Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(21 customer reviews) 34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Not useful at all,
November 21, 2001 By A Customer
This review is from: Lonely Planet Seoul (Lonely Planet City Guides) (Paperback)
While I usually never go anywhere without an LP guide in my pack, this one really disappoints. Detailed descriptions and directions are totally lacking. I was able to find out more from my own exploring and using the Korea National Tourist info, than from this guide. If you go to Korea, buy the Insight Guide to Korea for a very informative introduction, and not to mention a great read.
39 of 42 people found the following review helpful
A threadbare and poorly written guide,
May 30, 2001 Tim Ciccone (Charlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lonely Planet Seoul (Lonely Planet City Guides) (Paperback)
I have been to Seoul several times, so my primary interest in using this book was to find places I haven't seen. For that, it was no help whatsoever. In the "places to see" section, it missed a number of interesting sights such as Tongmyo shrine, the Royal Tombs, and a number of others. It also gave threadbare descriptions of excursions outside Seoul. For example, I wanted to know how to get to nearby Kanghwa island. The book gives a few directions but then tells us to "ask how to get to such and such place." Why buy a guidebook with that advice? Even more infuriating, I noticed in the map section that it shows exactly how to get there, but the author failed to refer to his own map. I think this book needs to be fattened-up and re-edited.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Learning about Seoul,
July 28, 2005 C. Dugan (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lonely Planet Seoul (Paperback)
Being first time travelers to Korea, we wondered what it would be like. A friend recommended that we order this book. We found it very helpful in answering many of our questions. We also referred to the book on several occasions while in Seoul, confirming our memory of its contents, such as the custom in tipping for services and to remind us of the below ground shopping experiences available within the city. We would recommend the book to others. We also ordered the Korean Phrasebook which we did not use at all -- it was not necessary or helpful for our use.