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 enlarge | Author: Simon Richmond
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $12.38
You Save: $7.61 (38%)
New (37) Used (8) from $11.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 171185
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 174059536X
Dewey Decimal Number: 914
EAN: 9781740595360
ASIN: 174059536X
Publication Date: April 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-6 of 6 | | « PREV | | |
 A generally good guide with what to see and historical context, but why is LP now targetting only the wealthy? May 22, 2007
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
I used the first edition of Lonely Planet's TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY guide on a Trans-Manchurian journey three years ago, and picked up the second edition (April 2006) for a Trans-Mongolian journey I'm embarking on tomorrow. The book is a very useful resource for this great train journey, especially for those planning to disembark in the many cities and towns en route.
The guide covers all three traditional Trans-Siberian lines and the cities along them: Moscow-Vladivostok, Moscow-Ulan Bator-Beijing, and Moscow-Harbin-Beijing. It also covers the Baikal-Amur Mainline, a northern Siberian route that is still little-used by Western travelers (or even by Russians, for that matter). The reference material is substantial, with plenty of information on the food and drink of the countries one can visit, and a good history of the railway from its construction through all of the political turmoils since. The listings of large cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ulan Bator, and Beijing are abridged extracts from the RUSSIA, MONGOLIA, and CHINA guides, respectively, with only a couple of days worth of sightseeing, and one main walking tour selected.
What don't I like about the book? Well, as with every Lonely Planet title since they changed their philosophy a few years ago, I'm unhappy with the lack of budget advice and the inclusion of hotels and restaurants priced for a crowd with enough money that they'd probably look to other publishers anyway. For pete's sake, the "Author's Choice" for Moscow lodging, the Golden Apple Hotel, is nearly three hundred euro a night! Despite what you may have heard, Russia is indeed a budget destination, especially if you choose to stay for free with hosts from hospitality associations and self-cater or eat at student canteens. It's a pity that Lonely Planet no longer gives meaningful advice on lodging and food to any but the wealthiest of travelers.
A further problem is that the book was kept a little too slim for a Lonely Planet guide. Obviously minor cities on the route like Yoshkar-Ola have been left out, that's understandable. But it's odd that the authors are so passionate about the variant Moscow to Yekaterinaburg through Kazan, and yet give Kazan awfully meagre coverage. Twice interesting hikes are mentioned (one in Ulan Bator and another along the Great Wall), but without enough details to comfortably set off, or even for a local to know what it's about and give you pointers. And some things present in the first edition are no longer here, such as the little box explaining how there are no passenger crossings from Siberia to Alaska.
The other big Trans-Siberian guide is Bryn Thomas' Trans-Siberian Handbook (Trailblazer Publications, 7th ed. 2006), which has been around for a long time and sees a new edition fairly frequently. Ideal for those in love in train travel, not just those looking to get from point A to point B, Thomas' guide contains things to look out for according to the kilometer markings along the railway. If your backpack isn't already too heavy, I say get that book as well.
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