Lonely Planet Syria & Lebanon (Lonely Planet Syria and Lebanon) (Multi Country Guide)
Selected Book Details
- Paperback
- Edition: 3
- Author: Lara Dunston; Terry Carter
- Publisher: Lonely Planet
- Release Date: July 2008
- ISBN-10: 1741046092
- ISBN-13: 9781741046090
- List Price: $22.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryDiscover all of Syria's myriad charms - explore magnificent Crusader castles and ancient ruins, treasure hunt in labyrinthine souqs and people-watch in Damascene coffeehouses - with this excellent guide.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Out of Date
Rating:
Just got back from three weeks in Syria and Lebanon, using this LP guide. I tried to stay at the cheapest possible option for the cities I visited but splurged a few times on the restaurants. Prices are hopelessly out of date... for Syria cheap hostels/hotels 200% higher, restaurants about 50%, taxi fare 200%-up. Lebanon's price disparity wasn't quite as bad and may have been researched more recently. Curiously enough the prices for museums, historical sites, etc. were correct.
City maps are awful, especially for the larger cities. LP doesn't include all the street names and in some cases not even all the streets. Get a local city map before walking around. Smaller maps for museums and sites are useful though.
I did a lot of traveling by public bus and shared taxi. Syria built new bus stations in Damascus, Hama and Aleppo. LP was absolutely useless for logistics as a result.
Now for the positives. Every English-speaking tourist in Syria seemed to have a LP so there doesn't seem to be any good alternative. Food, history, and sightseeing sections were great. I'm not sure about the shopping suggestions. I visited a few places but most offered stuff well out of my price range.
I strongly recommend this book if you are on a guided tour and have hotels and transportation already arranged. It even recommends tea houses and massages where you can relax after a hard day's shopping, lucky you! On the other hand, if you are traveling independantly, go ahead and get this book... but double-check the logistics on the internet or with other travelers when you arrive.
The Syrian and Lebanese People
Rating:
Syria and Lebanon are both great countries to visit, and both are similar in several ways, both Syria and Lebanon have majority Arab populations and use the Arabic language as their official language. And Syria and Lebanon also have a mixed group of religious groups other than the traditonal Sunnites, which inculdes Alawites, Maronites, Druzes, Syriacs, Melkites, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Shiites, Protestants, Nestorians, and Jews.
Dont leave home without it!
Rating:
Bought this for my son who is relocating to Damascus. He has already earmarked dozens of pages and plans to carry it with him all the time. He already found some of the necessities of life - internet cafes, places to live, food and groceries. According to him, every ex-pat has one and lives by these books. Good choice!
indispensable travel aid
Rating:
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.
Outstanding new edition!
Rating:
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!
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