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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 the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore ancient souqs in labyrinthine alleyways; dine in the world's tallest building; and feel the allure of Arabia's desert dunes; 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:
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - culture, history, religion, art, literature, music, dance, architecture, politics, cuisine
Over 70 maps
Covers Bahrain, Manama, Kuwait, Kuwait City, Oman, Muscat, Dhofar, Qatar, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia and more
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 both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.
Looking for a guide focused on Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Check out Lonely Planet Dubai & Abu Dhabi for a comprehensive look at all Dubai and Abu Dhabi have to offer, or 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 Middle East for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.
Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet.
About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.
Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore ancient souqs in labyrinthine alleyways; dine in the world's tallest building; and feel the allure of Arabia's desert dunes; 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:
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - culture, history, religion, art, literature, music, dance, architecture, politics, cuisine
Over 70 maps
Covers Bahrain, Manama, Kuwait, Kuwait City, Oman, Muscat, Dhofar, Qatar, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia and more
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 both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.
Looking for a guide focused on Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Check out Lonely Planet Dubai & Abu Dhabi for a comprehensive look at all Dubai and Abu Dhabi have to offer, or 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 Middle East for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.
Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet.
About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.
480 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
161 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
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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