lonely planet v rough guide

want2bmortgage3

Hey all,
I want to order one of the europe on a budget books and just wondered if there are any differences between the LP and RG books?
They look pretty similar but if anyones read either or both and can let me know the differences, please post!
Thanks

mummybearx

Never bought any of them before, I always for the DK top 10 book for whatever place I am visiting.

They have of course the 'top ten' museums, cafe's etc to see, but also a list of what to do if you only have one day to see it all. Found this really helpful x

travelgran

I generally prefer Rough Guide because I think it's more thorough on the background, history etc. However there isn't much between them and the quality can vary from country to country. You could try comparing their comments about a place you already know well, and do check when they were last updated.

Doshwaster

It really depends on destination as there are good and bad examples of each and the update frequency varies. It all depends on what you are looking for - an in depth discussion of history and culture or a guide to where the best bars and restaurants are. Check the reviews of each on Amazon.

Also look at the Time Out series which tend to lean more towards the entertainment and sightseeing end of the spectrum than temples and museums.

Just be aware of the "Rough Guide Effect" where that wonderful cheap and quaint hotel becomes so popular with guide book users that the owners took advantage, increased their prices, dropped standards and the place becomes an overpriced dump.

hxm

it could also be worth checking in your local library before you buy, if they have them you could see which one you prefer

vivatifosi

hxm wrote: »

it could also be worth checking in your local library before you buy, if they have them you could see which one you prefer

I work in a library and would 100% suggest this. You may need to go to a bigger town for a good selection, but it is well worth it. We also sell off our old travel guides for about 50p. What quite a few people do is buy an old copy of both LP and RG in order to plan their trip in outline and then before they go away, borrow the new editions so that they have the most up to date info. This works for most places except those where there has been a lot of change in a short period of time. China is a prime example. The latest guide we've had (LP I think) has had a radical overhaul.

ferf1223

vivatifosi wrote: »

I work in a library and would 100% suggest this. You may need to go to a bigger town for a good selection, but it is well worth it. .

Not sure if it would apply, but our library system allows us to effectively order in any book that exists in the collection of any library within the system...delivered to local branch for collection and returned to the local branch.

We prefer LP generally...but part of that is my (likely incorrect) perception of Rough Guide...as we don't generally 'rough it' on holiday.

daveyjp

Not much between them, IMHO LP has better maps. We use charity shops for such books.

Mr_Wang

Lonely Planet is much more thorough than Rough Guide. Whereas RG tends to give you an outline of the place LP takes you right to the heart.
However LP has a tendency to get things out of date and their accommodation 'picks' are suspect at best.
RG gives great tips but it reads like an encyclopaedia and LP is much more user friendly and far more graphically orientated including tonnes of maps.
The LP guides to look out for are the shoestrings which give you enough info to get by but not too much that your trip is done for you.

Of all the guides ive used LP Middle East is the worst and RG Sri Lanka is pretty useless too.
SE Asia on a shoestring, China and India - All three LP guides are the travellers bibles.

Both have very different styles and for me LP is far easier to use, more succinct and to the point, full of maps and if you ignore the accommodation picks will be like your best friend when travelling. RG becomes a chore and bores me with things I don't need to know.

VfM4meplse

I prefer Rough Guides as well.

Bob_the_Saver

99% of the time it's the Rough Guide for me, for practical information but I never follow specific Hotel/Guesthouse suggestions but they give a good indication of the area to start looking.
Have to agree with Mr Wang on The Sri Lanka Rough Guide though which I'm using at the moment, the only thing the seem to have got right is how
boring the food is.