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Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher
Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Feel the allure of Arabia's desert dunes, dine on top of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, or wander through the labyrinthine souqs; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula Travel Guide:
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlights and itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests
Insider tips save you time and money and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including culture, history, religion, art, literature, music, dance, architecture, politics, and cuisine
Over 70 local maps
Useful features - including Month-by-Month (annual festival calendar), Walking Tours, and Arabia's Top 15
Coverage of Bahrain, Manama, Kuwait, Kuwait City, Oman, Muscat, Dhofar, Qatar, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia, Yemen, Sana'a, and more
eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices)
Zoom-in maps and images bring it all up close and in greater detail
Downloadable PDF and offline maps let you stay offline to avoid roaming and data charges
Seamlessly flip between pages
Easily navigate and jump effortlessly between maps and reviews
Speedy search capabilities get you to what you need and want to see
Use bookmarks to help you shoot back to key pages in a flash
Visit the websites of our recommendations by touching embedded links
Adding notes with the tap of a finger offers a way to personalise your guidebook experience
Inbuilt dictionary to translate unfamiliar languages and decode site-specific local terms
The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula, our most comprehensive guide to Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled.
Looking for a guide focused on Dubai? Check out Lonely Planet's Dubai & Abu Dhabi guide for a comprehensive look at all the city has to offer, or Lonely Planet's Pocket Dubai, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Middle East guide for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.
About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.
Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Feel the allure of Arabia's desert dunes, dine on top of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, or wander through the labyrinthine souqs; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula Travel Guide:
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlights and itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests
Insider tips save you time and money and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including culture, history, religion, art, literature, music, dance, architecture, politics, and cuisine
Over 70 local maps
Useful features - including Month-by-Month (annual festival calendar), Walking Tours, and Arabia's Top 15
Coverage of Bahrain, Manama, Kuwait, Kuwait City, Oman, Muscat, Dhofar, Qatar, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia, Yemen, Sana'a, and more
eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices)
Zoom-in maps and images bring it all up close and in greater detail
Downloadable PDF and offline maps let you stay offline to avoid roaming and data charges
Seamlessly flip between pages
Easily navigate and jump effortlessly between maps and reviews
Speedy search capabilities get you to what you need and want to see
Use bookmarks to help you shoot back to key pages in a flash
Visit the websites of our recommendations by touching embedded links
Adding notes with the tap of a finger offers a way to personalise your guidebook experience
Inbuilt dictionary to translate unfamiliar languages and decode site-specific local terms
The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula, our most comprehensive guide to Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled.
Looking for a guide focused on Dubai? Check out Lonely Planet's Dubai & Abu Dhabi guide for a comprehensive look at all the city has to offer, or Lonely Planet's Pocket Dubai, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Middle East guide for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.
About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.
Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2007
161 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Lonely Planet
3,657 books882 followersOUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 2, 2012
Thank God for the Lonely Planet!
Judging by the amazon reviews, I was given the feeling that this particular Lonely Planet is not worth the money, especially not if you are only traveling to Oman and not to the other countries covered by the multi-country guide. So I bought the Rough Guide Oman instead, which I'm in generally very happy with.
I also bought the highly praised German guide ReiseKnowHow and thought that with these two rather extensive guides, I'd be well-equipped for my trip.
Well, let's just say that I wasn't even able to book a hotel in Muscat without the Lonely Planet, because both of my other guides completely failed to give me any sort of impression about Muscat and where to stay. Yes, there description of the various parts of Muscat are good and helpful, and yes, there information is likely more up-to-date than the Lonely Planet. But I had simply no picture of the place in my head after I read them (the Rough Guide still a LOT better than the ReiseKnowHow, but still not as helpful as the LP.)
So, kudos to the LP for giving accurate, helpful and practical descriptions of the different places you are going to see.
It's funny to see some of the other differences that can get people confused: Shiites quarter in Muscat - LP say keep out (as do the signs in Muscat), RG says go. Isreali stamp in passport - LP says you may not get a visa with one, RG says it's no problem ( as says pretty much every other information I found on the web, including the German foreign minstry). Eating in Oman - RG says it's hard to find any decent food, LP says you can good food at every corner.
Layout wise the LP is a lot more structured, with clear, big titles for towns/places, and smaller subtitles for attractions within. There's always a chapter about how to get to and from a place, about eating, sleeping, shopping, always in the same, reliable order. The RG is prettier and easier on the eyes, adding a bit of color with its orange titles and generally more readable font (OMG I'm getting old if the font becomes releveant to me). It's not as structured, though, and some of the places I tried to look up beforehand, I only found when I actually read the whole thing.
Personally, I don't buy travel guides to get exact information about prices or about which cafe offers the cheapest coffee. I buy them to get inspiration and information - helpful hints can come in many forms, you just need to know how to read between the lines and how to take everything that is written with a bit of (your personal taste) of salt. As such, but LP and Rough Guide are good resources.
I'd probably recommend the Rough Guide, because it covers the whole country and as such is more extensive (and at the time of this review more current than the LP).
