The Netherlands (Travel Guide)

We are looking to go next year and want some info before we go. We always use Lonely Planet wherever we go as love to mix with the locals, find out their traditions/food etc.

This Lonely Planet book comprehensively covers The Netherlands and all of its regions including Amsterdam. The book is split into four sections – plan your trip, the guide, toolkit and storybook which is a change from the previous Lonely Planet structure. There are less recommendations about places to stay and eat / drink and more ideas for itineraries / background on the regions. For me this is preferable to the original format as it is ideal for finding inspiration for a trip as I prefer finding accommodation through the internet.The book measures 12.95cm x 19.56cm with a thickness of 1.59cm and has 296 pages so is full of information. The paper is quite thin, which I don’t love, as I feel like you could easily tear it, but I understand that this is to keep the weight down whilst travelling. As the book has a soft cover it is likely to become scuffed and battered over time particularly if you decide to carry it around in a rucksack, but personally I will be mainly using this book as a coffee table book to pre plan a trip.The book has plenty of inspiration for travelling around The Netherlands, detailing each region comprehensively and allowing you to plan your trip and itinerary with expert recommendations. The book is illustrated with beautiful photographs, easy to understand diagrammatic maps and there is a clear contents page with an index making it easier to navigate the book – it certainly packs a good amount of information.It allows you to uncover experiences using local knowledge and still includes a few recommendations on where to stay, where to eat and drink with a heavier emphasis on what to see and do. There are recommendations if you have limited timeframes in specific areas and some brief information on transportation links as well. The book also has a pull-out map of Amsterdam at the back which is very useful.I will be using the book as more of a prompt to discover more through the internet to gain further details and for this use it is ideal. However, if you want specific details about a certain region, it may be worth investing in a different book as this book offers a great overview of the country and what it has to offer including choosing a location, but misses the finer details, although of course this would make the book bigger! It is also worth mentioning that the text in the book is quite small.At the time of writing this book is £16.21, I think that this Lonely Planet format is quite good. The information in the book is good quality and up to date – I would recommend it if you are looking to explore The Netherlands further.

Very useful for the basics of an area, a bit biased towards towns and cities, but still worth having

Great travel guide to Netherlands. I am not good at finding information on places to visit on the Internet as it just gives far too many options and then I can not decide what to visit and what to leave for next visit. This travel guide gives plenty I formation on places to visit but it does not overwhelm. I think this is brilliant guide with plenty information for first time in Netherlands.

When it comes to travel guides there's one brand that I tend to gravitate towards and that's Lonely Planet.This guide to The Netherlands is up to their usual standards.From the inviting and colourful cover through to the pull out map of Amsterdam at the back, this book is packed full of useful information.There are suggested itineraries which are tailored to the number of days you have, highlights according to your interests, advice on when to go not just where. Add to this a comprehensive selection of maps, pictures and advice it really does give you all the inspiration you could need for a trip.As usual, the book rounds off with the "Toolkit" a selection of practical tips and advice which always prove very useful.This volume is compact enough, at just under 300 pages, to fit in a handbag/rucksack which makes it nice and portable too.A must buy for anyone planning a trip to The Netherlands.

Whilst this lonely planet guide to the Netherlands contains the usual sectional and city map inclusions, it also offers the new itenary focused layout which is far superior and extremely useful for planning your places of interest prior to arrival.Having already booked an excursion for later this year and borrowed a DK guide from a family friend, I have to admit that I personally prefer this lonely planet iteration for it's recommendations of things to include in your itenary, whilst still containing enough information with regard to food, money etc it's a good compromise of content for those 296 pages contained within.Itineraries are usually far cheaper when arranged independently, you can choose what/where to visit and cut out anything of little interest, this is a fantastic guide that's definitely recommended at it's current £16 ish pricepoint.

Full of cliches and modern mumbo jumbo. I will try and find an old copy at a jumble sale. Lonely planet guides are a total waste of time nowadays