Lonely Planet Belgium & Luxembourg (Lonely Planet Belgium and Luxembourg) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Leanne Logan, Geert Cole
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $18.99
Buy Used: $0.73
You Save: $18.26 (96%)
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 513423
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1740593405
Dewey Decimal Number: 914
EAN: 9781740593403
ASIN: 1740593405
Publication Date: June 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Ex-Library. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse!
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Product Description
Whether your idea of bliss is world-class art, picture-perfect castles and romantic, medieval Bruges or clubbing in Antwerp, acres of chocolate and 800-odd types of beer, Belgium and Luxembourg are more satisfying than a pot of moules et frites. This newly updated, comprehensive guide leads you to the very heart of Europe. * BE INSPIRED - with highlights and itineraries from Flanders fields to bustling Brussels * GOURMET TREATS - the cream of top restaurants and grand cafes, with a chapter dedicated to Belgium's national brew * BE IN THE KNOW - incisive history and culture of the countries plus French and Flemish language guide * STAY IN STYLE - rest your head in the pick of chambres d'hotes, gits and hotels * EXPLORE THE COUNTRYSIDE - practical walking and cycling coverage from the flat Flanders coast to the scenic Ardennes
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| Customer Reviews:
 My 3 years in Belgium is ending ... this book was a big help! June 24, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
All in all, in my 3 years living in Belgium, I found this a really helpful guide book. Prices are always wrong in guidebooks, but I found the contact information (web, address, phone) nearly always right, and the descriptions accurate.
You will be very challenged to find another guidebook that has this level of coverage of Belgium in its entirety, as most seem to focus on Brussels, Gent, Bruges, and perhaps Antwerp. Belgium seems to typically be an afterthought on most tourists' itineraries.
I really enjoyed the author's picks, both hotels and restaurants. What can I say to the other reviewer where the hotel unfortunately cancelled their booking because they found a group that would pay them more? Is that the authors' fault? No, welcome to Europe, and to Belgium, where the customer is always ... wrong!!
So you're browsing guidebooks, and wondering which one to get?
I would have to say, based on my experience using an earlier edition of this book for the past 3 years (I imagine they're pretty similar!), if you're swinging through Belgium for 2 days, and going to see Brussels and Bruges, this book is probably not the best for you. You'll probably do better with a thinner city-specific guidebook. But if you're going to tour around Belgium, or spend an extended amount of time in a city or two, then the in-depth coverage of this book is a real benefit.
One criticim I do have to echo: Lonely Planet, let's face it, is not known for its maps, and this book is no exception. They're good enough, and I've never NOT been able to find something, but sometimes the maps, er, well, don't necessarily reflect reality.
So all in all, this is a solid book, and if you follow my advice in paragraph 5, I think you'll be happy with it.
 Lonely Planet disappointment October 16, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
We, too, were shocked with the inadequacies of this guide, (along with the Netherlands guide). What's happened to Lonely Planet? Maps were almost unreadable, information attached to the maps was confusing, streets there were incomplete, addresses were wrong, and the tone was opinionated and unhelpful. To top it off, one of the hotels that was editor's choice cancelled our two-day booking when a full week booking came along from someone else, and we weren't told. No apology, only a remark that we wouldn't like the room with someone else in it. Who selected this place for inclusion in the book with an extra recommendation?
 The worst Lonely Planet I have read so far ! April 11, 2006
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
As much as I am faithul to Lonely Planet guidebooks, I was shocked by reading their edition of Belgium & Luxembourg. Not only did we have to wait 2004 to have a LP guidebook for those 2 countries (which must be after about all other regions in the world, even Antarctica, Papua New Guinea and tiny tropical islands), but it's not even half satisfying.
They should have kept the previous title "Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp", as there is frankly not much about the rest of the country. For instance, Belgium has some 3000 castles, but for some reason only 2 (yes, a miserable 2 !) are listed in the Lonely Planet. Same sparsity for the abbeys. Then, the book is heavily centered on Brussels and Flanders, as if the author didn't know more about Wallonia than the average occasional tourist. No mention of towns like Huy, Ciney or Gembloux - in fact they are not even on the guide's map ! No mention of the beautiful stone villages of the Condroz and Meuse Valley. It's like if they had written a guidebook about England without writing about the Cotswolds, Mendips and the country's many castles and stately homes ! It seems that the author is more interested in finding the best pubs and clubs in Antwerp than in historical and cultural sightseeing. There is more than lots of beer and legal drugs in Belgium !
 Belgian exchange student knows her stuff, and this is it December 9, 2002
11 out of 21 found this review helpful
I'm an exchange student living in Belgium for a year.. and this book is AMAZING! I'm determined to do everything in this book, and I'm already on my way! A few of the pricing things and anything to do with money is a little outdated (ie: the Diamond museum in Antwerp is no longer free). But the authors know their stuff, and (quoting Notting Hill) has actually been to Belgium, which is a plus. And not only do they know their stuff, they give it to you straight up. No sugar coating, nothing, and that's a huge plus. Go out, buy the book, then visit our amazing country!
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