Lithuania, 5th (Bradt Travel Guide)

The fact is, the guide is very well researched, very up-to-date; even airline info is accurate and relevant! That's actually a great compliment: most big and respectable (?) publishing houses like Lonely Planet are still struggling to come up with anything more substantantial than "common sense" (in most case, it isn't even that) factoids such as their supreme insult to inteligence "pack as little as possible but take everything you need". But enough about Lonely Planet - they are my favorite whipping boy and this review is not about them.

So we agreed that Bradt is well-researched and accurate. The regional information (outside Vilnius and Kaunas and Klaipeda) is, at the moment, second to none; main cities are also covered very well. The writer had enough sense to seek extensive advise in Lithuania from everyone who is anyone in travel writing business. It seems that the (formerly) glorious publishers of Vilnius In Your Pocket (they were incredibly good before they overstretched themselves, spread their editorial effort too thin and apparently stopped investing into their famous gold-standard research) quietly helped Bradt with all their knowledge, in return for a modest and barely noticeable plug. Not fair? Well, maybe, but it helped Bradt.

This book is worth every penny. Besides practicalities, it has good articles on history and language and culture, too. There is very little to fault on content side. It looks like there's nothing missing, and I don't say things like this too often.

Having said all that, I am still not impressed with their graphic design. It looks amateurish; a bit of gloss and color and visual guidance would be in order. Some places look as if they were designed by your uncle in his free time on home computer. Maybe it appeals to some people, but many will be put off, thinking - why should I spend good money on something that looks like a college newsletter? This would be a superficial reaction, but one which does no favors to publishers when trying to sell the book.

Overall, the book is still worth your money - by all means. For Lithuania, you don't need to bother with Lonely Planet, who were so far in the lead six or seven years ago that it seemed like no-one could catch up with them. Since then, LP stood still and Bradt evolved incredibly, and now fortunes are reversed. Again, at the moment (September 2003) there is nothing better on the market.


Excellent Lithuania Travel Reference   January 30, 2006
Donald W. Stein (Buffalo, NY USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is really the only complete travel book on Lithuania available. Complete coverage of the whole country. I especially liked the History chapter and the Further Reading Appendix. I always like to read up on the history of where I'm going and this book is an outstanding resource. The Where to Stay sections were large and useful.

My only complaints are that this book could use color maps instead and more detailed transport sections. I would have liked it to list the estimated travel prices and travel times in a table. Actually, I wish most travel guides would have a table summarizing everything from hotels, restaurants and transport but most travel guides don't do that.


Exceeded expectations   February 24, 2009
B. J. Hoover (north Georgia)
This book was very helpful and addressed more things than I had hoped. It got down to the necessities of day to day living, traveling and dealing with the culture, in a concise manner. We lived in central Europe previously in the 90s and found this much more helpful than any of the books that were available at that time. I'd recommend it if you're planning a trip to or an extended stay in Lithuania.


Bradt's Guide to Lithuania: a good choice   March 1, 2009
George The Traveler (Italy)
The Bradt Travel Guide to Lithuania is an excellent aid to planning travel and learning more about the history and culture of Lithuania. This detailed guide stands out from similar publications by providing an indepth and accurate summary of the history of this interesting country- something most guides do not give.


Lithuania is a hidden jewel   March 30, 2007
Susan Gregg (Big Island, Hawaii USA)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

Once a year I go to Lithuania and spend a month there teaching about spirituality. The people are wonderful and the country magical.

This is a great book about a beautiful, quaint, poetic country. If you are thinking about going to Europe buy this book and pack your bags for Lithuania.