Syria & Lebanon 3 (LONELY PLANET SYRIA AND LEBANON)

I only used a small section of this book, the section on Beirut, but it was a very useful guide that helped me make the most of my limited few days in the city, particularly the recommendations on fantastic hole-in-the-wall restaurants I would not have otherwise found. The only disappointment was that the author wrote that travelers should shun the public beach and head to one of the exclusive private beach clubs, but I found the public beach quite pleasant, particularly when trying to save money because Beirut isn't all that cheap.

The new July 2008 edition has just reached me. It's a great advance over previous editions (see other reviews on this site). Many text-boxes and references to more specialist guides have been added. Everything has been updated and substandard accommodation deleted. It's very compact, light and easy-to-use - except for the street maps. These seem more difficult to read than ever! Extra plans showing the layout of ruins and of some museums are great. However, the prices given for flights and accommodation are already well out-of-date. Judging by the introductory sections, the guide was completed in about February 2008. Lonely Planet needs to speed-up its printing schedule, although I'm sure the Chinese printers were not to blame for any delay. This is an excellent,compact guide to wonderful countries of great antiquity whose friendly inhabitants are so warm to visitors, putting to shame Western notions of hospitality. While not nearly as comprehensive as the outstanding 1991 Footprint Syria & Lebanon Handbook, it is a quarter of the weight and a very handy introduction to people planning to visit. I won't go without it!

I was so excited to travel through the Middle East as it's not something that happens regularly in the region if you're American. I was wowed by the overall accuracy of the book and while I wasn't taking pictures or shooting video, I was reading my LP guide :). Aside from a few wrong numbers and a little exaggeration on how "friendly" people are, it was a gold mine of information. The info on Lebanon was great and useful. I only wish I could spend more time there instead of 3 days. For the most part, it really helped in Syria and I stand by the hotel and restaurant recommendations.

I used this guide for travels in Lebanon this past summer, fortunately, before the war. I explored Beirut and Tripoli, and this book provided excellent information on both cities. I found everything from hotel descriptions to guides on inter-country travel via bus and taxi to be accurate and helpful. Whatever information you could require for travelling through Lebanon and Syria is found here. Overall, a solid and reliable guide to an amazing region.

I've just arriving from a travel to Syria. I've travelled a lot and I've ever used LP guides. This is one of the best. During my travel in Syria sometimes I had asked to myself: where can I find this, that, those...all the answers, the most weird too, are in this book. During my visit to the dead towns (near Aleppo)the guide wared me about wild dogs. So, you can't believe it, I'll find the dog. The guide don't say how can I save my pour legs...but this was a my problem not of the book. Is like to have a friend with you who knows everything about this country