Rating: 
Summary: Good book for a return visit
Review: Having used two editions of the Japan guide book I turned to Lonely Planet for another trip. The London book is a great guide if you want the occassional opinion and are looking for solid advice on the standard tourist sights and some insight on the less-well-known sights. It's also a good size - it fits into large pockets or easily into your backpack or camera bag. Unlike the book on Japan, the London guide is not long on specific directions on how to get places once you exit public transportation. Still, it has a broad listing of things to do and places to see, good maps, a reasonable but hardly exhaustive list of hotels and restaurants, and the quirky but entertaining point-of-view that characterizes all the Lonely Planet guides. The descriptions are arranged by topic and then by neighborhoods. I found this very useful when making general plans for each day - we could focus on one or two parts of the city and not spend all day riding back and forth on the tube. The guide includes interesting walks through parts of London and a good variety of day trips outside of London. In short, it's useful and well-worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: The Study Abroad Life Saver
Review: I first picked up the Lonely Planet London book at the praises of my history advisor. I studied in London for five weeks and this book was with me every step of the way. Not only does it provide top notch detailing of the major sites and locations, but it gives an easy to read historical overview so you don't get lost in the annuals of history. I loved using it when trying to find places to go or even to help me with my assignments! Pick it up and you'll never see London the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: The Study Abroad Life Saver
Review: I first picked up the Lonely Planet London book at the praises of my history advisor. I studied in London for five weeks and this book was with me every step of the way. Not only does it provide top notch detailing of the major sites and locations, but it gives an easy to read historical overview so you don't get lost in the annuals of history. I loved using it when trying to find places to go or even to help me with my assignments! Pick it up and you'll never see London the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: Practical and Helpful Guide to London
Review: I have always been a fan of the Lonely Planet books, having recently used the Lonely Planet Iceland and Greenland book to great effect. I like this London guide because it is a nice size (easy to carry) and is full of genuinely useful information. I particularly like the very detailed maps in the back of the book (there are 16 color maps in addition to the tube map and a few other handy things back there). The maps make planning itineraries much easier than if they are spread throughout the book. One minor quibble about the maps, though: the maps are of excellent detail, but cover relatively small geographic areas. That's ideal for detail, except for the fact that there is very little orienting information about how the various maps fit together. It's not a huge deal, but is the only real room for improvement that I saw in the book. As far as information goes, the hotel and restaurant stuff is pretty standard fare, but the information on sights and attractions is wonderful. I am especially fond of the "Highlights and Lowlights" sections which point out the things generally of highest import to a tourist. Of course, there is substantial information on other things, but this 'do not miss' feature is great. I was also especially pleased with the detailed public transport information including the tube, trains, taxis, buses, and all five airports (and how to get to and from them.) In short, I am really impressed with this latest edition of the Lonely Planet London book, and will definitely be packing it when I go to England next.
Rating:
Summary: London's Best
Review: I just got back from a 2 month tour of Europe including 3 weeks in London, where the LP London guide was invaluable. I used it constantly, not only for it's great maps and solid recommendations, but also for suggested walks and sights ratings. Add this guide with Walking in London, and you see all the best London has to offer while always being in the know!
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT guide for seeing all sights in LONDON!
Review: I just returned from a week stay in London and two books made the trip complete - this LONDON citymap guide and Lonely Planets guide to London. We were there to sitesee and all we needed was Lonely Planet to decide where to go (includes the TUBE stops as well) and for resturants and other out of the way location, we found every street we needed with this fold out guide. Lonely Planet gave just enough background on all the major sites and has a lot of information packed in a little book. I received about 4 other books from friends and none compared to these two guides. Save your money - you'll be all set with these two!
Rating:
Summary: Lonely in London.
Review: I swear by the Lonely Planet travel guides, and this one is no exception. While planning my recent trip to London, I discovered two first-rate London guidebooks, this one, and Rick Steves' London 2005 (which I prefer of the two). The LP guide offers detailed maps in the back of the book, including a tube map. It also enabled me to find affordable hotel accomodations in the otherwise expensive Hyde Park area. LP's guide provides an excellent orientation of the city's culture, architecture, and history, and features several worthwhile walking tours through the Soho, South Bank, Fleet Street and central city areas of London. London is among the ultimate European travel destinations, and first-time visitors will need no more than this guide to explore the city's pubs, its fascinating streets and neighborhoods, and its many, great art museums.
G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for student traveling
Review: I would recommend this book to any student or individual who is traveling to London and cannot afford to live in the most expensive sections of London that Frommer's offers. I loved this book. I took it everywhere I went in London and never got losted. I had this book more often than I had my passport. I even got Jack Black's autograph in this book when he came for his movie premiere. If you are going to London, you must pick up this book first. It is the only thing you will need. There are maps inside and everything you will need to live and commute in London. This was my first Lonely Planet and would recommend it to anyone interested in really travelling London. If you are going that way, tell everyone hello for me in the Museum Tavern, which is where Karl Marx took his study breaks during the writing of the Communist Manifesto.
Rating:
Summary: You're going to LOVE BRITAIN!
Review: I've spent a year in England and have made >30 visits all together.
Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.
MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for pubs, hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the underground and the double decker buses. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the city centre. When you get to be an old London hand, remember that the classic Londoners guide will always be an A to Z (zed) map and guide. If you want to go a bit beyond the central core of the city (perhaps to Windsor, Hampton, or further away) you really need the proper AtoZ to be able to find exact routes and streets.
Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!
Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.
Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)
Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide
Rating:
Summary: Definitive
Review: In the past year I have had the chance to travel to Prague, Paris, and London, and for each trip I brought along a Lonely Planet city guide. These books are simply the best. In previous travels I have tried books by other groups, but Lonely Planet has never steered me wrong. The books are accurate and up-to-date, and offer advice for all modes of travel (economic, social, time constraints, interests, and so on). The history and culture sections are useful but not too long, and the same is true of the descriptions of the various sites and sights. Don't travel without one!
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