Check out Daipy travelers' reviews of thousands of Travel Accessories.
The Rough Guide to Beijing 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
- Average Rating:
- List Price:
-
$19.99 - Our Price:
- $10.63
- You Save:
- $9.36 (47%)
Product Info
- EAN: 9781843539070
- Manufacturer: Rough Guides
Features
- ISBN13: 9781843539070
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Similar Products
Editorial Reviews:
This guide to Beijing brings the city’s highlights to life from the latest hip nightspots and fashionable eateries to the ancient splendours of the Forbidden City. Easier to use and more to the point than its main rivals, there are accounts of all the city''s attractions and reliable, practical information on how to get around, where to stay and where to find the best restaurants and bars. The guide also includes detailed accounts of excursions outside the city to historic towns and hikes along the Great Wall. Each district is covered by a thoroughly researched and fully indexed map
Spotlight customer reviews:
- Customer Rating:
- Summary: Reasonable but out of date
- Comment: The guide is as good as any of the Rough Guides, which is to say that it is comprehensive and generally accurate, though if you are not used to the author sharing his personal opinions, in addition the objective guidance, you might find it surprising.
I used it a quite a bit and found a lot of things in Beijing that I would have never discovered without the guide so it was a good purchase. There are a few things that the author doesn't mention that stood out to me as a westerner and a stranger to the city which would have been useful, such as the fact that taxis are very cheap and available at all times of the day and night and generally safe and honest. Some of the text could have done with better editing too; an example was that it said that a temple that I went to visit was a short walk from a certain subway station but it did not say in which direction, and on my first attempt I wasted a good hour trying to find it and gave up.
The reason why it doesn't get four stars is that it is really quite out of date. It seems to have been written about thee years previous to me buying it which does not sound a lot, but the Olympics has been to Beijing in the intervening time and a lot of things have changed. For example only about half the subway is in the map at the back, which has made it a lot easier to get around the city, but I had to purchase a separate map locally.
In summary, yes it's worth the money but due for revision. - Customer Rating:
- Summary: already out of date
- Comment: I've had great success with Rough Guides, and this seemed like a good bet given all the reviews here on Amazon. Unfortunately, I've been super disappointed. Sure, it's a challenge writing a guidebook for such a rapidly changing city; but this guide being pre-Olympics makes a HUGE difference. Don't let the 2008 date fool you.
The subway and bus information and maps are all wrong. Quite a few of the restaurants mentioned don't exist anymore, which I frequently discovered while hot and frustrated on Beijing's complicated streets. (Directions and maps are quite short on details.) Prices and information for major tourist sites (such as Forbidden City) are slightly off. The text even mentions Dunkin Donuts, which hasn't existed in China for five years or more. In addition, big swaths of the city aren't covered at all, notably the foreigner hot-spots around Chaoyang Park. The section on 798, the Arts District, is woefully short, just a paragraph long with no map or gallery suggestions.
Hopefully there's a better guide out there, because Beijing is the kind of massive city where you really need quality advice and maps and directions. - Customer Rating:
- Summary: Excellent read!
- Comment: It contains very useful information for a first time visitor. The author has a very goodt style of writing which makes it easy to follow, unlike most other travel books. Very good suggestions on where to go, where to eat, and where to explore. I would definitely suggest it for a first time visitor.
- Customer Rating:
- Summary: awesome guide!
- Comment: Nicely organized by areas, especially if planning to travel independently. I will use this as my main guide when going to Beijing! All the attractions discussed also have the Chinese letter translations, which is handy when going by taxi as many drivers do not speak English. The only con is the places to eat are all in a separate chapter and not listed along with the city area attractions, as that would be a little easier to follow.
- Customer Rating:
- Summary: The Best Guide Book I Have EVER Owned
- Comment: Going to Beijing? Bring this book. Everything about it is superb. It served me well on a five-week study sojourn a few years ago. In addition to being of excellent quality (everything in it is valuable), it is nice and compact and will fit right in your pocket. Great maps too. In short, the best guide book I've ever owned, and I've owned quite a few.
Troy Parfitt, author
