from big time lags from receiving info from its researchers to those recommendations making it into print. In the meantime quite a lot can change; in particular accommodation, eating houses etc., can change hands and go from being good value to poor value, as I have found out several times. And of course some places may just disappear. The different writers often make idiosyncratic comments which despite the editors' efforts, make you wonder what they were smoking at the time. Its coverage of what to see and do is very partial, and as another reviewer says if you plan to see more than just a few things in a few cities, get a more comprehensive guide to that country rather than this all in one version. The more you know about a place before you get to it the better.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful but don't rely on it
Review: I first used "Let's Go Europe" for my first European trip (using Eurail) in 1986 and found it very useful, and have used it for subsequent trips. Unlike other guides it emphasizes practical information on where to find what, when and at what price. It also tends to be strong on tourist traps. But it clearly suffers from big time lags from receiving info from its researchers to those recommendations making it into print. In the meantime quite a lot can change; in particular accommodation, eating houses etc., can change hands and go from being good value to poor value, as I have found out several times. And of course some places may just disappear. The different writers often make idiosyncratic comments which despite the editors' efforts, make you wonder what they were smoking at the time. Its coverage of what to see and do is very partial, and as another reviewer says if you plan to see more than just a few things in a few cities, get a more comprehensive guide to that country rather than this all in one version. The more you know about a place before you get to it the better.

Rating:
Summary: great guide
Review: I would recommend this guide to anyone who is planning on backpacking. It contains up-to-date information on trains and buses and their prices. The book also provide detailed maps of large European cities and public transportation maps in the front. This book saved me alot of money on my recent trip and is definately worth its price.

Rating:
Summary: About Buying a Travel Guide
Review: Last semester I went abroad and found my travel guides essential to navigating around Europe. Let's Go is an amazing series that will help you with everything from bus times to zoo times and you will definitely be glad you bought this in advance (as it is also more expensive to buy this in a European bookstore).

However, something I did learn only through experience is to buy your book wisely. If you plan on traveling through Europe and hitting only the biggest stops, I would advise you purchase "Let's Go Europe". If not, if your plans include a long stay in one particular area, I would *strongly* suggest you consider buying the guide for that area only. The problem with "Let's Go Europe" is that after only a month I found myself buying "Let's Go: Spain and Portugal" because some of the best spots just weren't listed. The information on the Rock of Gibralter was brief to say the least but in "Let's Go: Spain and Portugal" there was more than enough information on the Rock.

Definitely buy wisely, but overall you can't be too wrong by purchasing something from Let's Go.

Rating:
Summary: About Buying a Travel Guide
Review: Last semester I went abroad and found my travel guides essential to navigating around Europe. Let's Go is an amazing series that will help you with everything from bus times to zoo times and you will definitely be glad you bought this in advance (as it is also more expensive to buy this in a European bookstore).

However, something I did learn only through experience is to buy your book wisely. If you plan on traveling through Europe and hitting only the biggest stops, I would advise you purchase "Let's Go Europe". If not, if your plans include a long stay in one particular area, I would *strongly* suggest you consider buying the guide for that area only. The problem with "Let's Go Europe" is that after only a month I found myself buying "Let's Go: Spain and Portugal" because some of the best spots just weren't listed. The information on the Rock of Gibralter was brief to say the least but in "Let's Go: Spain and Portugal" there was more than enough information on the Rock.

Definitely buy wisely, but overall you can't be too wrong by purchasing something from Let's Go.

Rating:
Summary: Worst travel guide I have ever used!
Review: Let's go had been my favorite guide untill I get to know this one: lack of maps, misleading directions and I could not disagree more with author's opinion regarding food, accomodations and scenery. Also, there is no help here to plan a trup neither!

Rating:
Summary: Not as helpful as Lonely Planet
Review: Let's Go is the college student classic. Without a doubt, if you are looking simply to party Europe, this is your most helpful tool. But if you are looking to experience Europe, understand that Let's Go is the most popular European travel guide. Virtually EVERYONE has it. This fact does have its advantages: you will never be far from the American crowd. But the disadvantages are the same: the bars, the clubs, the hostels and resturants are all on the Let's Go circuit.
In all, my recomendation is to buy the Lonely Planet guidebook that I found much more informative and better written. You can better avoid the American Party crowd when you feel like it, and when you want to partake in the happenings - don't worry they are easy to find.

