travel guides for China (and other options)

[yonglan]

I think I am going to China 'soon' and part of my preparation is of course trying to get some information on places I'd like to visit.

I've looked at a whole pile of different travel guides for China. If we immediately discount Insight Guides and National Geographic for lack of practicality, despite being attractive to look at and fun to read, I'm still left with the following main contenders (starting with the worst) -- and some others whose titles escape me at the moment..

Frommers (the big one)

So-so. It at least has tone marks.

China: 50 most memorable trips

Well, it's pretty good for those, but it's not meant for much more. Also, no tones or characters.

Rough Guide

Talk about potential . . . that's not yet realized. Pretty good train, food, and hotel details. If they could use more characters and tone marks, that would be nice.

Blue Guide

No tones or characters, but probably the best information on sites to visit of any of the guides I've looked at.

Lonely Planet

Their Taiwan and Korea guides weren't worthy of a puppy in training, so I am leary, but they have way more characters than any of the other guides I've seen, and tones where they don't have characters. There seems to be a fair amount of detail and things are thankfully divided by province. Maybe I just fear them as the Microsoft of guidebooks?

Any thoughts?

All the above guides give some information on eats and places to stay, though some very little, and likely none of them has more than 50% of the places to stay in common with any other guide. Of course, my experience elsewhere with guides has been mixed, and China is changing faster than the other places I've been.

I contacted China National Tourist Organization today, so they will be sending me some stuff. Anyone know what that will be like?

Is CITS like other travel agencies in that there is no cost to the traveler? Anyone used them? It seems they're in most cities.

Thanks.

[confucius]

China guide books have different purposes. Some are written to help you choose destinations, while others go into more detail on how to get to each place. Some are for first time travellers, while others are written for Long March veterans.

I would suggest you maximize using free resources available on the Internet. Here is an excellent website to help you get started:

http://channels.crienglish.com/travel/Travel%20Express.aspx

[yonglan]

Thanks. Yeah, I know they have different purposes, though they don't even do their purpose that great IMnotsoHO. I'm going guidebookless

[woodcutter]

The purpose of most guide books is for light reading as the tour bus whisks you about.

Only Rough Guide, Lets Go and Lonely Planet are for people travelling about in non-style. Lonely planet is always best, followed by RG, followed by LG.

If you really think Lonely Planet is so bad, you are in for a nasty shock using anything else.

[yonglan]

They do look best for China, but they are not for Taiwan or Korea, at least in the past. And part of what made them so bad for Taiwan was not readily apparent when in the bookstore at home. The misinformation was often worse than the lack of informaiton. I ended up much better off with Taiwan's tourism office brochures and talking to either other expats or Taiwanese. Tons of places not in LP.

Anyone want to make free, public domain travel guides? A wikipedia of travel guides.

[woodcutter]

I have used LP for all the places you mentioned, and had no special problem. If there is misinformation then things have changed, or you were unlucky, or were using an old edition, and that can happen with any guide book. Lonely Planet is a big operation and the quality of information is usually second to none, in my experience. For me, the balance of background, cultural, and practical information is very good, and its all thrown together in a readable, presentable way.

No, I don't work for them, but if you are interested, Mr.Wheeler, I'm up for it.