- ISBN13: 9781741791518
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Lonely Planet is the expert on India. Our 13th edition eases you through the spicy diversity of India - from the thrilling bustle of Delhi's bazaars, to the laid-back beaches of Goa, the serene beauty of Himalayan Sikkim, and the majesty of Jaisalmer's ancient fort.
Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip.
In This Guide:
Bonus activities chapter detailing camel treks, watersports and yoga
Tasty color feature reveals the best local food
Festive special section on India's most magical celebrations
Amazon.com Review
From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.
Explore the myriad wonders of India with this useful guide in hand. Whether you wish to cruise the backwaters of Kerala on the rooftop of a ferry, explore the Buddhist gompas of Leh, drink Darjeeling's namesake tea, get lost in the dusty bazaars of Hyderabad, or stroll the 16th-century ruins in Hampi, this book will help you get there. Highlights include more than 200 traveler-tested maps, thousands of places to stay and eat for all budgets, excellent health information, all you need to know about transportation options, and a 32-page color section on India's religions. --Kathryn True
Tags: Sikkim, Zimbabwe, lonely planet guides, backwaters of kerala, Hyderabad, bonus activities, Kerala
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I just returned from a month in India, traveling with both the Lonely Planet (9th ed.) and Rough Guide (3rd ed.) If you are considering a long trip across the breadth of India, I would strongly suggest taking BOTH books. The Lonely Planet is great for practical details (train times, phone numbers, etc.) but spends too much space reviewing individual restaurants and hotels. Even though the book tops out over 1000 pages, the sections devoted to actually explaining the sights and the wonderful culture and history of India are very short.
In contrast, the Rough Guide spends much more space discussing the background and culture of individual locations, and is packed with lots of interesting details not found in the Lonely Planet. The RG spends less space on restaurant/hotel reviews, which was perfectly fine – I’d rather know more about the places I’m visiting than worry how much chicken shahjani costs at some particular restaurant.
The tone and approach of the books are different too – the RG takes a much more optimistic, romantic view of India, while the LP is often so terse and cynical that it doesn’t really inspire you to visit many wonderful places.
Get the LP for the listings. Get the RG to appreciate the beauty of India.
Rating: 2 / 5
When Lonely Planet India first appeared in 1981, it raised the standard for all India guidebooks in the comprehensiveness of locations covered and the detailed information useful to independent travelers, especially those on lower budgets. Twenty years later, it remains the guidebook I personally rely upon most, despite my familiarity with India from extensive travels since 1980 researching my historical novels such as India Treasures. I first learned about that wonderful nonprofit home-stay organization Servas from a Lonely Planet guide, which led to many of our best experiences in India, including lasting friendships. Although my wife and I aren’t backpackers, and we’re probably mid-range in terms of the amount we spend on accommodations and food, the book is extremely helpful. It’s the most up to date and highly detailed regarding such information as transportation options within India, the scams travelers can encounter, and a wealth of other tips too numerous to get into in a brief review.
Given the India guidebook’s thickness and weight, I’ve found it convenient to cut it into sections and only take the parts with me for the regions I plan to visit. It’s still desirable to get supplemental maps for any city or region one plans to spend much time in, as the maps in the book are usually pretty minimal in terms of detail. And other guidebooks do indeed have useful information this one doesn’t (browse the travel shelves in your favorite bookstore to find the additional guides most suitable for your own interests and style of travel). I also advocate reading the better novels set in India, to experience insights into daily life that guidebooks can only hint at.
No single guidebook on India can be all things to all persons for all occasions, but this one surely comes the closest, especially for travelers who don’t have their arrangements taken care of on organized tours.
Rating: 5 / 5
It is almost a crime to try to fit a great country such as India into a one volume guidebook. However, being such the understandable proposition — tourists are unlikely to want to carry many guides — this guidebook does a very nice job of putting it all together.
There are very interesting historical section which are often deeper than what one would get from a local tourist guide. It covers all the major attractions (at least in the places I visited) and gives the tourist a good idea about the culture, history and socio-economic conditions of the places being visited. The list of hotels, restaurants and places to go out at night is quite current, as of July 2006.
It is the only guidebook I used in India, so I cannot compare, but this is quite a good guide that is unlikely to let you down.
Rating: 5 / 5
Having grown up in India I thought I could wing it when we went for an extended stay in India. We were going to be living in Bombay, now called Mumbai…a city that I had never lived in, but had visited briefly 15 years ago. But, once we landed in India and started exploring Bombay, we got suggestions and opinions from various people. Some of these suggestions were good, and some not so good. It was then that I decided to reach out and buy a copy of Lonely Planet India. (I believe India was the first country Lonely Planet people wrote about.)
I had previously used Lonely Guide editions to different countries, and found their guide books very useful. I thought their book on India might help me in discovering Bombay and other parts of India.
After having used the book for a while, I have mixed opinions about the book. I think the mixed opinion stems from two reasons: one India is too vast a country for one book to capture everything, and two having grown up in India my expectations maybe a little bit more demanding of the book.
The strength of the book is that it provides a good basic introduction to the country, and a broad overview of the history and culture along with a laundry lists of do and don’ts that are very useful things to remember. For instance, they do an excellent job of providing information on various modes of transportation and how to reach your destination.
With referfence to Bombay the book provides a good thumbnail sketch of the city and some good basic information on what to do, where to eat etc etc. However, the information provided on the city is confined mostly to the southern tip (referred to as “town” by the local denizens) of this vast sprawling city. They miss out on some interesting things about other parts of Bombay, and the new eating joints etc etc. What they have failed to capture is the changing and dynamic nature to Bombay.
I would recommend this book to those who are visiting India for the first time. If you need more information you might want to buy a couple of travel magazines that are available in news stands or pick up any one of those handy travel brochures. And if you have any friends who have travelled to India do ask them for suggestions.
Rating: 4 / 5
It’s both amazing and pathetic how many rucksack travelers to India follow every word of this book as if it were some holy scripture. So many travelers spend their all of their time with their noses in this book, trying to fill every last moment following each and every step recommended by the book. In the meantime, all too often, they fail to experience India itself. Such devotion to a travel guide is a bizarre phenomenon. Without a doubt, this book is an indispensible guide for those who truly need assistance in knowing on which Bombay street corner they should tie their shoe laces. There’s too much chit chat and lame humour in this book (although, granted, it evidently appeals to some). To the book’s credit, there are some nice city layouts and state maps. However, for travelers who prefer information without all of the weak attempts at humor and for those who prefer to make their own opinions rather than to blindly follow someone else’s words, I would wholeheartedly recommend Robert Bradnock’s India Handbook. I’ve traveled India with both books, and clearly Bradnock’s is, in my opinion, the superior of the two.
Rating: 2 / 5
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