Lonely Planet Turkey [With Map]

Turkey is a big country with a lot of major attractions, from bustling coastal resorts to sites of ancient historical significance. This book does a very good job presenting information about all these subjects. If you're only going to Istanbul then you're better off with a book dedicated to that city (such as the outstanding Eyewitness travel series book on Istanbul), but for travel in other areas of the country this should serve you well.

Just a very useful guide, with basically everything the visitor to Turkey will need, a useful historical overview, travel tips, tourist sites, and suggested itineraries. Turkey is a great travel destination, with so much to see and so many different regions that it is difficult for one travel guide to do it all justice. This guide does a pretty good job. Those wanting a bit more on Istanbul would do well to check out the Eyewitness Guide or John Freely's book, especially for more historical depth and more detailed coverage of restaurants and hotels. But this Lonely Planet guide crams in an impressive amount of useful information. The chapters on the Adriatic coast sites (Ephesus, Kusadasi, etc.) are brief but comprehensive. The only suggestions I would have for the next edition of this guide would be a better section on buying carpets - there are four pages here, but frankly they aren't that helpful, and most visitors to Turkey could use some do's and don'ts on the subject. Also, many of the country maps are too small-gauge to be useful, dark and difficult to read. The maps should be greatly expanded, both in size and number, and made brighter and easier to read. But overall, the Lonely Planet guide is thorough and will likely be more than enough for most travelers.

Of the five tour guides we own about Turkey, this one is by far the most complete. Well indexed and with the detail travelers need. Routes to points of interest, descriptions of restaurants, and historical cultural information was all meticulously prepared. As we have traveled through the country, we have relied on this guide in preference to all others.

Even for one who has travelled and worked in Turkey off and on for the past 29 years, this volume is an indispensable resource for both practical information and its brief but almost always interesting historical highlights. As an historian and archaeologist who has excavated in Turkey and has led a dozen university-sponsored study-tours through the country, I too have noticed some of the errors and omissions that have caused earlier reviewers distress; but such mistakes are few, are inevitable in a book with such a broad chronological and geographical scope, and are easily outweighed by Tom Brosnahan's obvious knowledge of and affection for the country's past and present. It's worth remembering that this volume does not claim to be an exhaustive historical guide to the country, but rather a handy and portable reference to all aspects of touring in Turkey. For me, it is second only to my wife as my favourite travelling companion in Anatolia.

I just returned from travelling through Turkey with a Turkish friend who lives in Germany, and despite his familiarity with the country and cities, we both heavily relied upon the LP guide for information on lodging, historical sites, off-the-beaten-track towns, and other fun and interesting places to visit. It is a fabulous book, and the only one worth paying for to use for such a trip. All other travellers I encountered (who weren't on pre-planned tours or paying $200/night at the Hilton) were using the LP guide, whether from North America, Australia, or Europe. Great information, very comprehensive, aimed at budget travellers! Enjoy!