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Which Guide to Buy? Articles \| Home Page Before you go to Peru, you will probably want to invest in a guidebook. These are really useful to have, listing all the attractions to see, where to stay, and with information on the culture and history of Peru. Does it matter which one you buy? Well yes and no. The Lonely Planet is the first book that independent travellers tend to reach for when thinking to visit a new country, and it has a well-deserved reputation. The drawbacks are that every other traveller or tourist you bump into is likely to have the same book, and you may find yourself in "Planet World" - where you meet the same people in every town, because you are all staying at the same hotel, and eating in the same restaurants recommended by "The Book". Another drawback to "The Book" is that once a hotel or restaurant is listed, often the owners think they have won the lottery, and sell their business for a greatly inflated price, in anticipation of the hoards of travellers that are shortly going to be heading that way. Of course that means that the owners who made the business good enough to get included in "The Book" are often long-gone by the time you get there. The Rough Guide is another alternative, and although it has often been seen as the "poor man's Planet" it does cover things differently, and you can avoid "Planet World" as well. Personally I find their town maps difficult to use, but I can't fault the content. My favourite overall though, is the South American Handbook . This has been in print for many years, with a new edition each year. It is a little more expensive than the others, but is hardback and printed on thinner, better quality paper so does last well. Despite this book covering all countries in South America, I found that its information and hotel listings were far better than the Lonely Planet Peru, and it just seemed more "grown up" - many people associate Lonely Planet with gap-year students drinking their way around Australia. The people behind the South American Handbook have now brought out a version covering just Peru, and so this will be top of my Christmas list this year! Back to top \| Home Page \| Articles \| History \| Culture Language and Food

Everything you ever wanted to know about Peru, in one place

Which Guide to Buy?

Articles | Home Page

Before you go to Peru, you will probably want to invest in a guidebook. These are really useful to have, listing all the attractions to see, where to stay, and with information on the culture and history of Peru. Does it matter which one you buy? Well yes and no.

The Lonely Planet is the first book that independent travellers tend to reach for when thinking to visit a new country, and it has a well-deserved reputation. The drawbacks are that every other traveller or tourist you bump into is likely to have the same book, and you may find yourself in "Planet World" - where you meet the same people in every town, because you are all staying at the same hotel, and eating in the same restaurants recommended by "The Book".

Another drawback to "The Book" is that once a hotel or restaurant is listed, often the owners think they have won the lottery, and sell their business for a greatly inflated price, in anticipation of the hoards of travellers that are shortly going to be heading that way. Of course that means that the owners who made the business good enough to get included in "The Book" are often long-gone by the time you get there.

The Rough Guide is another alternative, and although it has often been seen as the "poor man's Planet" it does cover things differently, and you can avoid "Planet World" as well. Personally I find their town maps difficult to use, but I can't fault the content.

My favourite overall though, is the South American Handbook . This has been in print for many years, with a new edition each year. It is a little more expensive than the others, but is hardback and printed on thinner, better quality paper so does last well. Despite this book covering all countries in South America, I found that its information and hotel listings were far better than the Lonely Planet Peru, and it just seemed more "grown up" - many people associate Lonely Planet with gap-year students drinking their way around Australia. The people behind the South American Handbook have now brought out a version covering just Peru, and so this will be top of my Christmas list this year!