Frommer's Budapest & the Best of Hungary (Frommer's Complete) Review

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(More customer reviews)In preparing for a trip to Hungary, I examined thoroughly the choices for Budapest. The Frommer's Budapest book (3rd edition) gave the best information aboutfinding and choosing accomodations, but the book has no pictures and aside from a nice subway cover on the inside cover, the maps are hard to find and not veryeasy to use. Frommer's gives excellent information about prices and shops and restaurants; it's almost a guide to buying things rather than a tour book. I didn't find itparticularly thorough about travel information, customs, or those sorts of details. That isnot entirely fair. They have a nice section in the front a kind of "best of" list for things in budapest. The nice thing about the book is that it recommends thingsto do if you have only one day, three days or a week. They also suggested some itineraries for walking tours.
The Fodor's Budapest pocket reference is drab and not full of much information. Don't get it.
My favorite guidebook series has been Lonely Planet,and the Budapest Lonely Planet is fairly helpful. Although it doesn't give as thorough a treatment onaccomodations, the book gives a lot of hints and secret. I found its facts for the visitors to be the most helpful, and the maps (placed at the very back of the book) to be theeasiest to use. The frommer book, on the other hand, put the maps close to the section of the book referring to it. The organization of LP makes it easiest to use in the field; theytend to have the best background, history and cultural information. It was particularly good about including rules, regulations and things like closing times. ON the otherhand, there are not many photos, and they don't plan as many walking tours as the frommer book does.
The Eyewitness Travel Guide on Budapest by Tadeusz Olszanski is the most eye-catching and the least helpful. It contains lots of graphics and diagrams and maps, and not too much information. The multitude ofpictures are helpful in describing architecture, geography and art. On the other hand, its information on accomodations is very limited. Don't get me wrong; it's a beautiful and interesting book; it just is notas helpful as the other three. And it is two years old. I'm not necessarily saying that this book is bad, merely that it may not help you very much on the excursion.
The Budapest: A Critical Guide by Andras Torok, 4th edition is a less complete and more personal account of things to do in Budapest. The other books were like encyclopedias, butthis book was just a few personal recommendations about things to do and places to stay. Also, the writing for this book seems to be better than the other books. If you alreadyare a little familiar with Budapest, but just want to learn about new and undiscovered places, this might be an excellent book. It certainly covers most of the bases, but itjust doesn't try to list a huge number of accomodations or restaurants.
I ended up buying the Frommer's and a used copy of the Eyewitness travel guide.

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Budapest, awakened in 1989 after its long slumber behind the Iron Curtain, is one of Europe's hottest destinations. It stands proudly at the center of Eastern Europe's cultural rebirth, and best of all, it still ranks as one of the continent's best bargains.
Frommer's Budapest & the Best of Hungary, 6th Edition has all the practical details and candid advice you need to plan a successful trip. This book has been completely updated to give you the best places to stay and dine, from historic hotels to intimate guesthouses and from grand cafes to atmospheric taverns and pubs. Explore the city's highlights on detailed walking tours and learn about the gorgeous architecture of both the city's famous buildings and hidden treasures. And of course, we've got all the details on Budapest's exciting nightlife, its vibrant arts scene, and its fabulous thermal baths and spas.
Then explore the best of the Hungarian countryside, where you'll discover sunburnt hillside vineyards and deep verdant valleys, lush cherry orchards, the riverside towns along the Danube Bend, the famous caves in Aggletek, and the shores of Lake Balaton. Our book puts it all at your fingertips, with a handy glossary of Hungarian phrases and detailed color maps.

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