LP, however, offers the possiblity to download certain chapters of a book from their website. An eletronic copy of the Oman chapter cost a mere EUR 2,45, and if that's not a bargain deal, I don't know what it.
So, if you find yourself traveling to Oman sometime this year, buy the Rough Guide, and then get an electronic copy of the LP, and then make up your own mind.
Judging by the amazon reviews, I was given the feeling that this particular Lonely Planet is not worth the money, especially not if you are only traveling to Oman and not to the other countries covered by the multi-country guide. So I bought the Rough Guide Oman instead, which I'm in generally very happy with.
I also bought the highly praised German guide ReiseKnowHow and thought that with these two rather extensive guides, I'd be well-equipped for my trip.
Well, let's just say that I wasn't even able to book a hotel in Muscat without the Lonely Planet, because both of my other guides completely failed to give me any sort of impression about Muscat and where to stay. Yes, there description of the various parts of Muscat are good and helpful, and yes, there information is likely more up-to-date than the Lonely Planet. But I had simply no picture of the place in my head after I read them (the Rough Guide still a LOT better than the ReiseKnowHow, but still not as helpful as the LP.)
So, kudos to the LP for giving accurate, helpful and practical descriptions of the different places you are going to see.
It's funny to see some of the other differences that can get people confused: Shiites quarter in Muscat - LP say keep out (as do the signs in Muscat), RG says go. Isreali stamp in passport - LP says you may not get a visa with one, RG says it's no problem ( as says pretty much every other information I found on the web, including the German foreign minstry). Eating in Oman - RG says it's hard to find any decent food, LP says you can good food at every corner.
Layout wise the LP is a lot more structured, with clear, big titles for towns/places, and smaller subtitles for attractions within. There's always a chapter about how to get to and from a place, about eating, sleeping, shopping, always in the same, reliable order. The RG is prettier and easier on the eyes, adding a bit of color with its orange titles and generally more readable font (OMG I'm getting old if the font becomes releveant to me). It's not as structured, though, and some of the places I tried to look up beforehand, I only found when I actually read the whole thing.
Personally, I don't buy travel guides to get exact information about prices or about which cafe offers the cheapest coffee. I buy them to get inspiration and information - helpful hints can come in many forms, you just need to know how to read between the lines and how to take everything that is written with a bit of (your personal taste) of salt. As such, but LP and Rough Guide are good resources.
I'd probably recommend the Rough Guide, because it covers the whole country and as such is more extensive (and at the time of this review more current than the LP).
LP, however, offers the possiblity to download certain chapters of a book from their website. An eletronic copy of the Oman chapter cost a mere EUR 2,45, and if that's not a bargain deal, I don't know what it.
So, if you find yourself traveling to Oman sometime this year, buy the Rough Guide, and then get an electronic copy of the LP, and then make up your own mind.
September 23, 2017
Another cookie cutter guide for cookie cutter trips.
November 28, 2022
This was okay, but honestly feel like it wasn't up to the usual LG standards. It felt like there was a lot of things to do that were left out.
March 2, 2023
Tre di default per l'utilità.
Non è aggiornatissimo su qualche ristorante o struttura.
Non è aggiornatissimo su qualche ristorante o struttura.
March 13, 2012
Good travel guide for the region. I enjoyed the history of each country and some of the tips provided by the author. I used this book for travel to Doha, Qatar and Dubai, United Arab Emirates and found most of it pretty spot- on. I had another book that focused just on Dubai, but I really enjoyed this book for the depth of information about the entire region. Hopefully one day I'll make it to some of the other countries.
As with any guidebook, changes ( especially in such a growing area) occur rapidly and some of the information in this book was outdated, but that was my only complaint.
As with any guidebook, changes ( especially in such a growing area) occur rapidly and some of the information in this book was outdated, but that was my only complaint.
Read
July 7, 2010bad maps. insufficient information on sights, e.g. the sheikh zayed bin sultan al nahyan mosque is one of the few mosques open for non-muslims in the emirates and its not even mentioned in the book. dubai's markets are not as great as the book promises. there are better guides for oman and the emirates out there.
October 8, 2014
A helpful guide to this part of the world which contains lots of very useful information for visiting foreigners. I am not familiar with this line of travel guides but this one certainly included a great deal of basic information which would be handy for anyone to utilize. I would imagine all of the Lonely Planet guides are equally as useful.
November 12, 2012
I used this while traveling abroad throughout the UAE, Qatar, and Oman. The entire book was incredible useful; however, the triviastic tidbits were the most fascinating parts of the entire book.
April 1, 2011
ok banggat
January 22, 2015
This is a great start book to an introduce to the district. Very good source of information.
March 26, 2016
Good guidebook, but maybe it is time for an update!
April 14, 2018
I weet nog niet goed wat ik ervan moet denken. heel mooi geschreven, interessant verhaal ... maar toch mist het iets. ik weet het nog niet goed.
ik ga er nog over nadenken.
ik ga er nog over nadenken.
April 22, 2018
Seems like a good guidebook. I enjoyed reading about the history of the area. I will have to edit this review after our move.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews