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Title: Finland (Country Guide)
ISBN: 1740597915
Author:
Andy Symington
Publicate Date: 2006-04-01
Publish: 2006-04-01
List Price: $22.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.22
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $5.23
Amazon Merchant Price: $15.63
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Lonely Planet - Ultimate Travel Advisor
Lonely Planet Finland is for the 'real' traveler, no matter what their budget. Everyone visitng Finland sees Helsinki, but there is so much more to discover about the Country. This book is a must to read before traveling, & take along to consult often during the trip.
For example, I 'discovered' Lapeenranta (you can even cruise to Russia from this town if you plan ahead), which is a lovely town on a huge lake & full of history. Also, I was 'guided' to Ylamaa, a short distance from Lapeenranta, for a visit to Jewel Village. Here you can purchase a piece of beautiful Spectrolite jewelry after seeing it created by grinders working with this very unique gem-stone.
Don't want to rent a car? Lonely Planet provides amazing & really useful bus & train information for travel throughout the country. The list of accommodations (including prices & ammenities) & advice on finding a great or unusual place to eat is absolutely unbeatable.
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2: Excellent overview of Finland
I used this text heavily over the course of a month and a half spent in Finland this past summer. As with anything dated, prices have changed for some things. That said, the book was my one stop reference for most everything I needed on the trip. It's what you expect from a Lonely Planet guide (good detail on the cities, logical organization, excellent transportation section).
I agree with the previous reviewer in one case: there's not much on hitch-hiking or couchsurfing (the latter of which I've done-- Finland has quite a few couchsurfers). I guess the difference is that I don't expect this from a guidebook, and I suspect the typical guidebook buyer doesn't either! There are more (and better) online places to get this information. [...].
In all, a very satisfying guide and rarely wrong or inaccurate. Worth a look.
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3: Good enough
Provides good basic information on plenty of spots (even the tiny ones not on the most popular routes). Sometimes little overexcited about the atmosphere or the value of certain sights or cites. The information about pricing and eating joints is outdated in several cases which - on the other hand - forces you to start exploring by yourself. Generally useful especially for your fist trip to Suomi.
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4: Does its job, even if one is wont to grumble about the rip-offs it might lead you into
Having moved to Helsinki last August and traveled around a bit, I've used the 5th edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Finland for several months now, mainly in the south of the country. I found the guide useful, but certain aspects of it invite comment.
LONELY PLANET FINLAND does cover all of the standard sightseeing objectives in the country, including museums and natural areas outside of the largest cities. And while maps are often problematic in Lonely Planet guides, I found no errors at all in this one. The activities recommended in cities like Helsinki are spot-on, free of kitsch routes and putting travelers in good contact with the locals. The author clearly thinks that most people will be in the south of Finland in the summer, since visiting places like Suomenlinna wouldn't be all that interesting in the cold and dark time of the year, but this I suppose is a reasonable assumption. And since the guide was written by a single person, Andy Symington, it is more coherent in its rating of destinations and activities than the often self-contradictory guidance of collaborative Lonely Planet efforts.
But while the book is a good companion once one has settled in at one's destination, quite objectionable is its guidance on lodging and travel, with so much inexplicably geared towards wealthy travelers. Finland has a high cost of living, true, but it can be a very cheap destination for the backpacker. You know, that demographic that Lonely Planet has historically targeted. The inclusion of hotels that charge 200 euro/night or more is simply ridiculous; travelers that would fork over that much are much more likely to buy the simpler Berlitz, Fodor's, or Frommer's guides. Even recommendation of so many hostels and guesthouses in each locale seems unnecessary. Basically the entire country is now covered by free Internet hospitality services like Hospitality Club and Couchsurfing, so there's no need to pay for lodging and tours when chances are some kind local will give it to you all in exchange for just interesting conversation and cultural exchange. Similarly, coverage of the north of the country seems excessively concerned with expensive guided tours and safaris.
The preference for expensive lodging is mirrored by the exclusive attention paid to Finland's notoriously pricely train and bus systems. I was happy to see that the Directory of the Finland guide lacks the scary "hitchhiking is never entirely safe and we don't recommend it" text the publisher favours, and in fact the author is fairly positive about it. Unfortunately, this kind look towards hitchhiking doesn't actually translate into giving tips on it. Cutting out the luxury hotel listings that no one will use anyway would free up space for simple advice like "In Tampere, the most popular place to hitchhike towards Helsinki among local students is Viinikka crossroads, a ten-minute walk south from the bus station."
If you are going to Finland to visit just a couple of cities and have already secured lodging and know how to travel cheaply, you should have no problem printing out some information about basic sightseeing from freely available resources on the Web. I found Lonely Planet Finland a decent investment, but only because I've gone out to see many places around the country.
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