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Paperback Frommer's India Book

ISBN: 0470556102

ISBN13: 9780470556108

Frommer's India (Frommer's Complete)

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Format: Paperback

Condition: Very Good

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Book Overview

Completely updated, this fourth edition of Frommer's India will help you plan the trip that's right for you, whether you're traveling to soak up India's spirituality, chill out on the beaches, or live like a king in the land of princes. Experience the best of India: Visit the Taj Mahal as well as the cave temples at Ajanta and Ellora, watch the moon rise from Pushkar Palace during the Pushkar Mela, raft down the Zanskar, bump into a Bollywood star at a top rated restaurant, and sleep in a former king's bed at a heritage property (castles, palaces, and forts) in Rajasthan. Also learn tips on safety, ettiquette, and the art of bargaining --including the real meaning behind the phrases "you pay what you like" and "just look, no buy." This guide is biannually updated (and personalized) by a small team of writers including Pippa de Bruyn, an award-winning journalist and travel writer; Dr. Keith Bain, who also has a doctorate in film; Niloufer Venkatraman, a Mumbai native who has a doctorate in anthropology; Shonar Joshi, a travel writer and reporter; and more. All are not afraid to speak their mind and give their opinions -- and share their passion for India. Frommer's India, 4e also includes 4 itineraries for exploring the country, including "North India Highlights in 16 Days" and "South India in 2 Weeks."

Related Subjects

Asia General India Reference Travel

Customer Reviews

4 ratings

Great Book for your India trip

The book is a good source of info in most cases. Lacks info on trains operating long distance from Mumbai to New Delhi or to Agra as to what to expect from 1st AC to 3rd AC.

Awesome

I don't know if I'll ever go to India, but this book gives a great overview of the regions, highlights, customs, and people. Nice little read to flip around to the parts of special interest to you.

Comprehensive and useful (but nothing's perfect)

Frommer's is packed with information, and it's reasonably well organized. It covers a huge and diverse country with a reasonable amount of detail. It's written to appeal to a wide range of travelers, but it's probaly most useful for people who are (1) traveling on their own rather than on a group tour and (2) planning to go mid- to high budget, not low-budget. (Mid-budget in India will get a you a long way -- food, services and rail are amazingly inexepensive as of March '07.) There's a bit of hysteria in the section on getting ready -- you don't need all those immunizations unless you're going to places where the specific disease is endemic. Check on-line with the US Centers for Disease Control for more realistic advice. In contrast, the authors are right on target when they warn repeatedly about minor scams. From the moment you go through customs you will be approached by people who have some offer that's a scam or semi-scam. Even when you hire a good guide from a good company, there's a high probability that you'll be taken to a shop whose owner gives the guide a commission. It's endless and ultimately an amusing game, and Frommer's does a great job of hoisting the warning flag. Pay attention - from the second you arrive. The book also warns against trying to drive yourself in India. I've driven in places like Sao Paulo, Bogota, Rome and Mexico City (and Boston!), and I agree with that warning. Driving in India was scary 25 years ago and it's even more so now due to the great increase in traffic. There are clearly rules of the road, but you'll be dead before you figure them out, so hire a driver locally, fly long distances, and take the train inter-city when flying doesn't make sense. The discussions in the front of the book about what's good and what's great are excellent and valuable in helping you decide how to spend limited time in India. The suggestions are divided into rankings of sites and rankings of "moments" or experiences. In the back, theres a short but useful section on Indian history and on its multiple cultures, knowledge that you can use to put what you see into context. The book's one major fault is the lack of good city maps, as mentioned by another reviewer. Even the state maps are poor in terms of identifying good roads and main rail lines. There's a reasonably good explanation of how the rail system works and it tells you what class of travel to book, but that section would be improved with a clear description of what you get at each level of service. (The top level of overnight train is 1 AC which is a 2- or 4-berth air conditioned compartment, and the bottom level is Sleeper, which is a bare bench in a wretchedly crowded coach.) The book is organized by state and region, and two places that could be twelve hours apart may follow one another in the text, with no indication of their separation. It can take an hour or more to go 30 miles on a main highway; a table of time between major points of

Don't go to India without this book!!!

Many times throught this book it mentions that India is not for the fainthearted. Amen to that. Please take this book and plan your trip well in advance to benifit from the best India has to offer. This book is very specific on where to eat, sleep and how to get around with minimal ripoffs. The introductory travel sections are manditory reading. You will receive advice on how to handle unwanted attention from rude men ("strike them")and advice on the water, ("do not open your mouth in the shower"). The guidebook will tell you what sights to avoid and the ones to go out of your way for. Each of India's states are discussed in detail. This book is well written with humor and bluntness and I found it fun to read even after our trip.
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