The other advantage of everyone having Let's Go would be that it can be found almost everywhere (hostel bookshelves, your roommate's backpack) and you will not have any trouble borrowing it for a while. Lonley Planet offers a slightly different perspective, and allows you to more fully enjoy your trip abroad.



Rating:
Summary: The myth of the backpacker
Review: Overweight, overpriced, inaccurate and misleading, this book should not be considered a reliable guide to Europe for people on a strict budget. The first and probably most significant problem is the book's estimated costs for a first-time, under-26 backpacker. Let's Go estimates $2000 (for 2 months) in addition to airfare, railpass, a backpack, and emergency funds. Realistically, however, many travelers will find that figure ridiculously low. Particularly for the under-26 traveler who is not a student, and thus not eligible for discounts at museums and attractions, that $33/day starts to buckle under the reality of $15-20 dorm bed prices, $10 museum admissions, $7 daily grocery bills (for a barely adequate diet from supermarkets), $1.50-2.00 public transit rides, etc etc. Of course, you're not always going to be able to find a bed as cheap as $15 or even $20, and presumably you'll occasionally want to call home, use an internet cafe, or have a beer. Certainly, people have done (and are doing) Europe on $33 or even less. But do you need supplementary overseas travel insurance? A hostelling card? Any new clothing (jeans are bulky, heavy, hot, and take forever to dry)? A sturdy pair of shoes? None of this seems to be included in that magical $2000 figure Let's Go gives.

More broadly, Let's Go claims to represent backpacker travel, a kind of budget travel distinguished from Tourism (with a capital T) not only by its relative cheapness but by the flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and travel savvy of its practitioners. But, using this book as a guide, when you end up packed in some building with a bunch of sweaty, obnoxious tourists you'll begin to wonder if you've been duped. In addition, keep in mind that to some people backpackers are indistinguishable from other tourists except in that they are poorer and thus, perhaps, even more worthy of contempt than usual tourists. You will not necessarily earn any respect from the natives for stumbling through a few half-remembered phrases from high-school French, German or Spanish (but you may need to do so to survive; Let's Go does not, unfortunately, emphasize the extent to which the myth that all Europeans speak English is just that; a myth).

And don't expect the information about hours, prices and locations to be terribly accurate, either. Although this is the 2004 edition, the information for it was gathered between May and August 2003, and opinions about places are the opinion of one researcher (who, in the case of some of the places I visited, must have been drunk, stoned, or otherwise insensate when forming an impression of a place).

My final criticism (since we are limited to 1,000 words) is the size, weight, and price of the book. At over 1,000 pages, this book is festooned with advertisements, researchers' idiosyncratic blathering, listings of clubs and bars with ridiculously high cover charges/drink prices, and shopping and accomodation with prices well out of reach of anyone who could be accurately called a budget traveler. There is some good information here, particularly for someone who has no idea what to do in Europe, and other travel guide series have their problems but, as always, caveat emptor.

Rating:
Summary: Going and going more andmore away from the backpacker market
Review: Whilst Let's Go may well still be ahead of its rivals such as Lonely Planet and The Rough Guide it seems to be moving more and more away from being a backpacker non fiction reference novel and is trying to hit multiple tourist markets with the one publication. Hotel, B & B, fine dining and other stuff which is just taking up space and is of no use whatsoever to an actual backpacker is being expanded each year taking up space which used to hold smaller less popular and well known destinations. Black Forrest, Germany towns like Titisee and Schulschee disappeared in last year's edition and have not returned this year. Reading this book you would assume the large town of Freiburg is the Black Forrest experience which it certainly is not. It seems they are trying to get you to purchase the individual editions as well which is stupid as who is going to carry around Europe twenty or so books with them or want to spend that much money.

Benidorm, Spain and Kreuzlingen, Switzerland are just two more of the gems which have disappeared this edition. The whole point of backpacking is that we see areas that the mass market tourists do not, so these towns should be listed so that the backpacker at least knows if there is a hostel as well as a few bits of basic information. Speaking of hostel listings, where are they all disappearing to? Inverness, Scotland for example now only lists one hostel. I know of at least six there. Do they have to pay to be listed now or something?

You will find lots of hostel brochures as you travel or on websites like seethisplanet so do not be put off by a destination if it is not in here. I wouldn't really bother buying any of these sort of guides as so many people have them and all you have to do is ask if you can read it if you want to check something out and it is also a great icebreaker to do this to get to meet someone. They do have a use for planning your journey before departing if you don't know much about Europe and Let's Go would be the best for this but just be aware that there are so many places which are not listed that you'll still have to look elsewhere for information.