Product Description

In this title, contemporary Portugal brought to life through better coverage of nightlife, activities and urban pursuits. It features activities chapter by an outdoor specialist that gives indepth coverage for the adrenalin-chasing traveller. Meet the Locals with one of Lisbon's top designers and an up-and-coming wine-maker sharing inside knowledge. There is a GreenDex mini-index that quickly identifies the properties, tour operators and activity outfitters that operate according to sustainable principles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42113 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 532 pages

Customer Reviews

Great travel companion
I bought this Lonely Planet guide as I was moving to Portugal for a year. I have used previous guides by Lonely Planet but this was has been my favourite: the authors are fantastic: their humour, insider tips and just general description of a place are about 99% correct.

This guide makes Portugal seem much bigger than most people believe it to be. The authors research many places outside of the "usual suspects" and provide rarely-heard of information.

The only sections of this guide that are, one expects to be off, such as transport prices. And even though they can be substantially off, I cannot hold this against the writers, seeing that Lisbon metro and carris changed their prices twice in a year. Also, I cannot give this guide a 5* rating as too many of the places described are almost inaccessible without a private car... And I expect that Lonely Planet users rely much more on public transport.

Overall, a refreshing read - you don't even need to travel there - and very, very useful :)

Not up to Lonely Planet's usual standard
After having tried a few other guidebook series, I am back to Lonely Planet, as these are simply standard-setting in terms of travellers' reference.

But this is the exception that confirms the rule (along with Lonely Planet Iceland & Faroes). Though published last year, so much of the basic information is not up-to-date - and several recommendations seem like an absolute mystery as they in no way live up to Lonely Planet's usual criteria.

Just too many times I found myself planning according to the book's information and recommendations, and ended up finding nothing or not finding the expected. The examples are too many to be ust coincidence and 'because things change'. I will therefore get rid of this one, and try Footprint or The Rough Guide next time I go to Portugal.

Yet, my critical rating of this guidebook should also be seen in the light of my high expectations, as Lonely Planet - mostly - does set the standard. Try again - new edition.

Very poor for a Lonely Planet guide
Compared to all the other Lonely Planet guides I have used in the past, the Portugal edition is basically useless! I regularly use LP guides as I find that their recommendations are usually fantastic for things like hotels and restaurants (as a foody this is particularly important), as well as getting inside tips on unseen sites off the tourist trail.

Firstly, this edition was published in April 2009, and I traveled in August 2009 and at least 1/3 of the restaurants they recommend are no longer there! So... either Portugal has a big turn over of restaurants, or more likely they haven't been checked for this edition. For example, in Porto we looked for a restaurant recommended on the water front. After eventually finding it we discovered that all that was left was a shell which could not possibly have housed a functioning restaurant for at least a year, possibly longer! In Lisbon, a recommended pizza restaurant is now a bar - and has been for 2 years because we asked the barman! When we did find a recommendation that still existed, we wondered why it had been recommended because they were not very good. We often found better restaurants/hotels just looking further up the street, and regularly did this because we quickly lost faith in the book!

As another example, they recommend a "lush oasis" of a tropical botanic garden in Belem. Well, maybe it was a lush oasis when the first edition was written back in the early ninties, but it is now a rundown, empty dive of a place with no one but crickets!

On a positive note, they get most of the prices right for things like train times and museum entry. And their history section is useful for something to read while on a train.

But, there are no colour maps at the back (I thought this was a LP standard?) and no maps of the public transport systems of Lisbon or Porto. The black and white maps of Lisbon that are present overlap and don't fit particularly well with the individual areas that you might visit in one go. And, their recommendations for beaches and walks are often in places that are extremely difficult to get to by public transport.

Overall, I would recommend a different travel guide if you are going to Portugal, even if you are normally a loyal LP devotee like me!