|
Egypt (Country Guide) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Matthew Firestone, Rafael Wlodarski, Anthony Sattin, Zora O'neill
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $16.49
You Save: $8.50 (34%)
New (33) Used (3) from $15.48
Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 6634
Media: Paperback
Edition: 9
Pages: 572
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1741043158
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781741043150
ASIN: 1741043158
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Discover Egypt
Find a Cairo coffeehouse to suit your own style; unwind, chat and inhale deeply over a sheesha
Forget hot springs: try a hot sand bath in the middle of the desert
Take belly-dancing lessons from the most famous teacher in Egypt
Relax in the soft light of early morning on a Nile cruise
In This Guide:
Five authors, 295 days of research, hundreds of touts and a week-long scuba course
Special chapter on cruising the Nile: choose from timeless feluccas and splendid dahabiyyas, the Rolls Royce of their era
Illustrated Pharaonic Egypt chapter by world-renowned Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher brings the ancient rulers to life
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveller suggestions
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 this one's a keeper July 28, 2000
Dr. Susan Z. Swan (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
56 out of 59 found this review helpful
This book was recommended by the Egyptian agency which was helping us plan an independent tour. I quickly saw why. It is a concise, practical guide, giving down-to-earth accessible information. The general introduction to the history, geography, economy, and culture of Egypt, while only about 30 pages long, provides an appropriate starting point for a visitor along with a 3 page list of recommended readings for travelers who want or need more in-depth information (Susan Wilson's "Culture Shock! Egypt" would be a useful addition to the list). The brief overview of temple/tomb architecture and of the gods/goddesses (with handy line drawings) was especially helpful when fatigue led to information blur later in the trip. The "Facts for the Visitor" section was indispensible as it provided basic information on everything from visas to money to toilets. The metric conversion table inside the back cover was a blessing! The advice for women travelers and for traveling with children was especially helpful for us (a party of 2 women/2 young teens). The cautions perhaps encouraged us to be too guarded at first, but they also allowed us to gradually relax into our comfort zone with very few unpleasantries. The actual guide to places, sites, and activities suited our needs well. The maps provided were clear and helpful; the descriptions, histories, and commentaries of the various sites and locations interesting. The amount of information provided was quite appropriate (one, after all, has to be able to carry the book conveniently about). Where we felt we needed more information, we simply bought something more extensive on the spot or made a note to look for resources upon returning home. The information provided on Internet cafes was a godsend, if a bit fiddly to find; listing all the cafes in a single section or at least including a page number for each city in the table of contents or index would be most welcome. All in all, this was the most used guide that we took with us. It will definitely return with me next time.
 You won't have to depend on the kindness of strangers. May 15, 1999
24 out of 31 found this review helpful
I never travel anywhere without a Lonely Planet Guide. My trip to Egypt was no exception. I like them so much, I often buy the latest edition for places I have already been, just in case I get a chance to go again. This edition is especially nice, in that it only covers Egypt. The edition I used for my trip also covered the Sudan. So to save weight I had to rip out the Sudan pages before I even started the trip. The Lonely Planet guides provide information on everything, and are truely survival guides. I didn't backpack, but even if you stay in a great hotel and take a guided tour, there is no better way to get the feel of the sites and the country than reading you LP guide before you get there. The color pictures, maps and sketches of sites are excellent and well chosen, and the details of who and where to contact in an emergency may very well ensure your survival. But the best stuff is where to go for a particular food or drink and how to find that special place that the "tourists" don't visit. Don't leave home without it.
 Just OK May 30, 2005
TravelGirl (San Francisco)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
Spent 2+ weeks in Egypt in April 2005, touring all the major sites with my husband, including the Sinai Peninsula, without a tour group. While I am generally a huge fan of LP and use them extensively, this country's edition was a little disappointing. It was slim on the specifics of the sites/museums and if you only have this book, you will need to pay for guides at the sites/museums, since you won't understand what you are looking at. Get the Rough Guide instead.
 Really terrible March 2, 2000
Ronnie Waldron (Los Angeles, California)
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
This is a really terrible guide to a great country. You get the impression that the person who wrote this guide arrived in Egypt the day before you did, is rushing through, hardly understands what he is seeing, and is passing on his ill-informed and rather ignorant impressions. I suppose it is useful for finding a cheap hotel, but then so are many other and much better guides written by people with a sense of history, a feeling for culture, and a sense of adventure.
I just back and thought I should tell you ... March 2, 2000
Linda Peel (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
I just got back from Egypt and I thought I should tell you that the Lonely Planet guide is hopeless. A lot of its practical information is out of date; its coverage outside Cairo is feeble; its coverage inside Cairo lacks much knowledge of history and architecture, so that it really lets you down when visiting the old mosques and churches; and in all it seems to be written for people who prize jokiness over informed comment.
|
|
|
|
| |
