Lonely Planet South India

Lonely planet has always been my favorite travel book. If you're a backpacker or like traveling on the go, this book will get you far.

This product was a tremendous help when I was trying to plan my trips in South India. It does a great job of not only giving maps and historical information of a particular area, but it also recommnends restaurants and hotel accomodations, which is always extremely helpful when you find yourself in an unknown place as a foreignor! I would definitlely recommend this book for both first time travelers and the travel veterans.

The guidebook does not include all the options or highlights of places but it has sufficient information for your first or second time visit. Very useful opening times and price guidelines! ...In fact I found myself returning to South India many times after the first review of this book. Even though these are always business trips I try to get the most out of them spending weekends in the more or less touristic places. Thanks to LP I've even guided some Indians around Chennai and Mumbai! Try out bird sanctuaries or Gingee Forts for example - you'll be surprised by the fact there are places in India charming though not overcrowded (and not located in Himalaya). The book does a pretty good job in this field. After a while you'll need to search for some more info on the web or in local resources however LP always provides with good ideas and directions for exploring.

You can never go wrong with lonely planet. The Wheelers have made life so much easier for travellers the world over. Even though I live in South India I have bought this book and use it like a reference. It gives me ideas for what to do over weekends. South India is probably wrongly named as it also includes states of India which are not considered to be 'south' of the country (e.g. Maharashtra and Goa). Nonetheless an absolute must for anyone living / travelling to 'south' India.In some places the info is dated (the edition is of October'01) and needs to be updated.

This guide is very comprehensive. I have travelled exstensively throughout Southern India and have found that this book is imperative to a well informed and succesful travel experience. The information is unfailing in its accuracy. The book seems to be written more with the budget traveller in mind, but certainly provides a wealth of information for the traveller looking to be a little more spendthrift. Also important to take notice of, is the honest and unbiased perspective conveyed throughout the guide; if something is to be avoided, you will know it. Well organized and profusely detailed. An interesting read just for pleasure as well.