Fodor's Essential Turkey

Description

Whether you want to visit the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, cruise along the Turquoise Coast, or go hot-air ballooning in Cappadocia, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Turkey are here to help! Review: well written and thorough - This Fodor's travel book is easy to read, packed with info including history. Like having a book to read through and then also cross-reference with the web. Hoping I can go to Türkiye (obviously Istanbul, but also beyond, there is so much to see) this year but maybe next! Review: It's good for high level planning but not local insider detail - I bought this book 2nd hand in very good condition so for the price I am very happy (but not so if I paid full price). I basically wanted something that would help me plan my overall trip. We are doing Cappadocia and wanted to suss out which other ancient sights, other natural wonders and beach resort would best complete our travel plans across other regions of Turkey. I considered the Lonely Planet (LP) and Rough Guide (RG) as they are always my go to for my travels but I was aware that they are "chunky" for Turkey and cover a lot of detail (and are a bit out of date!). On this occasion I needed something a bit slimmer and easier to focus our plans. The Fodor is concise and pretty well written, it is a bit more geared towards America tourists, let's say it's a bit more sanitised than I'd prefer. The suggested itineraries and background info was easy to navigate and set a bit of context without feeling like a chore to read through. The regional splits are helpful but did seem to overlap a bit. Ultimately it has helped me to plan our itinerary. However, it is missing some of the extra detail that I'd expect from the LP and RG. There is little in terms of insider knowledge, maybe a nugget of gold about a great viewpoint or a route around town to pick up the local sights. It basically delivers practical information in a well laid out manner, what you would expect to get on the internet but all brought together (I like a physical guide to refer to and scribble my experiences). I also feel it misses out on some maps, there is no Bodrum map for example...why? All in all this is an "essential" guide and as such it provides good overviews in its relatively compact size. I knew that it would be missing detail before I bought is which is why the 4 stars. If you are expecting LP or RG detail then stay clear. and get one of them instead.