The Rough Guide to Turkey

Got this for a trip to Turkey in which we planned to travel from Western Turkey to the East for a relatives wedding. The book is set in chapters according to area and is really in depth with regards to history, places to go, eat, stay etc. Most importantly there is a good section on staying safe which for two female travellers I felt it was quite important. In the end we didn't go to Eastern Turkey (nothing to do with the book) but used the book to spend some time travelling around the West - found some real gems so would deffo recommend this book for anyone planning a visit.

We took this guide for a 10 days holiday in Marmaris. I guess for a generic guide is okay but we struggled to find useful information for the places that we were planning to visit in that area. Even restaurants and best beaches to visit weren't very clear.

We love the Rough Guide series. As well as clearly written information about each place, there are inset paragraphs about quirky little details, to which we we would otherwise not have had access. We read these books instead of taking other light reading and continue to look up information after we have returned from holiday. Well worth buying.

Found the guide very informative, we think this will be a great help when we visist Turkey in the near future

We were planning an archeological trip to Turkey and needed a guide that covered most of the country. We found the Rough guide very good and comprehensive. It not only pointed out both large and small sites, but was also helpful about now long it would take get to some of the places which were really in the middle of nowhere. We found the the descriptions were right on as to what to expect. We felt it was truly comprehensive both culturally and archeologically. In the more conservative areas of the country we felt the guide gave us insight into what to expect. This prepared us with an understanding of cultural ideas and attitudes. It was also helpful in the larger more western cities as well. Overall we liked the guide and would reccomend it to anyone travelling through Turkey.

All the info I needed

Having just returned from my first visit to Turkey I can only agree with the negative comments voiced by other reviewers. The general tone veers between sneering at the reality of turkish society and derision of anything that remotely relates to the general tourist. All this would be bad enough were the text not hopelessly out of date. Selecting a couple of examples at random from an extraordinary list of errors; Descriptions of the Bodrum penisula include references to sailing schools in Bitez. Guys! - all the schools moved further round the peninsua at least 3 years ago. For Ephesus the visitor is instructed to walk from the lower to upper gates (insane if you've ever been there), no warning of the extreme heat everyone will experience - even in Spring. Riddled with factual inaccuracies and so superficial as to be useless. I threw my copy away and just asked the locals, who are amazing people (not that you'd ever expect that if you read this book).

the quality wasn't quite what I was expecting. however it will serve its purpose perfectly enough. fortunately it included the area I needed

The Rough Guide to Turkey is great. We had originally purchased another guide to Turkey and didn't like it at all. A friend recommended the Rough Guide and we were so happy with it. Most of the traveling we did was in Eastern Turkey and less touristy places, but Rough Guide was very complete, even for the not so popular destinations. We highly recommend it!

I have to agree with recent reviewers who were dissappointed by the lack of meaningful practical travel information. The most important thing a travel book can do is tell you how to get from point B to C while you're still in point A. Rough Guide fails completely in this area, showing only a small percentage of the connections a typical (or "rough") tourist would make. Also, the pricing is indeed way off, although given Turkey's highly volatile currency and the recent flushing of the US dollar into the global toilet, I can't really blame the authors for failing to predict the future. I'll also add that with a little negotiating, particularly in off-season, you can get the pricing down to a level closer to what the book says. Despite all the above problems I'll give the book a middling rather than terrible review because it has great information on all the major sites once you get there. I found the book's descriptions to be just as good as anything a museum will sell you. And the historical background on Turkey is absolutely first-rate--short, easy-to-read, yet comprehensive and intelligent. Also, I can't say whether you should buy Lonely Planet or another guide. I've been using travel guides for ten years and have concluded that you just can't rely on any trademark--some books are good, some are bad, regardless of the series.

This is a great book and so helpful. I was glad to have it when I went to Turkey. So glad to get it at a reasonable price, too.

This is an awful book. It does not have any transportation information. The closes it comes is listing where the bus and train stations are in a city. It does not have any information about what routes are serviced, how long they take, how much they are or when they leave. When there are two or more bus stations it does not have anything about which station to go to. It also is devoid of any hints or feelings one way or another. There is no "Take the train for the nice view" or "Take the bus because the train is awfully slow" It is simply not there. For a "rough guide" to Turkey I found this book completely lacking. I feel this book is mistitled as it is unlike its companion guides and is ill suited for the task. The history sections are also rather confusing and not up to the usual Rough Guide standard. I may never buy Rough Guide again.

The Rough Guides for travellers are core material in my opinion. Concentrating on history relevant commentary and allowing for current conditions and reviews of important sights, the Rough Guide offers a well rounded presentation which gives everything one could need before embarking. I also review the Lonely Planet guide which has alot of on the ground and about the city commentary which balances the research for me. Rough Guide of Turkey is a must before going to that country.