Travel to Austria

Lonely Planet Austria

Format: Paperback
Author: Neal Bedford
ReleaseDate: 30 March, 2005
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Rating:

Travel Prep
Several smaller, yet interesting, areas are discussed. A great book in preparation for your trip to Austria. .

Needs more guidance and priortization; also missed info
Lonely Planet is a reliable guide, but it has many problems some of which have been discussed already. I just returned from a brief trip to Austria. I agree that it is a bit too oriented towards backpackers, wanderers, and poor students. This is not bad, because some guides such as the Guide Vert don't even acknowledge hostels it seems.

The LP notably missed the number of organized tours that were available, in English, from Salzburg. I was able to go to Berchtesgaden/Eagles Nest on a guided tour. There are also the Ice Caves. These tours significantly reduced my level of effort and organization required.

The other problem is that with few pictures (not a terrible thing given limited space) it is hard to have a good sense of where you want to go and what you should prioritize. For example, how does an Alpine castle in Austria compare to one in Germany or France? "Best in Europe" is a useful description you don't find; "Best in Austria" is not especially useful given that Austria is not the largest country in Europe, and one is more likely than not to be passing through Austria between Italy, Germany, and France rather than spending weeks there.

In the case of Vienna, I found that there were some significant museums and sites that were missing; such as the arsenal or the German flak towers. However, they did have most of the important sites and if you only have a day or two that's fine.

The LP books consistently have more descriptions and destinations for any mainstream books. If you want that "hidden treasure" you need to get a regional/local book, usually in the local language.

Less than Informative
This iteration, however, leaves much to be desired. I have used Lonely Planet Guides in the past and have been pleased with the information they provided. I use the guides to point out the "obvious" places that should not be missed, and "secret" places that are off the beaten path that the writers share with their readers. I found this book lacking in both instances. Vacations are never long enough, and as such, they require research and a seasoned guide to separate the worthwhile sights from the rest. After reading this guide, I was not much better off than before I started. Further, I found the guide is written for a backpacker mentality; fine for them, but not for me. Way too much time and space was devoted to finding one's way via public transport, and where to find the next hostel. I am well beyond that. I recently received the latest Fodor's and Frommer guides for Austria, and in one chapter, I was miles ahead with either guide over where LP left me. LP was extremely helpful for my travels to Australia and Belgium. This edition was rather disappointing.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Austria travel books.

	Lonely Planet Germany
	Lonely Planet Hungary
	Lonely Planet Czech & Slovak Republics (Lonely Planet Czech and Slovak Republics)
	Lonely Planet Vienna
	Frommer's Austria (Frommer's Complete)