Lonely Planet Portugal Travel Atlas

I don't expect much from Lonely Planet. Usually, they seem to be written by some sandal wearing reprobate who thinks finding vegetarian food is important. They often skip over interesting historical fact, landmarks, culture and items of artistic merit -to say nothing of local custom and folkways, in order to have enough space to tell you about where the local discos are, and where you can buy more lonely planet books (think about why this is dumb for a minute). Personally, I only buy them because they have good maps in them, and halfway decent (if bizarre) hotel and restaurant recommendations. I also buy them because nobody else really makes serious travel books (I have high hopes for the "Avant Guide" franchise). I'd probably be better off collecting antique Baedekers. This guide to Portugal was, on the other hand, quite good; well above their average offering. It's out of date in some significant ways. For example, one of the central train stations in Lisbon, Rossio, has been out of service for years; it's somewhat excusable that this is out of date information in the book, but the same thing is on their website, so I have to imagine the next edition will have the same problems. Also, when I went, there were all manner of bizarre ceremonies involving students in robes being tormented by other people; nary a mention in the book. None the less, there were many sights I had never heard of which were mentioned in the book. Many were described as "like out of star wars" by the voluble Miz Hole (or Beach), which pretty much meant: you should really see this. It wasn't a bad description, as Lucas obviously modeled some of his alien looking stuff after Manueline gothic style -just a bit matey for my tastes. There were also a number of excellent "small detail" recommendations for restaurants; a really cool fried chicken restaurant in Porto, run by a midget and a guy who looks like an undertaker -a remarkable hotel in Tomar run by the world's happiest man, Esteve. These sorts of little details made me forgive all the flaws I mentioned above. The details also made me love Portugal. Portugal isn't as dense in history and monuments as Italy, nor is the food as good as in France, but they have a very deep and wonderful culture there. This is quite a good book for getting a flavor for it, and seeing the sights which need seeing.

I enjoyed the book Lonely Planet Portugal. I will be taking it along on my upcoming trip and I am sure it will be a great help to have with me. Lot's of great information!

i've used LP Portugal on many short trips to portugal (i live in madrid, so going to portugal occurs once in a while)... after purchasing several guidebooks, i have ended up taking LP every time and leave the other guidebooks on the shelf at home... despite this, some caveats are necessary!the pros: the maps and city plans are substantially better than in the competitors' guidebooks.. lonely planet is one of the few economic travel guidebooks (economic travel, i mean, the book is not economical at all!) that gives you information on at least a few hotels that are not youth hostels, dives or other forms of bottom-barrel accommodation; in other words, they at least give you a few mid-range and expensive options if you wish to go that way... all the essentials are there, with great suggestions on places to sleep, eat and visitthe cons: as with ALL of the backpacker/youth travel guidebooks (LP, footprint, rough guide, let's go), the information on sights/monuments/museums, etc., is SEVERELY lacking... there is just the most basic of information on the history of the sights that you have gone so far to see... which makes it necessary to buy another book, pay an expensive guide or some such thing... (for instance, you will rarely read detailed descriptions of the artwork to be found in a church and are often left wandering about saying 'this is so beautiful, i wonder what it is???...i wish the guidebook would tell me more!') i know this would make the guidebooks huge, but even 50% more information on what you are gawking at would be wonderful so as to have a little bit more of a grip on the backgrouns after flying so far to see it!which is why, despite its quality, i always feel the need to take another guidebook along, just in case...using my usual technique of tearing out just the pages i would need from each book

We recently travelled in Portugal using this guide as our sole source of information. As always, the Lonely Planet series steers independent travelers to the finest little-known places. Maps, evaluations, and descriptions are all excellent and easy to find at a glance. We never travel without the Lonely Planet guides, and found this one excellent as usual.

Lonely Planet consistently proves itself to be THE guide to have while you're traveling. The details are fantastic, the layout is simple, the maps are good, and the recommendations are right on, particularly regarding Lisbon. Further, it's small enough to take with you without looking too conspicuous. I especially like the details of off-the-beaten-path places too often overlooked by the average guidebook. For example, We found ourselves in the little town of Tomar, and the guide really came through with a great restaurant recommendation. If you want to escape to the real Portugal, use this book.